Circular Economy in Action
"CE in Action" is an event series that connects circular economy research with real-world application. Events focus on concrete industry cases and offer hands-on insights into how circular solutions are developed and implemented in practice. The aim is to move beyond theory and showcase what circularity looks like on the ground.
This series was created to help close the gap between research and implementation. By bringing together industry and academia, CE in Action fosters exchange, sparks new collaborations, and helps identify relevant research questions rooted in real challenges.
Sus.lab, the Group for Circular Economy, and Circularity invite industry professionals, innovation and sustainability leads, and decision-makers who are actively working on circular economy topics. Participants gain practical insights, learn from real cases, and connect with a curated network of experts and partners.
UPCOMING EVENTS
16 September 2026: ZAV Recycling - What valuable resources lie hidden in the slag?
The thermal recycling of waste in incineration plants allows us to generate energy and heat from our waste. However, there is always a residue left over: after incineration, approximately 20 kg of slag remains from one metric ton of waste.
How can valuable resources, such as metals, be recovered from the slag? How can we improve sustainability in waste recycling and thereby take a step closer to a circular economy? Slag processing plants like ZAV Recycling AG – which currently recycles about 150,000 metric tons of dry slag annually – are dedicated to addressing these questions.
We are very pleased to invite you, together with ZAV recycling, to the slag processing plant in Hinwil!
Where? Wildbachstrasse 2, CH-8340 Hinwil
When? September 16, 2016, 2:00p.m. – 5:00 p.m. + Apero
Limited spots available, registration required: https://forms.gle/wL991BYKAXqgSP5eA
❗️Event language: German
12 November 2026
Revendo in Basel - How does professional repair work at scale?
SAVE THE DATE - More information will follow soon.
PAST EVENTS
8 July 2026
What happens to waste that cannot be recycled or recovered through incineration? The visit to Tambrig landfill combined a guided tour of active landfill operations with expert insights into residual waste volumes, capacity constraints, and the collaboration between private operators and public authorities in waste management. With roughly 150,000 tonnes deposited annually, the site is expected to reach capacity in about eight years: a stark illustration of the limits of current waste management infrastructure.
5 March 2026
Participants visited an electronics recycling facility to observe how complex e-waste streams are sorted, mechanically processed, and separated into reusable material fractions. The event combined hands-on insights from industrial recycling operations with expert discussions on design for recycling, recovery of critical raw materials, economic considerations, and extended producer responsibility systems.
26 January 2026
V-ZUG – CE Strategy, Design & Refurbishment
A tour through the disassembly and refurbishment facilities showcased how circular economy strategies are implemented for large household appliances, from component reuse and refurbishment to recycling. The program combined practical insights into material flows with expert talks on the opportunities and limits of recycling, alongside interactive discussions on product design, business models, and regulation.
31 October 2025
KVA Hagenholz – Waste Incineration
A visit to the waste-to-energy plant offered insights into how municipal waste is processed and how operational measures contribute to closing material loops and reducing residual waste. The program combined a tour of the facility with a discussion on current and future circular economy initiatives, including perspectives from research and practice on improving resource recovery at the regional level.