And we did it—we broke the record! 

Across North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), repair enthusiasts, local initiatives and citizens joined forces to complete and document over 3451 successful repairs, surpassing the previous British benchmark and setting a new one for community repair.

But the biggest achievement goes far beyond the number itself.

Because this record isn’t just about how many things we repaired, but rather about what we can achieve when people come together to make repair part of everyday life again.

Check the Repair World Record campaign website for detailed updates.

A record built on people, skills and shared ambition

Across NRW, people rolled up their sleeves, shared their skills, helped each other and gave broken things a second chance.

Experienced repairers joined forces with curious beginners. Repair initiatives mobilised their communities. And people who had been putting off a repair for months or years, finally found the motivation to give it a go.

“What started as an ambitious target became something much bigger: a collective effort to show that repairing is not a thing of the past, but an essential skill for the future.”, says Stephan Schaller, CSCP Senior Expert.

Every repaired bicycle, coffee machine, jacket or household appliance contributed to the result. And behind every repair was someone choosing to fix rather than replace.

Bringing repair back

Repairing broken or damaged goods used to be a normal part of everyday life. Buying something new wasn’t always the go-to option, and many people had the tools and skills to fix things themselves.

Over time, mass production, technological change and shifting lifestyles have changed that. Today, it is often easier to throw something away and buy a newer version. But this convenience comes with hidden costs: depleted resources, high emissions, and huge amounts of waste.

There is another way, however, that we used to know: ask your grandparents!

Investing in a repair culture

Repair can be a skill challenge, a fun activity to do together and a way to save money and resources. Whether we repair something ourselves, join a local repair initiative or open workshop, or use a professional repair service, keeping products in use is often a better alternative to replacing them.

“The NRW Repair World Record campaign has shown what is possible when we make repairing visible, accessible and something to celebrate.”, says Nils Kreft, CSCP Communication Coordinator.

A world record is just the beginning

The world record was our big ambition. But the real mission was always bigger: to bring repair back into everyday life, challenge the idea that new is always better, and remind people how satisfying, practical, and empowering it can be to fix something.

Together with the Repair & Share Festival in Wuppertal on 31 October, a flagship event of our FAB Region project, the campaign helped shine a spotlight on the people, skills and initiatives keeping repair alive across NRW and inspiring others beyond.

So we’re taking the energy, experience and momentum of 2026 into 2027.

With more people involved, more communities inspired and a stronger repair movement, our vision is to turn the enthusiasm of this extraordinary month into an everyday habit.

Because we know one thing for sure: the best record we can set is one that inspires people to keep repairing regardless if someone is counting.

For additional questions, please contact Nils Kreft.

© SPARKFUL Media

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From European ambition to local action: Circular Week opens in Aachen

On 26 October 2026, the Circular Week 2026 kicked off in Aachen, Germany, with the official opening of the city’s Circular City Hub (Kreislauf-WIRK-Statt) and Urban Mining Hub (Bau-WIRK-Statt).

Developed as part of the Circular City Aachen project, the two hubs demonstrate what it means to bring circularity into everyday urban life. They create spaces where municipalities, businesses, researchers and citizens can connect, experiment and develop solutions that keep valuable resources in use for longer.

Connecting the dots, connecting actors across Europe

The ninth edition of Circular Week marks an important milestone. Founded by the Polish think tank INNOWO in 2018, Circular Week is taking place for the first time as a joint German–Polish initiative, co-hosted by INNOWO and the CSCP.

Under the theme “Turning Europe’s Circular Ambition into Urban Reality”, Circular Week 2026 bridges the gap between European circular economy policies and their implementation in cities, regions and businesses.

A week of action: Discover the programme and take part

With events taking place both online and in person, Circular Week 2026 offers multiple opportunities to learn, connect and contribute.

Tuesday, 27 October | Circular Cities Online Conference

How can cities become the driving force behind Europe’s circular future?

