The European Commission’s report, A practical methodology for implementing circular solutions, offers a concrete, operational framework for turning circular economy ambitions into implementable projects at the city and regional levels. Developed within the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), the methodology directly addresses a recurring challenge in logistics and urban systems: while circular strategies are widely adopted on paper, many initiatives fail to move from planning to delivery due to weak governance, fragmented responsibilities, and insufficient investment readiness.
The report shifts the focus from high-level strategies to what it calls circular systemic solutions. These are not abstract visions, but integrated projects designed to close material loops across sectors, value chains, and territories. For logistics, this perspective is highly relevant. Freight transport, construction logistics, waste collection, reverse logistics, and urban distribution are deeply interconnected. Circular outcomes cannot be achieved through isolated pilots, but require coordinated action across infrastructure, regulation, business models, and stakeholder behavior.
At the heart of the methodology is a flexible, iterative structure built around three phases: Map, Design, and Implement. These phases are not meant to be followed strictly in sequence. Cities and regions can enter at different points and iterate as new insights emerge.
Mapping
The mapping phase establishes a shared factual basis. It focuses on analysing policy and regulatory frameworks, material and resource flows, infrastructure, and local stakeholder ecosystems. For logistics professionals, this phase is about understanding urban metabolism: where goods and materials enter the city, how they move through supply chains, where waste and secondary materials arise, and which actors influence these flows. The key output is a circularity baseline that helps identify where interventions can deliver the greatest environmental and economic impact.
Design
The design phase translates analysis into action. Cities and regions identify circular opportunities, prioritise actions, co-design solutions with stakeholders, and assess impacts. A notable improvement in the 2025 edition is the stronger integration of economic analysis, risk assessment, and business model development at an early stage. This is particularly important for logistics-related projects, where financial viability, operational complexity, and regulatory risk often determine whether circular solutions such as urban consolidation centres, shared logistics assets, or reverse-logistics systems can scale.
Implementation
The implementation phase consolidates all previous work into three concrete instruments. The Stakeholder Coordination Plan formalises roles, partnerships, and decision-making structures. The Circular Economy Action Plan bundles and prioritises concrete actions. The Circular Economy Investment Plan translates ambitions into financial terms, assessing costs, revenues, risks, and funding options. For logistics initiatives, this investment-focused approach is critical, as it forces early clarity on financing, governance, and delivery rather than treating them as afterthoughts.
A central theme throughout the report is governance and orchestration. Implementing circular systemic solutions requires a dedicated Circular Economy Team capable of coordinating across departments, sectors, and governance levels. The methodology outlines several organisational models, ranging from institution-led teams embedded in city administrations to external hubs or networked partnerships. This reflects the reality of logistics systems, which cut across policy domains such as mobility, spatial planning, waste, energy, and procurement.
European support ecosystem
The methodology is embedded in a broader European support ecosystem. Tools such as the CCRI self-assessment tool, peer-learning networks, and advisory programmes from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank help cities and regions move from concept to investment-ready projects. For logistics actors, this support is particularly valuable, as many circular freight initiatives struggle not with technical feasibility, but with project structuring, risk allocation, and access to finance.
The report frames circular transition as an ongoing learning process rather than a fixed roadmap. Monitoring frameworks, indicators, and checklists are designed to evolve as projects mature and contexts change. This mirrors the reality of logistics systems, which must continuously adapt to shifting demand, regulations, and technologies.
Overall, the CCRI methodology provides a practical playbook for cities and regions seeking to operationalise circular economy goals. For the logistics sector, it offers a shared language and structured process to align policy, investment, and operations. Its core message is clear: circular logistics will only scale when governance, project design, and finance are developed together, and when cities treat circular infrastructure as essential systems shaping the future of urban supply chains rather than as isolated experiments.
Source: EU
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