Exemplary commitment to sustainability - this is what the German Sustainability Award has stood for for 18 years. Nominated for the prestigious award for 2025 is the Alliance for a Circular Economy in Construction in the Northwest Metropolitan Region. 

Under the motto "Stronger together", this initiative focuses on the construction value chain for the circular economy, reuse and high-quality recycling of building materials in renovation and new construction projects. The alliance project, funded by the Metropolitan Region Northwest, has been bringing important networking and impetus to the region in this context for two years.  In view of scarce resources and increasing environmental requirements, the circular economy in the construction industry is coming more into focus. A holistic value chain - from planning and dismantling to the reuse and high-quality recycling of materials - can significantly reduce resource consumption, cut costs and minimize environmental impact. 

The key to success lies in the integrated cooperation of all those involved in the construction process. A circular turnaround in construction can only succeed if planning and architectural offices, construction companies, demolition and dismantling companies, manufacturers, authorities, vocational schools, universities and research work together under this credo.
The Alliance for a Circular Economy in Construction has been working towards this goal since 2023, funded by the Metropolitan Region Northwest and coordinated by the project management organization MPA Bremen, a division of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT. 

Under the name bau-circle, the project focuses on communication, exchange and knowledge transfer. It focuses on the possibilities for a circular economy of short distances, brings together expertise and experience and tests and applies results in practical projects. Under the patronage of Bremen's Senator for the Environment, Climate and Science, 59 partners are currently involved. Five working groups have been established, which deal with material flows in the region, legal issues, knowledge transfer, public relations and implementation in current construction projects. Their ideas, results and measures have now been honored with a nomination for the German Sustainability Award. 

"On behalf of everyone involved, we are delighted to be recognized with this nomination. Now it's time to keep our fingers crossed," says project manager Ute Dechantsreiter. At the end of September, it will be decided whether the alliance will be included in the finalist round, and the final award ceremony will then take place in December.

Further information on the alliance project can be found on the website www.bau-circle.de.   

The picture was taken at one of the alliance's last events, as part of the "Bremer Altbautage"