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Amsterdam didn’t just talk about circularity—it mapped it. By analysing how materials flow through the city, the city uncovered opportunities to turn waste into value, businesses into collaborators, and strategy into action, all while embedding social wellbeing at the heart of its circular transition.
In 2012, the City approached Circle Economy to help make sense of its urban economy and identify leverage points for circularity. The challenge was more than technical: the city had data but lacked a clear way to translate it into actionable insights for businesses, policymakers, and citizens. Circle Economy responded with the Amsterdam City Scan, one of the first comprehensive Material Flow Analyses (MFA) ever conducted for a city. This pioneering work not only provided a detailed map of material flows across construction, consumption, and food systems but also laid the foundation for Amsterdam’s long-term circular strategy.
The MFA revealed critical hotspots where circular interventions could have the greatest impact, highlighting opportunities for material savings, waste reduction, and business innovation. But understanding the flows was just the beginning. Workshops with over 100 participants—including civil servants, business leaders, and residents—translated these insights into concrete initiatives. For instance, the construction sector explored how demolition and recycling could be done differently, directly informing the Circulair Innovatieprogramma (2016-2018), a city-backed programme to stimulate circular innovation and strengthen business models.
From early on, Circle Economy emphasised that circularity is not only about materials and finance—it is also about people. In collaboration with Amsterdam, the concept of Kate Raworth’s City Doughnut was introduced, incorporating social well-being and a just transition into the city’s circular agenda. This framework enabled policymakers to evaluate circularity not just in terms of material efficiency, but also in terms of equity, social inclusion, and quality of life. The Doughnut framework became a central pillar for the strategy Amsterdam Circulair 2020-2025, co-created with a diverse set of stakeholders to ensure the city’s transition was both ambitious and socially grounded.
The City Scan did more than provide insights; it catalysed real-world change. Over 100 pilot projects emerged from the strategy, spanning construction, food systems, and consumption. Workshops facilitated by Circle Economy brought together civil servants, citizens, and business leaders, creating collaborative innovation spaces where ideas became implementable initiatives. Companies that initially participated for financial or operational reasons discovered new circular business models and revenue streams, demonstrating that circular practices could work at scale.
Circle Economy’s early work with Amsterdam also established tools for monitoring and evaluating progress. On this foundation, Amsterdam developed the Monitor Amsterdam Circular, creating insight into the volumes of different material groups in the city. This data allowed Amsterdam to substantiate the materiality of different circular interventions. Beyond local impact, Amsterdam’s work influenced national initiatives such as the National Materials Agreement (Grondstoffen Akkoord) and the development of www.circulaw.nl to unlock legal pockets of opportunity to speed up the circular transition–shaping the Netherlands’ approach to circular economy strategy through 2025.
Circle Economy’s collaboration with Amsterdam did not end with the initial City Scan. Over the past decade, the partnership has continued to support the city in translating abstract concepts into practical actions, tackling barriers to circular economy implementation, and engaging stakeholders across various sectors. Circle Economy has been a pioneering partner of Amsterdam, helping set the right course early on, and is still one of the partners in the centre of the open collaboration ecosystem that the city was able to build over the years. This approach to collaboration is considered one of the drivers which ensured that Amsterdam’s circular approach is not only visionary but also sustainable, creating depth and resilience in its systems.
‘When we commissioned Circle Economy in 2012, they didn’t just deliver a report; they became co-creators’, says Eveline Jonkhoff, Programme Manager for Circular Economy at the City of Amsterdam during the assignment. ‘Together we pioneered one of the first comprehensive Material Flow Analyses for a city, brought the social dimension through Doughnut Economics, and organised workshops where over 300 civil servants, citizens, and business leaders translated strategy into 100 pilot projects. That sustained partnership is why Amsterdam’s circular approach has both depth and staying power’.
Today, Amsterdam’s circular journey continues to inspire cities worldwide. Social aspects of circularity—previously overlooked—are now recognised as essential, and the city’s model demonstrates how evidence-based insights, collaborative engagement, and a focus on social wellbeing can drive large-scale urban transformation. By combining a scientific foundation (the MFA), strategic co-creation (Doughnut Economics and workshops), and practical implementation (over 100 pilot projects), Amsterdam has demonstrated that circularity is not just a municipal goal—it is a social, economic, and environmental movement with tangible results.
“We value the contribution of Amsterdam-based Circle Economy as an involved partner in scaling up the movement, shaping the agenda with sharp insights and contributing to the building of new partnerships in Amsterdam, as well as around the world”, says Rene Koop, Programme Manager for Circular Economy, at the City of Amsterdam.
