Events

Our events are central to our mission. Through them, we foster dialogue between science, politics, practice and the public, creating spaces where knowledge and perspectives meet. We act as a convener, bringing different stakeholders together to co-develop solutions for resilient societies and thriving ecosystems. This page features our own events, including recordings, summaries, and supplementary materials. 

In addition, we contribute to other events by moderating them, giving presentations at them and participating in panel discussions. You can find more information about this under Presentations.

Event:Conference
 
For the first time, consolidated interim results from 16 collaborative projects funded under the BMFTR programme “Circular Textiles” will be presented. In addition to presentations, workshops and interactive exchange formats will provide space for discussion and networking. The conference is organised in cooperation with Augsburg University of Applied Sciences and the CirTex community.

Circular Textiles

Status Conference

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Augsburg, Germany

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Event:Conference
 
ZirTeNet participated in the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference (ADD-ITC) on 27 and 28 November 2025 at the Eurogress Aachen, offering an overview of current research activities within the collaborative projects dedicated to transforming the textile sector. At the information booth in the foyer, Doris Knoblauch and Yannick Heni presented recent developments in the ongoing projects and engaged in extensive discussions with experts from academia, industry, and policy.

ZirTeNet at the ADD-ITC Textile Conference in Aachen

Information Booth on 27–28 November 2025

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Aachen, Germany

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Event:Workshop
 
How can circular principles be effectively integrated into corporate strategies beyond recycling? Which approaches work in practice? These questions guided the online workshop "From Thread to Cycle: Business Models for a Circular Future", held on 25 September 2025 as part of the BMFTR funding initiative "Resource-Efficient Circular Economy - circular sustainable textiles."

From Thread to Cycle: Business Models for a Circular Future

Online Workshop


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
As part of the expert dialogue "Second-Hand Instead of New – Calculating and Communicating CO₂ Savings Potential", taking place online on September 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment invited participants to explore current approaches to quantifying CO₂ savings in the context of waste prevention.

Second-Hand Instead of New

Calculating and Communicating CO₂ Savings Potential


online

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Event:Conference
 
The kick-off conference at the Umweltforum Berlin on 11 and 12 March 2025 marked the start of the new 'Circular Textiles' funding measure from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), in which a total of 16 joint research projects and an accompanying networking and transfer project will be working on solutions to support a circular textile economy until 2028. The aim of the event, which was attended by around 100 people, was to present the individual projects, identify common challenges and derive cross-cutting topics for collaborative work.

Kick-off Conference of the BMBF Funding Measure "Circular Textiles"

Exciting presentations and interesting discussions on various aspects of circular textiles

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Berlin, Germany

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Event:Conference
 
On 25 February 2025, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the expert dialogue "Access not Ownership: Opportunities and Challenges of the Sharing Economy" took place. The event was organized by the Ecologic Institute on behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and the Environment (SenMVKU) and was held in Berlin.

Access not Ownership: Opportunities and Challenges of the Sharing Economy


Berlin, Germany

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Event:Workshop
 
Image with the title of the event
The BMUV recently hosted a stakeholder dialogue to explore and develop digital solutions that support sustainable and circular consumption decisions in everyday life. The kick-off event took place in Berlin on 13 November 2024, bringing together experts from research and practice.

Digital Solutions for Sustainable Consume

Kick-off event of the stakeholder dialogue


Berlin, Germany

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Event:Digital Event
 
The online expert dialogue "Circular diversity: creative solutions to promote the re-use of second-hand goods" took place on 10 October 2023, organized by Ecologic Institute for the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Mobility, Transportation, Climate Action and the Environment (SenMVKU). The aim of this event was to present the variety of existing creative approaches to promote the re-use of second-hand goods.

Circular Diversity: Creative solutions to promote the re-use of second-hand goods – Re-use Berlin


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
The Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment (SenMVKU) organised an online expert dialogue on the topic of "Promoting repair through networks and repair bonuses" on 6 June 2023. Good practice examples were presented and potentials, challenges and measures to promote repair were discussed with the participation of experts from business, civil society and politics.

Promoting Repair through Networks and Repair Bonuses – Re-Use Berlin

Online expert dialogue


online

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Event:Conference
 
social media card of the event
The EU Commission is planning an initiative on tackling the issue of non-intentional inputs of microplastics into the environment. The areas of textile fibres, tire abrasion, and pellet loss are specifically discussed at the EU level as part of the initiative.

