Circular Economy Transition

Accelerating the shift towards a circular economy together

Our vision

Our current economy is largely based on a linear model: we take resources, produce goods and discard them after use (“take–make–waste”). This system is reaching its ecological and economic limits. We are committed to driving the circular economy transition, paving the way for an economy in which waste is understood as a valuable resource. Our goal is to decouple economic growth from resource consumption and enable a regenerative future that operates within planetary boundaries.

A strong network across Switzerland: This initiative is not driven by Impact Hub Zurich alone. Circular Economy Transition is a pioneering collaboration of Impact Hubs across Switzerland (Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano and Zurich). Through this national partnership, we combine local expertise with nationwide reach.

What we do

Circular Economy Incubator (the core program): In this intensive 12-week programme, we support early-stage startups in bringing their circular business models to market readiness. Whether product-as-a-service, sharing models or innovative upcycling solutions, founders gain access to specialised mentoring, expert knowledge and a unique network.
Circular Innovation Day at Kraftwerk: A highlight of the programme is the Circular Innovation Day, held in the inspiring spaces of Kraftwerk in Zurich. For startups, this is a key opportunity to pitch their solutions to potential investors, partners and the impact community – and to build valuable connections for their strategic growth.
Ecosystem building & community: We coordinate a broad network of partners, including WWF Switzerland, to pool knowledge and foster exchange on political and economic frameworks for the circular economy. Through workshops and networking events, we make the topic tangible for both professionals and a wider audience.

Objective: To actively drive the transition from a linear to a circular economy in Switzerland and to equip entrepreneurs with the tools they need to combine sustainable success with a positive environmental impact.

Highlights from the Circular Innovation Day 2026

On 5 June, Circular Economy innovators, supporters and doers converged in the amazing environment at Kraftwerk to cap the conclusion of the Circular Economy Transition Incubator program, thanks to the support of BaselCircular, Ville de Genève, Circular Economy Switzerland and One Planet Lab.

Key takeaways:

Camille Accolas - We can create the difference where we create a common space and bring capital stakeholders eye-to-eye with intent and common understanding. Trust is designed.
Nathalie Moral, Sonja Gehrig, and Joséphine von Mitschke-Collande comparing and contrasting where their respective views can play in the capital stack. It is an imperfect system but one where we need to find a way to decouple growth from resource consumption, and invest in ecosystems rather than singular solutions.
Our “shareholder meeting” to “acquire” one solution ended up selecting 4 ventures to be acquired. Capital doesn’t necessarily have to mean “winner take all”. We recognized a need to bring systems up in a collaborative manner.

A very heartfelt congratulations to all the participating ventures