The webinar “How to start a Circular Hub? Insights from Cities and Industries” on 10 February 2026, organised by the Hubs4Circularity Community of Practice and the EU project REDOL, gave insights to pathways, experiences, motivations and bottlenecks during the implementation of Industrial–Urban Symbiosis (I-US) solutions.
The session featured contributions from three cities, each with different starting points and circularity ambitions:
• BOFA – Bornholm (Denmark): An island of around 40,000 inhabitants, where BOFA manages all municipal waste streams (~75,000 t/year). Bornholm faces unique challenges related to isolation and resource dependence, making I-US an important lever for circular strategies.
• Comune di Prato (Italy): A Tuscan city of 195,000 inhabitants, internationally known for its textile recycling district. Prato has also made progress reducing CDW through reuse and recycling—experience that informs its exploration of new circular pathways.
• AMS Institute – Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (The Netherlands): Supporting a region of ≈2 million people, AMS Institute works on the transition from linear to circular resource systems. The area generates 398 kg/capita of waste with a 14% separation rate, making governance, data, and industrial engagement key topics for I-US.
To complement the municipal viewpoints, a major cement industry (CEMEX) shared its experience working with secondary raw materials, the constraints of adapting industrial processes, and its expectations of collaboration with cities and waste managers.
An introduction to the Hubs4Circularity Community of Practice, that is supporting Hubs4Circularity to accelerate industrial symbiosis and industrial-urban symbiosis, showed opportunities for collaboration.
