CircleUp is helping households across Europe shift towards more circular lifestyles. Through behavioural tools, storytelling, and community action, we’re piloting real-life circular practices in 100 homes across Latvia, Germany, Norway, and the UK. Our goal? To inspire a ripple effect of sustainable change. You can view information on CircleUp translated into the languages of our four focus countries by clicking on the flag icons in the top right of the screen.

CircleUp aims to empower households across Europe to embrace circular living through an innovative behavioural intervention package. This package combines consultation and tailored information, gamification techniques, and personalised feedback, all delivered through an engaging digital platform. By integrating behavioural science with practical tools, CircleUp supports individuals in rethinking their everyday habits and challenging unsustainable norms.

Through this approach, the project seeks to shift social norms, foster open dialogue, and encourage participants to see themselves, and one another, as part of a growing community of circular citizens. By taking part in shared activities and community-based initiatives, participants help build a culture where sustainable choices become not only accessible, but expected. Find out more about the Circular Economy here.

CircleUp focuses on four key types of household waste: food waste, packaging, electronic waste (e-waste) and textiles. These materials are part of our daily lives - and they make up a significant portion of what we throw away. Each of these streams presents both challenges and exciting opportunities for creating a more circular economy at home.

CircleUp combines innovative technology and behavioural insights to make circular living both social and scalable. At the heart of the project is a dynamic digital platform designed to stimulate interaction beyond traditional social circles. Through this tool, participants can share their circular stories, engage in group challenges, and connect with a broader community across Europe, strengthening social bonds and fulfilling the human need for connection, recognition, and purpose.

To support deeper understanding and long-term change, interactive learning environments and simulation tools will help users explore the impacts of their choices. These tools will build competence in systems thinking and provide model-based assessments of sustainable consumption policies and practices, empowering users to become informed agents of change.

By deploying this intervention across 100 model households in four structurally and culturally diverse countries, CircleUp will demonstrate how everyday behaviours can be reimagined to align with the circular economy. The project aims to show how this approach can reduce environmental footprints and greenhouse gas emissions, narrow social inequalities, and transform consumption norms across Europe.

The CircleUp consortium is a unique and dynamic collaboration between 10 core partners from 5 different countries (Latvia, Norway, UK, Germany, and Portugal) that brings together a diverse range of multidisciplinary expertise.

The consortium is led by Riga Technical University, Institute of Energy Systems and Environment (IESE).