the Circular Cities Barometer measures how fast 30 global cities are transitioning from a linear economy—taking, making and wasting—to a circular economy of reducing, reusing and recycling.
Belgium launched the Belgium Builds Back Circular initiative in 2022 to support innovative projects that contribute to activities or applied research integrating circularity, in four sectors: cycling, wind energy, health care and biomimicry. In 2023, a new call focused on eco-design and hazardous chemical substitution.
A signatory of the Covenant of Mayors, Brussels has committed, with 1,600 other cities, to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2025, exceeding the European objective of a 20% reduction by 2030. The Brussels-Capital Region is among the leading European metropolises in sustainable urban management.
Circular Buildings
In Brussels, the building sector is responsible for over 70% of energy consumption and 63% of CO2 emissions. In 2015, the region imposed passive standards (requiring minimal energy to maintain comfortable living temperatures) for new construction projects—the first jurisdiction in the world to do so. It is now home to two of the largest passive towers in the world: Astro Tower, built in 1976 and renovated in 2016, and the new Silver Tower.
The region is focused on the conversion of existing buildings rather than building new ones, because it is much less damaging to the environment.
Brussels-based BC Materials uses a technique it learned in Burundi over a decade ago to create building materials from excavated waste. Up to 30 metric tons of clay plasters were used for the mixed-use redevelopment of the Victoria Regina Tower in the Brussels North district, reducing material emissions by up to 97%.
The European Commission has sold 21 buildings back to the city of Brussels in an attempt to reduce its emissions. The buildings will be redeveloped to reduce energy consumption, integrate renewable energy sources, create new green spaces and improve mobility in the city’s European Quarter.
Related Links
https:www.circular-cities/barometer