Removing Regulatory Barriers to the Circular Economy: Identifying and Prioritizing Barriers
Im Auftrag des Kantons Zürich identifizierte ecos die zentralen regulatorischen und praktischen Hemmnisse für die Kreislaufwirtschaft. Als Resultat liegt ein Bericht vor, der dem Kanton als fundierte Entscheidungsgrundlage für die schrittweise Umsetzung im Rahmen seiner Kreislaufwirtschafts-Agenda dient.
Client: Canton of Zurich, Office for Waste, Water, Energy, and Air (AWEL)
Partner: Rytec AG
Project period: 2024–2026
On behalf of the Canton of Zurich, ecos identified the key regulatory and practical barriers to the circular economy through comprehensive process and project support. The goal was to systematically uncover the barriers in the construction/real estate, commercial/industrial, and retail/logistics sectors that hinder companies, government agencies, and other stakeholders in practice.
As the core of the assignment, ecos designed and led a broad stakeholder dialogue. Based on an online survey with 122 participants and in-depth workshops with 80 subject matter experts, a practical compilation of 71 barriers was developed. The core tasks included documenting, prioritizing, and analyzing the cantonal and federal legal frameworks.
The evaluation made it clear that the biggest hurdles lie less in the laws themselves and more in their practical implementation. In many cases, it is unclear processes, established norms, or a lack of incentives that complicate circular solutions, particularly in the complex construction sector.
The resulting final report is a practical compilation of these experiences and assessments and serves as a sound basis for the canton’s decisions regarding the step-by-step implementation of its circular economy agenda.
Competencies
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Process support & stakeholder dialogue
Prozessbegleitung & Stakeholderdialog -
Analysis of regulatory frameworks
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Datenerhebung & Evaluation