Tackling Microplastics in the Environment

Evidence-based policy recommendations on textile fibres, tire abrasion, and pellet loss


Brussels, Belgium

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Event:Discussion
 
Ecologic Institute hosts Rwandan Delegation
Ecologic Institute recently hosted a delegation of Rwandan stakeholders consisting of government officials, scientists, and members of civil society. The event, organized by the Development, Climate, and Events teams and supported by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), aimed to expand Ecologic Institute's international networks and increase the reach of their research results.

International Networks and Collaboration on Climate Research


Berlin, Germany

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Event:Digital Event
 
The Berlin Senate Department for the Environment, Urban Mobility, Consumer Protection and Climate Action (SenUMVK) and Stiftung Initiative Mehrweg organised an online expert dialogue on "Reusable Transport Packaging" on 27 February 2023 to discuss potentials, challenges and elements for the expansion of reusable transport packaging together with experts from trade, the logistics industry, civil society and politics.

Reusable Transport Packaging

Online Expert Dialogue


online via Zoom

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Event:Conference
 
The German Environment Agency (UBA) announced the 6th European Resources Forum – "Transformative approaches for sustainable resource use and a circular economy".

European Resources Forum 2022online


online

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Event:Workshop
 
It's that time again: From 15 September to 15 November 2022, youths between the ages of 10 and 16 are being called upon to take part in the "Plastic Pirates – Go Europe!" campaign along with their teachers or group leaders. The aim is for participants to deal with the issue of plastic waste in the environment – especially in and around rivers. The accompanying teaching and working materials, as well as the booklet, guide the participants through the campaign and can be ordered free of charge by teachers or group leaders on the campaign website.

Plastic Pirates – Go Europe!

Autumn 2022

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Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain

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Event:Conference
 
Theme day: Plastics in the environment
At the theme day on plastics in the environment on 6 May, children, young people and adults could inform themselves at more than 20 interactive exhibition stands and talk to researchers from all over Germany. In addition to a photo exhibition, a science and poetry slam, improvisation theatre and discussion rounds, participants had the opportunity to get involved in exciting hands-on activities. For example, water samples will be taken directly from the Spree to test for microplastic contamination.

Theme Day: Plastic in the Environment

Knowledge.Research.Innovation.


Berlin, Germany

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Event:Digital Event
 
first slide of Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garber's presentation
The goal of the final workshop was to discuss options for action with representatives from the Berlin House of Representatives and various Senate administrations in order to jointly outline which measures and implementation steps would be effective.

Circular City Berlin – Steps from potential to implementation

CiBER Final workshop


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
jubiläumsbanner
Europe is on its way towards a circular economy and has set itself an extremely ambitious plan to this end in the form of the Circular Economy Action Plan; among other things, non-recyclable residual waste is to be halved by 2030. But how is it being put into practice? And what does it take to gain more speed here – for example, in the textile sector, which is virtually exemplary for the linear thinking of a throwaway culture?

The Transformation to a Circular Economy Caught between Ambitions and Realities

The textile example


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
The expert dialogue aimed at informing and discussing the implementation of Re-Use and recycling measures for insulation materials. The Berlin Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection, the "Verband für Dämmsysteme, Putz und Mörtel" (Association for Insulation Systems, Plaster and Mortar) and the "Gesamtverband Deutscher Holzhandel" (German Timber Trade Association) invited participants to attend – alongside around 250 expected participants – the Webinar, that took place on 6 October 2021. Ecologic Institute supported organising and implementing the event logistically and technically.

Re-use and Recycling of Insulation Materials in Buildings

Expert dialogue


online

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Event:Conference
 
Screenshot of Mandy Hinzmann's presentation
Interactions between climate and resource policy – the so-called "climate-resource-nexus" – still need to be much better understood and potential impacts of effective policies systemically analysed. Against this background, the final conference served to present and discuss key findings from the ICARE project, in particular results from system dynamics model simulations of potential environmental and economic impacts of different climate protection and resource policy measures in different world regions.

