As 3daysofdesign brings artists and audiences to Copenhagen from 10 to 12 June 2026, circularity emerges as one of the key questions, inviting participants to reflect upon what gets made, from which materials, for how long, and what happens next. During these days, an international delegation of designers and circular experts representing the European project Creative Circular Cities gather in the Danish capital to experience local approaches to design, innovation and sustainability.
In a world dealing with tragic levels of waste and overproduction globally, the conversation around circularity is of utter importance. Available research shows that the EU generates 517 kg of waste per capita and consumption at a European level is so excessive that it would need three planets to sustain it. (EEA, 2025). However, according to the European Commission, around 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the design phase, meaning that many circular outcomes could be shaped long before products reach consumers.
Across the festival, the conversation around circularity takes shape in talks and exhibitions on zero waste furniture, material responsibility, emotional durability and circular business models. This conversation continues through Circular Days, hosted at Designmuseum Danmark by one of Creative Circular Cities partners, the Lifestyle and Design Cluster. The programme explores how circular thinking influences the way products are designed, produced and used, and how these choices shape our spaces, lifestyles and everyday behaviours. The agenda proposes valuable yet challenging topics, from examining design’s role at a time of climate pressure, to positioning design as an essential capacity that allows us to imagine alternative ways of living. Why? Because when we think of design as a structural process that can be embedded in prevention strategies for today’s challenges, priorities change from immediate crisis response to sustainable planning.
From 10 to 12 June, an international delegation from the Creative Circular Cities project will take part in 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen. Bringing together 20 creatives from fields such as design, architecture, fashion, textiles, and urbanism, as well as circularity experts and municipal representatives, the visit supports the project’s goal of promoting international exchange and knowledge sharing on sustainability, design, and innovation. The study group will have the opportunity to learn about local models that encourage participation between citizens and artists to arrive at more environmentally-aware products and systems. The delegation will actively engage in conversations around design and circularity, outlining ideas and taking home inspirations that could later on impact their own local contexts and individual practices.
Funded through the Interreg to Baltic Sea Region Programme, Creative Circular Cities started from the belief that genuine collaboration between creative sectors, communities and municipalities is fundamental to fostering circularity in the long run. Across the six Baltic Sea Region cities of Turku (FI), Tallinn (EE), Riga (LV), Aarhus (DK), Gdynia (PL), and Kiel (DE), the European project connects local experimentation with broader European ambitions for sustainability, citizen engagement and circular economy transition.
In Denmark, Creative Circular Cities is invested in supporting such processes through local partnerships with the City of Aarhus Climate Secretariat and Lifestyle & Design Cluster (Denmark). In December 2025, the Lifestyle and Design Cluster opened its first Aarhus based Lifestyle Hub, dedicated to the local community of designers, entrepreneurs, and students; the city of Aarhus supports initiatives like the Dome, a space that welcomed citizens and artists who want to contribute to more sustainable collective practices relating to the urban landscape, or K10, an inclusive meeting place and space for workshops, community projects, repair cafes and cultural events center in Tranbjerg. Creative Circular Cities’ leading partner is the Danish Cultural Institute in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
“What I find most valuable about Creative Circular Cities is its focus on bringing together people who would not always sit around the same table – municipalities, creative professionals, community organisations, and citizens. Besides new technologies and policies, the transition to a circular economy requires new networks and ways of collaboration. We see this starting to take shape the initiatives developed in Aarhus, as much as we see it is the conversations proposed by Circular Days and 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen”, says Indra Levite, the project manager of Creative Circular Cities.
Scenes from 3daysofdesign and Circular Days
Event details:
3daysofdesign
Date: June 10-12, 2026
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Agenda: https://www.3daysofdesign.dk/.
Circular Days
Date: June 10-12, 2026
Location: Designmuseum Danmark
Agenda: https://ldcluster.com/en/events/circular-days-june-10-12-2026/
About Creative Circular Cities
Creative Circular Cities (CCC) is a transnational project co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme and the European Union. The project explores how culture and the creative industries can help cities move from linear consumption to circular lifestyles. Across six Baltic Sea Region cities, Kiel, Aarhus, Turku, Tallinn, Riga and Gdynia, CCC develops and tests tools, models and local activities that connect circular economy with creativity, citizen engagement, business development and policymaking.
In Denmark, CCC is implemented with local partners including the Danish Cultural Institute, City of Aarhus to Climate Secretariat Aarhus Kommune, and Lifestyle & Design Cluster (Denmark).
Media contact:
Laura Gundega Kristapsone, Communications Manager
Creative Circular Cities, Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
Email: lgk@danishculture.com
