CIRCOMOD – EDITS webinar sparked discussion around modeling, data and trade implications of Circular Economy

On 10 February 2025, the CIRCOMOD project, jointly with the EDITS initiative (Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations), hosted an open webinar that attracted over 30 external participants from EU and non-EU countries, in addition to more than 40 representatives from project partner organizations. The purpose was to discuss the results of 2.5 years of CIRCOMOD research and gather feedback from the broader research community.
The webinar began with an overview of the project’s analytical framework, key findings, and future directions. Oreane Edelenbosch (UU) opened the session by outlining the project’s scope, highlighting circular economy (CE) strategies across different sectors, materials, and R-strategies (e.g., reduce, reuse, recycle).
Peter Berrill (Leiden University) followed with insights from the demand side, emphasizing the importance of interlinking models to assess the impact of demand-side measures on material consumption. Next, Leonidas Paroussos (E3M) presented economic modeling approaches, explaining how Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models integrate CE strategies to assess macroeconomic impacts. Tobias Viere (HS Pforzheim) introduced Circular Economy Profiles, which provide sector- and country-specific insights into circularity potential. Stefan Pauliuk (Industrial Ecology group of Freiburg University) showcased the CIRCOMOD Data Hub, a central resource for material flow and emissions data. Finally, Detlef van Vuuren (UU & PBL) outlined the remaining work plan and opportunities for stakeholder engagement.
The Q&A session sparked discussions on time dynamics in CE strategies, data gaps, and the geopolitical implications of CE.
One key challenge is that materials take time to enter and exit the economy, requiring careful modeling of stock turnover. While material flow analysis tracks material flows explicitly, CGE models rely on assumed adoption rates, and Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) link CE implementation to GDP and population trends.
The discussion also highlighted the need for better regional data, particularly regarding material intensities in buildings and infrastructure in developing regions. Additionally, it emphasized that circularity influences emissions differently than conventional mitigation measures, offering new pathways to reduce material-related emissions.
Trade and geopolitical considerations remain a challenge, as CE strategies can shift global material flows. While CIRCOMOD primarily focuses on bulk materials such as steel and cement, future work should explore critical materials and supply risks.
With growing policy interest in circularity as a climate solution, CIRCOMOD’s findings provide valuable insights into how CE can help shape a low-carbon economy.

The event proceedings are available here

The video record of the webinar can be watched here