CIRCONOMY® Hub

Welcome to the project

CIRCONOMY® Hub

Sustainable production, sustainable consumption and a circular economy require systemic and technological solutions, which are created in innovation networks. Fraunhofer proposes building a network of CIRCONOMY^® Hubs across Germany: These hubs are a new, agile instrument for cooperation on the basis of a shared mission and a reliable data space. They create added value regionally, nationally and internationally. In each hub, Fraunhofer institutes work with their partners in industry, science, politics and society on a mission not just to contribute to the circular economy, but to develop innovations for sovereign value cycles, climate neutrality, circularity and bioeconomy.

On this page you can read about how circularity is created out of shared values, cooperation and projects.

CIRCONOMY^® is the Fraunhofer brand for solutions, capacities and expertise for the circular economy. This brand represents shared values, strategies, target visions and, above all, innovation projects that put the great mission of “transformation to the circular economy” into practice.

CIRCONOMY^® Ticker

Building Materials and the Climate: Constructing a New Future

Under the premise that the world wants to achieve its goals for net-zero emissions from the construction sector by mid-century, there is an urgent need for action regarding the development of new models for collaboration on the decarbonization of building materials. We must pursue the following paths together:

1) Avoiding the extraction and production of raw materials by creating a circular economy

2) Shifting to circularly managed material practices through the use of ethically produced, low carbon, earth and bio-based building materials.

3) Optimizing methods to radically decarbonize conventional materials.

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Our offer

Services

Web services can be tested directly on a website. Techno-consulting helps keep innovation projects on track and successful.

Our services

CIRCONOMY^® Hubs

The concepts for the first CIRCONOMY^® Hubs are already being created, and circular ecosystems are forming. Be there as CIRCONOMY® Hubs shape the transformation.

Hubs overview

News

14.10.2024

"The circular economy is by no means the same as recycling"

Circular economy = recycling waste? Not only! Dr.-Ing. Stephan Kabasci and Dr.-Ing. Jochen Nühlen make it clear in an interview that there is much more to circular economy than recycling. The scientists also talk about the challenges on the road to the circular economy and explain how Fraunhofer UMSICHT can help overcome these hurdles – whether by developing technologies and materials or providing advice on the circular transformation.

Interview

08.10.2024

Closing new loops with recycling

Recycling is resource conservation. This is confirmed by the study published today by Fraunhofer UMSICHT on behalf of Interzero. The circular economy service provider Interzero avoided a total of 1.2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 by recycling around 2.5 million tons of recyclable materials. At the same time, Interzero was able to save over 11.1 million tons of primary resources together with its customers. For the transformation to a circular economy to succeed, new cycles must also be established for material groups that were previously neglected.

Press release

01.10.2024

NRW Innovation Award for cost-effective production of aerogels

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner, Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, received the Innovation Award of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia 2024 in the "innovation" category for a novel production process for aerogels that is suitable for the mass market. On September 30, 2024, Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, presented Prof. Renner with the award at KOMED in Cologne. The innovation prize in this category is endowed with 100,000 euros.

Press release

26.09.2024

INFAB project develops cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are the state of the art in stationary energy storage, but parts of the raw material extraction are controversial due to environmental and social problems. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has therefore joined forces with partners in the INFAB project to research an alternative technology based on zinc-ion batteries. The project covered all process stages, from the development of cell chemistry and manufacturing processes to the battery management system.

Press release