The online conference brought together hundreds of key actors to explore practical pathways towards circular and resilient cities around five thematic tracks:

• Resilience & Infrastructure
• Regulate, Repair, Redesign
• Engaging Citizens
• Circular Economy Future Skills
• Levers for Circular Cities

Each track included a mind-opening session to set the scene and multiple pioneer sessions offering deep-dives into specific topics.  The conference ended with multiple networking opportunities, to deepen conversations and explore next steps.

Participants could select and move freely between sessions, shaping their own conference experience.

Wednesday, 28 October | Circular Day Rhein.Ruhr, Duisburg, Germany

Circular Day Rhein.Ruhr connects regional stakeholders working to advance the circular economy, offering opportunities for exchange, networking and cooperation.

Explore opportunities for collaboration: connect with circular economy actors and discover approaches relevant to your organisation or region.

Thursday, 29 October | European Sustainability Congress, Warsaw, Poland

One of the flagship events of Circular Week brings together international stakeholders to discuss sustainable development, circular business models and the policies and partnerships needed to accelerate Europe’s transition.

The congress provides an opportunity to strengthen German–Polish cooperation, exchange experiences and build connections across sectors and borders.

Saturday, 31 October | Repair & Share Festival, Wuppertal, Germany

The Repair & Share Festival brings together repair initiatives, craftspeople, businesses, volunteers and citizens to demonstrate how keeping products in use longer can become a practical and attractive alternative to buying new.

Don’t miss it on 31 October in Wuppertal – reach out to Nils Kreft if you have questions.

Throughout October 2026 | World Record Campaign

The Repair World Record attempt transforms policy into practice. By mobilising Repair Cafés, Fab Labs, craftspeople, volunteers, and companies, the state of NRW aims to repair more items in a single month than ever before. From electronics to textiles, broken products become symbols of possibility. The world record month will come to a close on 31 October in Wuppertal at the Repair & Share festival.

Connect with Stephan Schaller to learn more and engage.

Let’s shape Circular Week 2027 together

You can learn more about the Circular Week 2026 by visiting the dedicated page.

The Circular Week 2026 is funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Nature and Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Stay connected with us — reach out to Mike Tabel and let’s shape the 2027 edition together!

The post Circular Week 2026 Kicked Off in Aachen, Germany: Turning Europe’s Circular Ambition into Urban Reality appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.

Piloting solutions in five European countries

Across five European countries — Denmark, Germany, Greece, Finland and Slovenia — the VERNE project is turning local challenges into opportunities for more circular and inclusive tourism. Its five pilots are testing solutions rooted in the realities of each place, exploring what it takes to create a more sustainable future for both people and destinations.

On Denmark’s Bornholm Island, the pilot focuses on food experience tourism and the role it can play in building a more circular local food system. The pilot brings digital technologies into the picture, helping to better track and optimise local food production, transport and preparation — while tackling food waste and reducing the environmental footprint of tourism.

In the project, a Community of Practice (CoP) has been established at each pilot destination to engage local tourism actors, residents and visitors in developing and co-creating solutions. In Bornholm, the CoP provides a space for local stakeholders to discuss and provide feedback on the circular solutions being developed by the pilot.

A food festival and local engagement

In summer 2026, the Bornholm pilot took this dialogue beyond the CoP and into the heart of the island’s food scene. At “Sol over Gudhjem”, Denmark’s popular food festival, local actors and policymakers came together for an open panel discussion on how Bornholm can become a more circular tourism destination.

The event opened with a panel discussion, Food for Circular Thoughts. Moderated by Peter Funch, a local media figure, it looked into questions such as how can tourism create more value for local communities while reducing its environmental impact. Georgios Charalampous, representing the EU Commission, opened the discussion by highlighting the growing climate footprint of tourism and the need for more sustainable approaches.

Professor, Bent Egberg Mikkelsen (Lund University), who is leading the Bornholm pilot, highlighted the important role of local businesses, schools and citizens in driving change. As explained in his own words: “Bornholm provides a unique setting to explore how the island’s strong food culture and local community can support the transition towards circular tourism”.

Toward a circular island

The discussion showed that sustainability is not new to Bornholm’s tourism sector. Many sustainable practices are already part of the island’s tourism offering. The challenge is to turn these practices into lasting impact. How, for example, can visitors be inspired to take sustainable habits home with them — from avoiding food waste to choosing organic food? And how can a small island manage the environmental pressures created by a large number of visitors?

