On 12 November 2024, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with support from the European Union, published a report highlighting the efforts of Berlin, in Germany, to implement a circular economy.
Since 2020, the city has focused on reducing water, construction and household waste through the Waste Management Concept 2020-2030. It established the Coordination Office for Circular Economy, Energy Efficiency, and Climate Protection in Business (KEK) in 2022, followed by the creation of the Zero Waste Agency in 2023.
Despite positive strides, the circular economy in Berlin is often viewed primarily through the lens of waste management which has challenged the full realization of a circular economy across sectors, including gaps in governance awareness and a lack of policy coherence.
To help accelerate the city’s transition, the study offers recommendations based on OECD’s 3Ps which is focused on improving stakeholder engagement (People and Firms), aligning policies across sectors (Policies), and enhancing support for circular economy initiatives in both public and private spaces (Places).