Vitor Souza

Project title:Resource Circularity Networks (ReCircleNet)

Host Institution: Technical University of Munich (TUM)

Host Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Magnus Fröhling

Co-host Institution: Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Co-host Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Daniela Pigosso

Summary project: Despite the progress achieved in urban waste management, the European Union’s (EU) Circular Material Use Rate (CMUR), the ratio of resources recovered from the total resources consumed, remains only at 12.8%. The same situation can be observed at the country-level: for example, in Germany and Denmark, CMUR is 13.4% and 7.7%, respectively. Among the probable causes is the lack of compulsory targets for reuse, repair, refurbishing and remanufacturing; and the underrating of Urban Resource Centres (URCs) – key players driving resource circularity in urban settings – in circular economy policies. This project aims to model and simulate the development of URCs and the organisation of Resource Circularity Networks (ReCircleNets). For urban areas within the german state of Bavaria and the region of Copenhagen, the current state of development of URCs will be identified. Material flow data will be collected and the ReCircleNets will be described. Finally, the CMUR will be maximised, and tradeoffs among environmental, social and economic performance will be analysed.