In Brussels, Brussels Environment and partner administrations are rethinking what it means to build an economy that serves both people and planet. Their Shifting Economy Strategy aims for a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, with every business in the region contributing to that goal.

Rather than adding another sustainability plan, the region aligned all its economic levers around that single goal: supporting businesses to become both sustainable and resilient. Ninety-five percent of Brussels’ companies are SMEs, so the approach is practical: simpler procedures, tailored support, and rewarding sustainable business. Not only the bold ambition of the strategy stands out, but the governance approach itself is bold: four leading administrations working together, sharing responsibility, and steering the region toward the same vision.

Thomas Derveaux, coordinator of the strategy over the past five years, emphasised a critical insight: strategies only work when the people behind them truly believe in them. Investing in human relationships is essential to create and sustain that shared belief and drive.

The BeCircular flagship project and its spin-off, Shift My Enterprise, illustrate how supporting local circular businesses is not about creating the perfect support programme once, but about adapting the support to fit the needs of the businesses, taking into account the wider ecosystem. For instance, many BeCircular innovations do not fit standard environmental permit categories. Rather than a yearly, cumbersome, negotiation with regulators, the project team collaborated with them to create a “permits for the circular economy” point of contact, helping businesses navigate the process. Small changes like this can have an outsized impact on systemic barriers.

That sense of shared ownership resonated throughout the visit. Participants from the CCRI community of practice shared how they are shaping the circular transition in their regions.

• Circulair Groningen-Drenthe: a bottom-up approach engages circular companies across the two provinces in the Northern Netherlands. Bringing companies together, creating new value chains, facilitating new collaborations and celebrating success stories have been key to sustain momentum. The growing number of members (more than 150 within 2 years) allows for a unified voice in the dialogue with policymakers, leading to real policy changes with new circular economy policies and measures like bio-based insulation programmes.
• Navarra Zirkular, the regional circular hub, has brought together over 200 companies and 50 partner organisations (clusters, development agencies, universities) in the Navarra region of Spain. To create a true ecosystem, the hub leverages partners to expand impact and reach rather than doing everything internally.
• Tampere Region (Finland): Collaboration and trust underpin the region’s network of 200+ circular companies. By connecting stakeholders from public authorities, private companies, and academia along the same value chains, the network creates tangible value for everyone involved. Success is measured not by flagship projects but by the continuity of conversations, understanding of stakeholders’ needs and timelines, and guidance offered throughout their journey.

Across all examples a clear pattern emerged: success is not about one flagship project, but about nurturing the ecosystem and sustaining relationships over time.

On the second day, we headed to the COCON social-circular hub in Sint-Niklaas (Belgium) to further explore what a supportive business ecosystem means in practice and how you build it from the ground up. What began as the reconversion of an abandoned factory is now destined to be a vibrant meeting place for entrepreneurs, makers, and changemakers.

Annelies De Gendt, circular coordinator at the city, shared her simple, yet powerful, guiding principles:

1. Co-create with local actors.
2. Start where the energy is.
3. Keep collaborating.

The result is a growing regional network, one open-house day, one network evening, one conversation at a time. The Province of East-Flanders and VLAIO complemented this with their perspective on, and role within, the network. Intergovernmental alignment and collaboration aren’t always easy, but it’s very necessary to bend the line from linear to circular.

The visit concluded with a hands-on exercise using Lego to design and build the ideal ecosystem for circular businesses. Participants walked away with shared lessons:

• Centre your stakeholders in the ecosystem.
• Plant a hundred seeds and see which ones will bloom.
• Keep building and iterating, an ecosystem is never finalised.

The study visit was more than a learning trip. It was a reminder that circular transitions don’t happen from behind desks, they happen in workshops, business networks, and local communities. Whether it’s reshaping economic support in Brussels, strengthening ecosystems in Navarra and Tampere, or building social-circular hubs in Flanders, every region is finding its own way forward.

And that is exactly the point. There’s no single roadmap, just a shared direction and a lot of energy to build on. Exchanging experiences, learning from each other, and co-creating solutions help circular transitions happen faster and more effectively.

So, if you’re wondering where to begin, maybe the answer is already right in front of you. Start where the energy is. That’s where change begins.

This visit was part of the CCRI community of practice on supporting local circular businesses, where cities and regions across Europe learn from each other, connect their ecosystems, and turn inspiration into action.