Waste management is a particularly pressing issue. Bornholm is home to fewer than 40,000 people, yet welcomes around 600,000 visitors each year. Managing the resulting waste sustainably is therefore a major challenge for the island.

The discussion at “Sol over Gudhjem” raised an intriguing question: could Bornholm process its organic waste locally and use the resulting biogas to meet some of its own energy needs?

This question connects directly to Bornholm’s long-standing ambitions for a more sustainable and self-sufficient future. In 2007, the island launched its “Bright Green Island” (BGI) strategy — an ambition to become a 100% sustainable, carbon-neutral and zero-waste society. The initiative emerged in the wake of a severe economic downturn affecting traditional industries such as fisheries and farming. Local community leaders, businesses and citizens came together to rethink the island’s future, turning its geographical isolation into an opportunity to develop Bornholm as a “living laboratory” for green solutions.

The ambition gained a new dimension at the end of 2018, when Bornholm decided to decommission its old waste incinerator. In early 2019, the island launched “Bornholm Leads the Way – Without Waste 2032”, setting out an ambition to eliminate waste and create a more circular, self-sustaining system.

Local biogas production could potentially connect these two ambitions. By turning organic waste into a local source of renewable energy, it could link waste management, resource recovery and energy production — creating a practical example of sector coupling. While the BGI strategy provides the broader vision of a carbon-neutral and sustainable island, the 2032 ambition provides a concrete pathway towards a circular economy.

It is at this crossroads between carbon neutrality, circularity and zero waste that the Bornholm pilot is now operating — exploring new pathways toward tourism actors contributing to, and benefitting from, the island’s vision for the future.

For questions on the VERNE Bornholm pilot, please contact Regina Fernández.

Learn more about VERNE here and reach out to Kartika Anggraeni for other questions.

The post A Taste of Circular Tourism: Food, Community, and Sustainability on Bornholm appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.

The LebensLänger Sectoral Meeting for Textiles

The LebensLänger project was launched earlier in 2026 as a collaboration between WWF, Wuppertal Institute, Runder Tisch Reparatur, University of Bamberg and CSCP.

As part of the Circular Week 2026, the project will host its first sector-specific meeting for the textile industry, bringing together diverse perspectives to explore how circularity can be advanced across the sector.

“This sector-specific meeting will explore different strategies: from produce-on-demand and timeless design to new cooperation models for the continued use of surplus products and the practical implementation of regulatory requirements.”, Dr. Britta Holzberg, CSCP Senior Expert.

In breakout groups, participants will exchange experiences, reflect on the approaches presented, and jointly explore opportunities for their own operations as well as strategies to overcome key challenges.

Event: Ban of textile destruction – Now What? Approaches to Avoid Surpluses and Preserve Product Value
Date: 28 October 2026
Time: 13:00–15:00h
Place: Online
Cost: Free of charge
Contact: Dr. Britta Holzberg and Livia El-Khawad

To join us, please register here!

After registering for the network, you will receive additional information, including the Zoom meeting link for the event.

Find out more about the LebensLänger project here.

LebensLänger is coordinated by WWF Germany and implemented together with the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy, the University of Bamberg, Runder Tisch Reparatur e.V., and the CSCP.

The LebensLänger project is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) as part of the National Climate Protection Initiative (NKI).

For general questions on the LebensLänger project, please contact Marc Böker.

The post Ban of Textile Destruction—Now What? Join Us to Discuss Strategies to Avoid Surpluses and Preserve Value! appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.

The EU provides cities with a wide range of funding programmes, initiatives and support mechanisms. How can these opportunities be aligned with the realities and capacities of cities, particularly smaller cities and municipalities?

The EU offers a wide range of funding and support opportunities, but navigating them can be challenging, particularly for (smaller) municipalities with limited resources and capacity.

This is one of the reasons the European Commission established the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI): to provide dedicated support to cities and regions working on their circular transition. The CCRI community offers practical guidance, peer learning and access to technical and financial expertise.

