The Waterkant, with its interactive exhibition space on the MFG 5 grounds in Kiel and its two-day festival, serves as a vivid example of how the cultural and creative industries can act as catalysts for the circular economy and sustainability. Through the Creative Circular Cities project, this potential was specifically harnessed to inspire people to adopt circular approaches in both their professional and personal lives.
As part of the exhibition, best-practice examples from Kiel and the five partner cities in the Baltic Sea region were showcased to demonstrate the diversity of circular economy approaches. These included a reusable cup system from Aarhus, an innovative space-use concept for creative professionals from Turku, a social project from Riga, a company in Tallinn that transforms waste plastic into furniture, and a wide range of projects and companies from Kiel. Together, these examples highlighted the many ways in which circular principles can be applied across different sectors and communities.
During the two-day festival, held in mid-June, project partners from Kiel engaged in direct dialogue with participants and hosted the workshop “Circular Innovations—Circular Approaches to Resource, Climate, and Environmental Protection.” The workshop provided three key players in the circular economy with the opportunity to present their work: Planterial, the Retent project, and Circular Consulting. Each speaker showcased innovative circular business approaches designed to reduce resource waste and promote more sustainable production and consumption models. The presentations were followed by a discussion with participants on the current challenges of developing and marketing circular products within a predominantly linear economic system. Key topics included competitiveness with established market players and the reintegration of secondary materials into the raw material cycle.
