Cirkular economy from theory to practice : Stop INeffective USe in the city of Malmö in Sweden

The project aims to increase the knowledge of public organization to increase the circularity of material flows through procurement procedures which benefit saving and sharing. The project is led by the City of Malmö’s Environmental Department together with the Procurement Department and research institute RISE. The purchase and waste flows are mapped and the barriers and possibilities in procedures are analyzed. In addition, the project will look into using the saved resources for well-being of the City’s employees, or ordinary citizen. The results will be presented in a draft roadmap for circular economy for the City of Malmö. SINA is expected to contribute to society by increasing the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the City of Malmö’s operations, and inspire and facilitate for other public institutions to follow suit. The effect of circularity is measured in terms of climate change, resource use and social effects for municipalities and inhabitants. Through SINA, the purchase and waste flows within the City of Malmö’s organization will be mapped and analysed in order to identify possibilities for increased reuse and circular use of resources, focusing on a number of product categories to be chosen within the project. In addition, the project will look into if and how any means saved by improved resource use might be used for measures targeting the well-being of the City’s employees, or even the ordinary citizen. The results will be presented in a draft roadmap for circular economy for the City of Malmö. The role of budget procedures for stimulating circular resource use are essential, also with regards to barriers and possibilities in the current system and the possibilities for change. So far the project has shown that central and standardized budget procedures is essential. Also the availability for data and statistics on city level is essential for mapping purchase and waste flows and to identify possibilities for increased reuse and circular use of resources. So far this is in line with our expectations, and the roadmap for circular economy for the city of Malmö will be dependent on statistics and the procedures within the city of Malmö need to be adopted for circular economy. The lessons learnt are relevant for city management and practitioners in the circular economy. Also practitioner within the purchasing and waste management department are relevant. This project was supported by FORMAS, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development. [Grant number 2019-02223].