A key element is project development assistance, helping promising ideas become more mature and investment-ready. Through cooperation with the European Investment Bank (EIB)’s Circular City Centre, more tailored financial and investment support is also available.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach. The objective is to provide the right support at the right stage – helping cities move from ambition to concrete, investable projects.

Cities often have a very practical understanding of what works and what doesn’t on the ground. How do EU funding and support programmes ensure that the experiences and knowledge of cities translate into European policies?

Cities and regions bring essential practical experience to the circular transition. The CCRI provides a space to share what works, what does not, and the challenges encountered along the way.

This experience feeds directly into practical guidance, tools and recommendations developed with practitioners. Concrete examples from cities and regions help turn these lessons into approaches that others can adapt to their own context.

This creates a valuable feedback loop between (local) practice and (EU) policy: we learn from what is happening on the ground, share that knowledge across the community and use those insights to inform the development of more practical and effective approaches.

Ultimately, it is about bringing policy closer to implementation – and implementation closer to the realities of cities.

With the CCRI, the EU dedicates a powerful initiative specifically to the role of cities in the circular transition. Which major learnings can you share from this initiative so far, and which recommendation do you have for our Circular Week 2026 audience?

One of the main lessons from the CCRI is that circularity is inherently systemic. It cuts across sectors, value chains and stakeholders – from urban planning and construction to mobility, resource management and new business models.

Cities and regions are central to this transition, but they cannot do it alone. Stronger cooperation with businesses, investors, researchers and other stakeholders is essential, as is breaking down traditional silos.

The CCRI community now brings together 300 cities and regions across Europe, creating a growing critical mass of experience and solutions. The next step is to turn that experience into investment and scale: helping promising projects become investment-ready and creating opportunities for solutions to be replicated in different contexts.

The message for Circular Week is simple: start where you are, build on what works and create the conditions for solutions to grow. Circular transformation does not have to start big. What matters is turning ambition into action, learning from it and building momentum.

 Many urban challenges cut across policy areas such as climate, mobility, housing, economic development, resource use and social inclusion. How can the EU help cities overcome these (policy) silos and develop more integrated approaches to circular urban transformation?

 Circularity is increasingly recognised as a cross-cutting priority, contributing not only to environmental objectives, but also to competitiveness, resilience and resource security. This is also reflected in the broader EU competitiveness agenda, including the priorities highlighted by the Draghi report and the Clean Industrial Deal.

The challenge now is to translate this integrated perspective into action on the ground. The CCRI’s second phase will bring new cities and regions into the community to test new systemic approaches, connect different sectors and stakeholders, and explore how solutions can be adapted and replicated.

Ultimately, overcoming silos is about creating stronger connections – between policy areas, between public and private actors, and between cities and regions. This is where European cooperation can bring real added value.

Looking ahead to the next phase of Europe’s urban and circular economy agendas, what would you most like to see change in the relationship between the EU and cities in order to scale positive solutions jointly?

Cities and regions are key partners in Europe’s circular transition. They are where many circular solutions are put into practice, bringing together public authorities, businesses, citizens and other stakeholders. Their experience is therefore essential to translating European ambitions into systemic change on the ground.

This relationship should increasingly be one of co-creation: cities and regions bringing evidence and solutions from the ground, and the EU creating the conditions for those solutions to connect, scale and be replicated.

The more effectively these two levels work together, the better European action can respond to realities on the ground – and the faster promising solutions can move from local innovation to wider European impact.

Lucie Blondel, Policy Officer at the European Commission, will be one of the speakers in the mind-opening session “Are Cities and Regions Equipped to Leverage the Circular Economy Transformation?” at the Online Conference of the Circular Week 2026  – register now!

Learn more about the Levers for Circular Cities track here and check out the full Circular Week 2026 programme here.

For further questions, please contact Dr. Flandra Syla-Beqiri.

The post Cities and Regions Driving Europe’s Circular Transition appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.

