United
Circles

Did you know that cities are responsible for over 2 billion tons¹ of waste annually, much of which could be turned into valuable resources?

From food waste, to wastewater, and construction and demolition debris, urban areas produce a wide range of waste streams, much of which ends up in landfills or remains improperly managed. This not only contributes to environmental degradation but also represent a highly inefficient use of resources. At the same time, industries continue to rely heavily on virgin materials for the production of new goods at a rate that greatly exceeds the capacity of the planet. At this rate, we would need 1.7 Earths to support this demand, and we are already pushing our planet to the limit.

1. Kaza, Silpa, Lisa Yao, Perinaz Bhada-Tata, and Frank Van Woerden. 2018. What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050. Urban Development Series. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-1329-0. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO.

Objective

In response to this challenge, United Circles is leading the change by showing how cities and industries can work together to upcycle waste into value-added products. By connecting urban and industrial systems with a set of new technologies and collaborative models (Hubs4Circularity), the project will accelerate our progress to a fully decarbonised future without waste and with closed resource and energy loops.

Our goal? Zero-waste cities and decarbonised industries that support sustainable growth
and resilient communities.

The plan? To promote a circularity culture to tackle all generated waste across regions and industrial sectors through collaboration and innovation.