CIRCOMOD showcases research at ISIE 2025 in Singapore

The CIRCOMOD team made a strong contribution to the 12th International Conference of the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE 2025), held in Singapore, with three presentations tackling critical dimensions of the circular economy transition.

Meng Jiang (NTNU) presented his research on “Machinery Capital Dynamics in a Circular Economy Framework”, using MRIO modeling and CIRCOMOD scenarios to quantify the material and carbon footprints of machinery—which accounts for one-third of global metal use and 5% of GHG emissions. The study integrates capital dynamics into SSP pathways, offering insights for long-term resource planning. Jiang also presented a poster comparing environmental impact assessments across Ecoinvent, national IO accounts, and EXIOBASE, highlighting the need for better integration of LCA and IO data.

Tomer Fishman (CML) presented “How much does my city weigh? The building material stocks of 1.8 million human settlements”. This pioneering study estimates global building material stocks with high spatial resolution, combining remote sensing, OpenStreetMap, and localized material intensities. Findings show that 50% of global building materials are concentrated in six countries, revealing stark disparities in per capita stocks across cities and regions.

Lastly, the work lead by Martijn van Engelenburg (CML) on “Reducing resource use of key services: circular strategies in the stock-flow-service nexus”, was presented by his colleague Ester van der Voet . The team mapped circular strategies onto global material stocks and flows, showing how lifetime extension and other circular measures can reduce resource use in high-demand service areas like housing and mobility.

Together, these contributions underscore CIRCOMOD’s leadership in modeling material flows and exploring circular solutions across infrastructure and capital goods.

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The International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) is a global network of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers dedicated to advancing systems-based approaches to sustainability. Through its biennial conference, ISIE brings together experts in material flow analysis, life cycle assessment, circular economy, and socio-economic metabolism to share the latest research and foster interdisciplinary collaboration on the sustainable use of resources and environmental systems.