On 29 October 2026, the co-do lab brought together business, retail, city, agriculture, politics, research and civil society actors at the event Circular Cities, Secure Food – Partnerships for Resilient Food Systems in Times of Crisis, which took place at Gut Einern in Wuppertal, Germany and online.

The interactive half-day event, held as part of Circular Week 2026, offered a space to explore one central question: How can cities, businesses and civil society work together to build circular food infrastructures that help secure food supply in times of crisis?

Different perspectives, one food system

“Resilient food systems depend on many actors, often working in very different parts of the system. Bringing these perspectives together was key to this event.”, Daniela Chaves, co-do lab Core Team Member.

Key questions addressed during the event:

• What do consumers and communities need from a resilient food system?
• What are retailers and food businesses already doing to strengthen their supply chains?
• Which conditions can policy and cities create?
• And where could closer collaboration make a difference?

Event speakers included:

• Consumer and civil society perspective: Jonas Grauel, Verbraucherzentrale NRW – bringing insights from the joint position paper “Gute, gesunde Lebensmittel und Ernährung für alle in NRW”, developed together with the Food Policy Councils of North Rhine-Westphalia
• Political perspective: Dr. Ophelia Nick – contributing her perspective on the political conditions needed to strengthen the resilience of our food systems.

Building on these impulses, the participants moved into moderated exchanges around three interconnected areas:

• Supply and supply chains: Which risks, dependencies and interfaces need more attention?
• Regional structures and circularity: What role can regional production, urban farming, allotments, biomass and local value creation play?
• Partnerships and preparedness: Which relationships, communication channels and structures should already be in place when established supply systems are disrupted?

“We can learn a lot from nature about what makes systems resilient. Diversity plays a key role – and with diversity comes the need for collaboration. We need to understand the ecosystem we are part of: who we need to talk to, what others can contribute and which relationships we should build before we depend on them. With Circular Cities, Secure Food, we wanted to bring these different actors together, learn from each other and explore where we can strengthen the system together.”, highlights Daniela.

For further questions, please contact Daniela Chaves.

The post Circular Cities, Secure Food: Preparing Food Systems for Disruption appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.

In this mini-podcast, Michael Kuhndt, Executive Director of the CSCP, and Agnieszka Sznyk, President of the INNOWO Board, explore the idea at the heart of the Circular Week: bringing together people and organisations that don’t always sit around the same table and creating space for honest conversations and new connections.

They explore the shift of the circular economy towards a strategic priority and discuss the role of cities as places where many of the challenges of the circular transition become tangible—but also where new approaches can be tested and solutions developed.

Listen in for an inspiring conversation on the people, places and perspectives that can help move the circular transition forward—and join us at the Circular Week 2026.

Check out the full Circular Week 2026 programme here to find out who the speakers are.

To join the Circular Week, please register here.

For additional, please contact Nils Kreft.

The post Circularity Needs New Conversations: A Mini-Podcast With Agnieszka Sznyk and Michael Kuhndt appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.

What role do municipal waste management companies play in the circular economy?

Municipal companies are responsible for providing essential public services in municipalities. In the waste management sector, these companies come to the foreground when the municipality organises part of its collection and disposal services in-house rather than outsourcing them to a third party (private company).

Municipal waste management companies have a significant market share in the collection and transport of municipal residual waste (around 50%, based on the number of connected residents). Accordingly, it is primarily municipal waste (including residual waste, organic waste and bulky waste) that is collected and recovered by municipal companies.

That’s why municipal waste companies contribute to the circular economy in many ways: by raising awareness about waste, promoting waste separation, and directing material streams toward the highest-quality recovery route possible. In many cases, this recovery also takes place directly at the facilities of municipal waste management companies.

How do material cycles contribute to securing resource supply?

One of the goals of the circular economy is the conservation of natural resources. In this view, waste can either be turned into a new product or into a secondary raw material. This not only reduces the need for primary resources, but it also often results in a smaller ecological footprint. For example, through cascading use (anaerobic digestion and composting), collected organic waste can be used to produce energy in the form of biogas and, following further processing, biomethane and compost. When used correctly, compost serves as a fertiliser and replaces parts of peat extraction, while biomethane can directly replace natural gas.

