News for topic Resource-efficiency

The meeting opened with a simple exercise – going around the table and asking: where do we stand now? What has worked, what has been difficult, and what are we learning?

The opening conference day felt less like a conclusion and more like a preview of what lies ahead for the Baltic Sea Region. From the outset, speakers made it clear that circularity is no longer a distant ambition but an active practice. Cities like Turku – the event host aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2029 – demonstrated how circular solutions are already being tested in real-life environments, spanning construction, food systems and water cycles.

The success of the competition was supported by an international jury of experts from science, politics, and practice who took on the challenging task of assessing policies that are each unique in scope, approach, and context. Among the Jury members, was our Head of Secretariat of the UBC Sustainable Cities Commission Agnieszka Ilola!

The conference reaffirmed the network's primary goal of creating a more resilient, innovative, and united Baltic Sea region. Cities need to be at the table, not on the menu With these key words, UBC President Mantas Jurgutis addressed the conference participants. In these tumultuous times, it's vital to have strong and consolidated messages amplifying the city voices.

As public procurement constitutes a significant share of public expenditure and influences entire markets, Green Public Procurement is increasingly recognised as a high-impact lever of change. The Green Governance Day will serve as a high-level platform placing sustainability at the heart of political and practical action, enabling cities, institutions, and networks to shape the future together.

The Plastic Waste Management Platform is launched, and you can now register and explore its interactive content!

Throughout June 2025, UBC SCC organized a set of 3 training events to increase understanding of plastic pollution consequences and prevention methods for local authorities in the Baltic Sea Region. In these series, we have educated over 70 experts in sustainability, circular economy and climate!

The path to a climate-neutral, circular and toxic-free future just gained momentum with the launch of ChemClimCircle-2 project. Representatives from 22 partner organizations gathered in Riga on 19-21 March to kick off this three-year initiative.

Welcome to join three online training events designed to equip municipalities with the tools and knowledge to implement impactful plastic reduction strategies and contribute to the green transition of the Baltic Sea region.

Our annual report is here: we have compiled major highlights from the activities of our Sustainable Cities Commission and the UBC member cities over 2024. The report is aligned with the core topics of UBC SAP 2030: water, mobility, energy, resource-efficiency, and biodiversity.

Our webinar series closed the year 2024 with the webinar about green public procurement on 26 November. This webinar brought together representatives of four BSR capitals: Stockholm, Helsinki, Riga, and Tallinn.

Valmiera promotes sustainable practices in makerspaces across the Baltic Sea Region, bringing essential circular economy knowledge and tools to local communities!