Holcim, the construction materials manufacturer based in the canton of Zug, and the New York media corporation Bloomberg are joining forces to determine the aspects that make cities into role models for the circular economy and therefore catalysts for sustainable growth as well. According to a press release, a collaboration between the two companies in this area will seek to identify positive examples and raise global awareness. To this end, they have announced the first edition of the Circular Cities Barometer.
The circular economy represents the “opportunity of our time”, according to Holcim CEO Jan Jenisch, who goes on to explain: “My vision for construction is to build more new from the old with recycled materials in every new building”. For Jenisch, the focus is on improving understanding related to how cities can be empowered to increase their circular economy credentials.
For this to happen, both key factors that boost progress and bottlenecks that have to be removed need to be acknowledged, according to Lauren Kiel, General Manager for Bloomberg Green at Bloomberg Media. “By better understanding the fabric of this important work, we can empower more circular living for all to thrive”, she explains.
Due to the fact that cities are growing, they are at the frontline of the transition from a linear to a circular economy, Holcim writes in the press release. Cities have the critical mass to make the difference by offering broad access to recycled materials. “With our world building the equivalent of New York City every month, the construction sector has a key role to play to shift toward a circular economy”, the press release concludes.
