The city of Zurich is the first city in Switzerland to sign the Circular Cities Declaration, further details of which can be found in a press release. The declaration unites European cities in their desire to develop from a linear to a circular economy. Alongside Zurich, 66 cities have already signed the declaration. In so doing, they have committed upholding the ten circular economy promises.
These ten points include, for example, the introduction of strategies and goals that strengthen awareness of circular practices. In addition, local stakeholders should be involved in the development and implementation of the goals, while public procurement processes should also be based on this framework. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form the basis of the ten circular economy promises.
“I am delighted to sign the Circular Cities Declaration on behalf of the city of Zurich. This is a clear commitment to the circular economy on the part of our city. In the future, we will push even harder for measures to reduce indirect emissions”, comments Andreas Hauri, member of Zurich City Council (GLP) and Head of Department for Health and the Environment, in the press release.
Zurich is already working on a circular economy strategy. Based on this, concrete measures are now to be formulated. These should take into account areas such as design and production, distribution, consumption and use as well as collection, recycling and raw material processing. Circular construction will also play an important role here. Thanks to the way in which the use of resources is being reimagined, indirect CO2 emissions in the city are also to be reduced in line with the net zero 2040 climate target.