Why is the circular economy so crucial for securing stable supply chains and supporting resilience?

Germany is dependent on imports for many raw materials. The situation of the recent years (the war in Ukraine, trade wars, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz) has made it particularly clear that existing supply chains cannot always be relied upon.

The circular economy is an important step towards making Germany more independent in this respect. Although quite a lot has already been implemented in this sector, there is still considerable potential.

What framework conditions do you consider necessary in order to implement the circular economy effectively?

It is very important to create reliable and long-term framework conditions that make it possible to realise the potential of circular economy, including from an economic perspective. First and foremost, this is where policymakers need to act. Eco-design is fundamental in this regard. Companies should design products to be as recyclable or reusable as possible. This is where producer responsibility is particularly important. At the same time, research and development is essential to finding new and better ways to strengthen and optimise these cycles. This requires the right political framework. Of course, “waste producers”, both private individuals and commercial entities, also have a significant role to play, as their “proper handling” of waste (no littering, making use of available waste disposal options, and sorting waste correctly) lays the foundation for subsequent high-quality recovery processes.

Prof. Dr. Rainer Wallmann, Managing Director of the EDG Entsorgung Dortmund, will be one of the speakers in the mind-opening session of the Resilience & Infrastructure track at the Circular Week 2026  (in German) “Der Preis der Unabhängigkeit – Kreislaufwirtschaft als Resilienzfaktor”– register now!

Learn more about the Resilience & Infrastructure track here and check out the full Circular Week 2026 programme here.

For further questions, please contact Dr. Flandra Syla-Beqiri.

The post “Consistent Circular Economy Fosters Sustainability and Independence” appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.

We spoke with Nora Brüggemann, Senior Project Manager at the CSCP, about why food waste prevention remains a key sustainability challenge, what circular bioeconomy can learn from the food waste debate, and why the next step is not necessarily simply more solutions.

You have been working on food waste prevention and reduction for over ten years. Why is this topic still so relevant, and even gaining traction?

It remains relevant for two reasons. On the one hand, it connects many sustainability challenges: resource efficiency, climate change, food security and sustainable consumption. On the other, we still have not managed to significantly reduce the amount of food loss and waste generated as EU-wide monitoring data shows.

Through CSCP’s work in European and national projects – from consumer-focused interventions (ECFWF, BREADCRUMB, CHORIZO) to stakeholder dialogues with businesses, policymakers and civil society organisations (handelsforumRLV, REFRESH) or policy analysis (ETC CE), I have seen both the progress that has been made and the remaining gaps in translating knowledge into practice.

So, my impression is that we don’t lack ideas or examples. What we lack are better mechanisms to learn systematically from what already works, to connect experiences and to understand under which conditions approaches can be transferred to other contexts.

Food waste prevention is still a major challenge. At the same time, circular solutions and the bioeconomy are gaining more and more attention. How can we make sure that these perspectives complement each other?

Naturally, the first question should always be: Can we prevent food loss in the first place? If this is not possible, we need to carefully consider which alternative use retains the highest possible value.

A very helpful framework for this discussion is the food use and waste hierarchy. It illustrates the specific characteristics of food compared to other resources. An apple, for example, has a very different life cycle than a smartphone. Once consumed, it is gone, and if it is not used for its primary purpose, namely human nutrition, we need to carefully consider which alternative use makes the best use of its remaining value.

This means that when prevention is no longer possible, circular economy and bioeconomy perspectives become important. They ask a different question: how can we retain as much value as possible from the remaining biological resources?

Can you explain this further?

Today, technological developments create many opportunities to use biological resources differently: as new food ingredients, animal feed, materials, chemicals or other bio-based products.

But when it comes to food, the key question should not simply be: Can we create something new from this resource? The more important question is: What is the most valuable and sustainable use of this resource in this specific context?

The answer depends on many factors: the quantity and quality of the food surplus, logistics, processing requirements, market demand, economic viability and environmental impacts due to additional processing, transport or energy.

A circular bioeconomy is therefore not only about finding more uses. It is about making better choices – guided by the food use hierarchy, but also considering the specific characteristics of each individual case.

