by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Most discussions of city logistics focus on getting goods to people. The harder, less glamorous challenge is what happens when those goods reach the end of their useful life. Packaging, electronics, batteries, textiles — the volumes are enormous, growing with every e-commerce surge, and the urban infrastructure to handle them sustainably barely exists. A chapter …
The Dutch construction sector purchases nearly 49 million tonnes of materials annually (excluding soil, sand, and clay), while only about 20 million tonnes become available from demolition and renovation. Demand is therefore roughly 2.5 times higher than the sector’s own secondary supply. This structural gap lies at the heart of the circular construction challenge. Recent …
The Amsterdam metropolitan region faces a major spatial challenge. New housing, the energy transition, green infrastructure, and economic activity are all competing for scarce urban land. At the same time, the city aims to become fully circular by 2050. That immediately raises spatial questions: which circular functions are needed, how much space each requires, and …
On 9 December 2025, ALICE and POLIS jointly organised the members-only webinar “From Movers to Enablers: the role of logistics in circular supply chains”. The session brought together logistics experts, researchers, and city representatives to explore how logistics service providers can move beyond traditional transport roles and become key enablers of circular economy models. The webinar focused on the growing importance of reverse logistics in enabling reuse, repair, …
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 …
Universities across Europe face a growing challenge: how do we equip students, engineers, designers, economists, social scientists with the skills to navigate the environmental, economic, and social complexities of the plastics transition? As plastic production is expected to more than double by 2050, and recycling systems lag far behind, the need for systemic thinking has …
Rigid polyurethane (PU) foams are everywhere: they keep our homes warm and our refrigerators cool. Yet, until now, their end-of-life options have been limited to landfill or incineration — wasting valuable raw materials and contributing to climate burdens. The European research project CIRCULAR FOAM – Systemic Expansion of Territorial Circular Ecosystems for End-of-Life Foam set …
How can logistics providers help shape the transition towards circular supply chains (CSCs)? To find out, a recent study focused on a single logistics service provider (LSP) through a detailed case study. By focusing on the provider’s own perspective, the research sheds light on both the hurdles and the opportunities that come with making supply …
As cities worldwide strive to transition to more sustainable food systems, small and niche circular food businesses are increasingly recognized as innovation leaders. However, scaling such initiatives beyond the experimental phase remains a significant challenge. A recent study based on eleven circular food ventures in Toronto, Canada, provides critical insights into what helps or hinders these …
The CIRCULAR FOAM project’s Deliverable 1.5 outlines a conceptual and dialogue-based framework to advance collaboration and transformation in the recycling of high-performance plastics, with a focus on rigid polyurethane (PU) foam. This report synthesizes insights from earlier project tasks, regional workshops, and a consumer survey across Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland to build a common …