The Climate-Resources-Nexus – ICARE Final Conference

Modelling and policies to foster synergies between resource conservation and climate protection


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
In EU policy, the textile value chain is currently in the focus of efforts to build a circular economy. Textile recycling in the EU is still in its infancy, although promising innovative technologies are about to enter the market. How can policy support the industrial uptake of textile recycling? This was topic of a webinar held on 31 August 2021. Members of Ecologic Institute's Circular Economy Team presented policy recommendations to the European Commission to enhance systems for the collection, sorting and recycling of textile waste - and to create a market for recycled textiles.

High-quality Textile Recycling as Part of a Circular Textile Economy


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
How circular economy approaches in the construction sector can be strengthened is discussed in this episode of Wandelwecker together with two proven experts in circular construction.

Strengthening Circular Economy in the Construction Sector

circular construction to reduce construction waste in the German capital


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
Re-Use
Re-using goods and products offers numerous economic, ecological and social potentials. An exciting case example for the reuse of building components and furnishings was presented on 15 July 2021 at the online expert dialogue "Re-use of building components and furnishings in the construction project of the church community of Staaken".

Re-use of Building Components and Furnishings in the Construction Project of the Staaken Church Congregation

Expert dialogue


online, Germany

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Event:Digital Event
 
Re-Use
As part of the Berlin Re-Use Initiative, the online expert dialog on the recycling of gypsum took place on 26 November 2020. This expert dialogue, to which the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection of the State of Berlin invited together with relevant associations and companies, was dedicated to important issues around gypsum recycling. Eighty-five people took part in the expert dialog.

Re-Use Berlin 2020 – Online Expert Dialog on Recycling Gypsum


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
Berlin is increasingly developing as a dynamic innovation field of the circular economy – a circular, resource-saving economy. (Social) innovations are no longer generated only in the field of waste recycling, but increasingly in the design and manufacture of sustainable products or with new business models. The event provided insights into current research on the development of the circular economy and the commitment of Berlin's innovators in this field.

Circular Economy of the Next Generation. Perspectives of Social-ecological Research and Initiatives in Berlin.


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
The 5th expert dialogue on sustainable timber construction took place on 30 October 2020 at the invitation of the Senate Department for the Environment, Urban Mobility, Consumer Protection and Climate Action (SenUMVK) and the German Timber Trade Federation (GD Holz). Speakers included architects and engineers as well as experts from relevant research projects who presented and discussed practical topics related to timber construction in the capital region.

5th Urban Timber Construction Expert Dialogue


online

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Event:Workshop
 
Re-Use
As part of the Berlin Re-Use initiative, the online expert dialogue on strengthening the reuse of furnishings and building components took place on October 6, 2020. The aim of the virtual expert dialogue was to bring together stakeholders from the construction industry, initiatives, DIY stores, demolition and disposal companies who are committed to the reuse of building components and furnishings. Dwindling raw material supplies, shrinking landfill space and pressing climate change show that a fundamental rethink of how to deal with raw materials and waste is needed. The current linear economic model must change - away from the principle of "take, use, dispose" to circular economic activity. The ten speakers presented their re-use projects and shared their practical experiences. They discussed how re-use can be promoted in the construction and furnishing sectors and what obstacles need to be overcome. The 80 or so participants took the opportunity to ask questions and provide impetus for the discussion.

Re-Use Berlin 2020 – Online Expert Dialog to Strengthen the Reuse of Furnishings and Building Components


online

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Event:Digital Event
 
wirk seminar
This ICARE-project online seminar served to discuss issues and relevance of the climate-resources-nexus among academic institutions. Mandy Hinzmann from Ecologic Institute, Dr. Thomas Gibon from Luxembourg Institute for Science and Technology LIST and Prof. Edgar Hertwich from Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU presented findings of recent research projects dealing with the nexus.

Identifying Aspects and Relevance of the Climate-resource-nexus


online

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Event:Workshop
 
Re-Use
As part of the Berlin Re-Use Initiative, the online expert dialog on the rescue of returned textiles took place on 24 September 2020, with more than 60 interested participants. In a diverse program, 14 experts from various fields and industries presented and discussed the current status quo of problems with returns in the clothing sector from their respective perspectives, as well as potentials and possible starting points for dealing with returns that have arisen and for reducing or avoiding them in the future.

Re-Use Berlin 2020 – Expert Dialogue on The Rescue of Returned Textiles


online

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