Does this mean that upcycling and valorisation are not always the best solution?

Exactly. Upcycling is an important opportunity, but it should always be considered within a broader system perspective.

If a food product can still be consumed safely, direct human consumption should remain the priority. If this is not possible, other options need to be assessed carefully.

A highly processed solution is not automatically more sustainable simply because it creates a new product. We need to understand what resources are required, what value is retained and what additional impacts are created.

This is where food waste prevention, circular economy and bioeconomy come together. They are not separate agendas; they are different perspectives on the fundamental question how we can use biological resources responsibly.

Your work often focuses on behaviour change and practical implementation. What have you learned about creating impact?

A key lesson is that awareness alone is rarely enough. Many consumers and organisations already understand that food waste is a problem and want to reduce it. The challenge is translating this intention into everyday action.

This means focusing on enabling behaviour: making sustainable choices easier, more visible and more convenient.

Whether we work with companies, public authorities or civil society organisations, successful solutions need to consider real-world conditions, and ultimately collaborate, as no single actor can solve food waste alone.

So, then what is exactly needed to accelerate this transition?

First, we need stronger connections between the communities working on these topics.

Food waste experts bring important knowledge about prevention, behaviour change, and food systems. Circular economy experts contribute approaches for maintaining value and redesigning systems. Bioeconomy experts bring new technologies and opportunities for using biological resources.

Bringing these perspectives together can help us make better decisions.

Second, we need to focus more strongly on learning and replication. Across Europe, many projects, strategies and initiatives already exist. The question is increasingly not whether we have ideas, but which approaches work, under which conditions, and how successful examples can be adapted and transferred.

Looking at Germany, I see many interesting individual initiatives and innovative solutions emerging. What is still missing is a shared overview and a more coordinated approach. For example looking at food surplus valorisation: Where are the relevant side streams? Who can work with them? Which solutions have the potential to scale?

Looking ahead: what is the key message you would like to share?

My main message would be: Do not start from zero. Build on what already exists – but keep improving it.

For food waste, circular economy and bioeconomy alike, the future challenge is not simply to create more projects. It is to create better connections between people, knowledge and solutions.

Because ultimately, transformation does not happen through isolated projects alone. It happens when we connect existing knowledge, learn from each other and create the conditions for actors to move forward together.

Nora Brüggemann is a Senior Project Manager at CSCP, working on sustainable consumption, food waste prevention, and circular economy. She coordinates and contributes to national and European projects connecting research, policy and practice, with a focus on stakeholder engagement, behaviour change, impact evaluation and the development of practical solutions.

Connect with Nora to collaborate with us on food waste prevention and its connection to bioeconomy and circular economy.

The post How Food Waste Prevention Connects to Circular Bioeconomy: An Interview with Nora Brüggemann appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.

The event will take place on 28 October 2026, within the framework of the Circular Week.

Launching the Business Network

The kick-off of the business network will introduce the LebensLänger project and its vision, contextualise recent WWF study findings on circular business models with related CSCP project work, and give participants the chance to voice their challenges, needs and expectations for the network in breakout groups. A keynote from business practice will round off the programme.

Event: Kick-Off Meeting LebensLänger Business Network
Date: 28 October 2026
Time: 10:30–12:00h
Place: Online
Cost: Free of charge

A sector-specific meeting for textiles will also take place as part of the Circular Week 2026, under the title “Ban of Textile Destruction—Now What? Join Us to Discuss Strategies to Avoid Surpluses and Preserve Value”. Read more and register to join here!

Find out more about the LebensLänger project on the dedicated page.

To join us, please register here.

After registering for the network, you will receive additional information, including the Zoom meeting link for the event.

LebensLänger is coordinated by WWF Germany and implemented together with the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy, the University of Bamberg, Runder Tisch Reparatur e.V., and the CSCP.

The LebensLänger project is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) as part of the National Climate Protection Initiative (NKI).

For general questions on the LebensLänger project, please contact Marc Böker.

The post Think Circular, Act Together: LebensLänger Business Network Kicks Off appeared first on CSCP gGmbH.