The OVAM (the Public Waste Agency of Flanders) has been appointed as the host organisation of Circular Flanders. The operational team of Circular Flanders is embedded in the OVAM. The core team consists of 13 operational and staff members (~ 10 FTE).

The circular transition is too large to assign to a single team or organisation. That is why the Circular Flanders approach starts from public-private partnerships working on six themed strategic agenda's and seven strategic levers. Together, they represent the most important economic sectors, material flows and policy instruments.

Urban rural predominance

Intermediate

Vision and objectives

The pilot set out to make circular building and renovation practical for smaller and medium-sized municipalities in Flanders, not just the larger cities. The original plan was two-fold: first, to bring circular building principles into a mainstream local policy framework, and second, to prove those principles through real projects on the ground. In the early vision, circular economy principles linked to buildings were to be embedded within the Flemish Local Energy and Climate Pact, supported by clear guidance and political backing. The intention was then to move from policy into practice by selecting demonstration projects in smaller towns, assessing their financial feasibility, and maximising learning so that other municipalities could replicate what worked.

Implementation journey

As the policy context changed, the work adapted. When momentum around the original policy route slowed after the 2024 elections, resulting in the abolishment of the Local Energy and Climate Pact in 2025, the focus shifted towards practical collaboration and delivery: producing clear guidance with partners and testing it through a demonstration project. Work progressed through three linked strands: (1) preparing and publishing practical guidance for municipalities, (2) supporting a renovation and repurposing project in Zoersel to apply and test the guidance, and (3) building networks, evidence and lessons that could be shared more widely. In Zoersel, a public procurement process was supported by an external knowledge broker, Kamp C, a semi-public company engaged with sustainable construction and innovation in the Province of Antwerp. A tender was launched where the winning bid scored strongly on circular economy and energy efficiency. However, the project also revealed a key real world constraint: upfront investment costs came in substantially higher than the municipality had budgeted, pushing the team to look hard at how to balance ambition and affordability.

Alongside the renovation, the technical assistance evolved to address what municipalities struggle with most in day-to-day delivery: managing all assets, buildings and associated costs over the whole life of a building. This led to work on a “digital building logbook” (DBL) approach—essentially a structured way to hold and use information on a building’s condition, maintenance needs, performance and materials—so that decisions about upkeep, renovation and reuse can be better planned and justified over time. The intent was not just to support one building, but to create a format that could be applied more broadly across a municipal building portfolio.

Key results

The pilot helped partners build a lasting framework to promote circularity in public buildings across municipalities, combining increased awareness with practical support and a visible demonstration. Joint work with the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities strengthened reach and helped translate circular building principles into everyday local decision-making. Engagement activity included direct involvement of more than ten municipalities and dozens of local representatives through events and sessions, reinforcing commitment and spreading learning. The Zoersel renovation provided practical insight into how circular design and procurement play out in reality—especially how to protect quality while managing costs—and it generated lessons on where cost optimisation is still possible and where it becomes difficult once contracts are awarded.

The library/housing project itself is presented as proof that a small municipality can apply circular principles in a public renovation and create wider value. Reported outcomes include improved functional space (including expanded library uses and additional facilities), large annual energy savings, and an estimated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The project also reduced construction and demolition waste and enabled reuse of materials and elements (including furniture and building components), while maintaining the long-term value of a public asset and improving user experience in a central, visible location.

Deliverables and outputs

The Flanders’ pilot reinforced the level of knowledge for local stakeholders engaged with the built environment. It produced practical resources to be adopted by other municipalities, alongside the learning generated by the demonstration project. Key outputs included published guidance on “local circular construction” and an accompanying Ambitions Chart to help local authorities choose priorities and actions for circular design, construction and renovation. These materials were disseminated in both Dutch and English to extend reach, and they were used as entry points for discussion and capacity building. The Zoersel demonstration case translated these principles into practice through the procurement and planning of the library renovation, producing concrete insights into how to set criteria, evaluate bids, and manage trade-offs between circular quality and affordability.

A further output was a tailored approach for a “digital building logbook” for Zoersel, presented as a framework that other municipalities can adapt. The logbook concept is described as a central digital environment to support more informed decisions about maintenance, renovations and investments, by bringing together information such as permits, plans, energy use, maintenance records and material details. A simplified format and set of parameters were proposed for testing by property managers, with the wider aim of supporting life cycle thinking and improving cost control over time.

Vision for the future

Looking ahead, the pilot partners frame the long-term direction as making circular public buildings both practical and scalable across municipal portfolios. A central theme is moving from one-off “pilot” renovations towards routine practice supported by clear guidance, stronger capacity at the local level, and better ways to plan and pay for circular choices. The digital building logbook will be further developed in 2026. The work points towards scaling digital building logbooks from single projects to whole portfolios—schools, libraries, social infrastructure—so municipalities can manage assets over the long term, reduce operational costs, and spot opportunities for reuse and efficiencies across buildings. There is also a strong emphasis on keeping messages clear and practical for municipal teams, using training, workshops, knowledge sharing and simple indicators to demonstrate results.

For Zoersel specifically, the forward view includes developing a longer-term plan for how the municipality manages its building stock over the next 10–20 years, integrating circular approaches and linking them to heritage planning. The stated ambition is to build an overview of upcoming maintenance needs and costs, understand where savings and environmental benefits can be achieved through material exchange or economies of scale, and set long-term intentions for each building (such as preservation, maintenance, renovation or sale). This reflects the broader vision: making circular renovation a normal, manageable choice for municipalities by combining practical design and procurement learning with stronger long-term building management.

Link to existing circular economy strategy and/or action plan

The Government of Flanders firmly commits to the CE as one of strategic pillars for innovation, resilience and wise resource use. It has adopted various policy plans (on construction, food, chemicals & plastics, etc), aiming for a 30% overall lower material footprint by 2030, as formulated in the Flemish Energy and Climate Plan (2021-2030) and the fifth Flemish Strategy for Sustainable Development. Since 2020, the public-private platform Circular Flanders (‘Vlaanderen Circulair’) has been appointed to support and deepen the circular economy priorities.

Leading organisation

Circular Flanders (‘Vlaanderen Circulair’)

Unit/department/section

Circular Flanders – Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM)

Participation in other relevant initiatives

• Covenant of Mayors – Flemish cities must submit Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans – required as a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors.
• Interreg EU KARMA: KARMA - Circular Economy in the Construction Sector - Acting Today for a Better Future | Interreg Europe
• Circular Cities and Regions Initiative – Communities of practice.
• European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP): Coordination group and Leadership Group #5
• Circular Cities Declaration - ICLEI

(Other) Key Resources

• Construction | Vlaanderen Circulair
• Brochure on ‘Local circular construction: starting with circularity in your municipal construction and renovation projects’
• Ambition Card for local circular construction: starting with circularity in your municipal construction and renovation projects | Circular Cities and Regions Initiative