Developing Circular Pathways for aN EU Low-Carbon Transition

The CircEUlar project is a four year European Research and Innovation Action

Understand the dynamics and levers for societal transformation towards a net-zero emission circular economy

Work-Package-and-focus-area-structure-in-the-CircEUlar-project

CircEUlar is a four year European Research and Innovation Action that will develop new modelling approaches for analysing circularity from a systems perspective accounting for:

1) dematerialisation and the transition to a service-based economy to limit material stock growth;

2) lifetime extension of material stocks through repair, maintenance, reuse;

3) waste treatment and material recycling.

CircEUlar’s approach will be comprehensive, combining new data and modelling of economy-wide material stocks and flows, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and industrial value chains across interlinked sectors, with deep-dive analysis of mobility and buildings as material-intensive demand sectors. These two focus areas have large material stocks, potential for circular transformation, and strong dependence on both circular consumption and production practices.

CircEUlar will also focus on digitalisation as a potential enabler of dematerialisation and supply chain circularity.

DURATION

48 months (Starting date: 1 September 2022)

CONSORTIUM

12 organisations from 8 countries

COORDINATOR

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

EU CONTRIBUTION

€ 4 495 434

CircEUlar is comprehensive in its modelling approaches, its scientific knowledge base, and its coverage of circular economy potentials and impacts.

CircEUlar integrates multiple fields of data, knowledge and expertise including:

- empirical analysis of firm and consumer propensities towards circular economy measures;
- industry input on process-level innovations and circular economy business models;
- modelling analysis of economy-wide material stocks and flows, and policy levers of change towards societal transformation.

CircEUlar will integrate new insights on circular economy potentials and impacts into EU and global modelling frameworks for:

- analysing alternative pathways to net-zero GHG emissions;
- testing effective policy levers for both circular production and consumption;
- assessing outcomes for climate, environment, economy and society, in line with European Green Deal objectives.

From Data to Action: Policy Briefs Supporting Circular Pathways in Europe

T6 Ecosystems is coordinating a series of five policy briefs for CircEUlar that aims to connect circular-economy modelling with these strategic directions: stay tuned!

Advancing Circular Economy Modeling: CircEUlar Research at the 18th IAMC Annual Meeting

CircEUlar researchers Florian Maczek and Alessio Mastrucci participated in the 18th Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC) Annual Meeting, held from 11-13 November 2025 in the city of Armação dos Búzios, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Employee perceptions of how willing consumers are to engage in circular consumption behaviours

The research teams at the University of Groningen and the LMU Munich conducted two large-scale surveys in five European countries to examine to what extent employees have accurate perceptions of consumers’ willingness to engage in certain circular consumption behaviours.

Launch of Fossil-free Ecoinvent: A new tool for modeling decarbonized worlds in life cycle assessment

The study introduces an open-source framework that systematically replaces coal, oil, and gas inputs with renewable alternatives, synthetic fuels, and electrified systems in supply chain models.

Launch of Circular ReBoundary: A New Online Resource for Circular Economy Professionals

An innovative online resource designed to support circular economy practitioners across various sectors, particularly those working in buildings, mobility, and manufacturing.

Documentation of the integrated methodology for modelling circularity in mobility and buildings is available

This framework combines a comprehensive spatial analysis with machine learning techniques to inform urban planning practice regarding the influence of urban drivers.

Sharing Insights on Digitalisation and Decarbonisation at ICLCA 2025

Our CircEUlar partner UOXF delivered a talk on “Broader Impacts of Digitalisation on Decarbonisation Pathways”, formed part of the project’s work, exploring how digitalisation can drive low-carbon transitions, while also considering its own environmental footprint and ways to mitigate these impacts.

Mapping Europe’s Material Backbone: New High-Resolution Data Reveals Circular Economy Opportunities and Challenges

A new report from TU Berlin, PIK, NTNU and BOKU reveals the composition and location of Europe’s massive material stock in buildings, transport infrastructure and vehicles across the EU27, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK.

New Review: Circular Economy and Climate Mitigation

As global resource use and emissions keep rising, the circular economy (CE) is gaining traction as a strategy for avoiding waste and reducing virgin raw material demand, thereby potentially also mitigating energy demand and GHG emissions.

Backcasting for a More Circular Future: A Planner’s Perspective

Throughout the CircEUlar project, stakeholder engagement opportunities have been planned at key milestones to ensure that the research is informed, enriched and validated by practitioners. Taking advantage of the Consortium’s gathering in Berlin, research partners T6...