CIRCULAR REPUBLIC

No saving the climate without a turnaround in resources.

A functional circular economy is one of the keys to solving the three existential crises that we humans have caused: climate change, pollution, and the extinction of species.

The circular economy and the associated sustainable use of materials and resources is a decisive approach to counteract climate change and the challenges with raw materials.

Our Mission

We set the pace in the transformation toward a circular economy.

As the base for a prosperous, resilient, and sustainable economy, we provide system-changing impulses from the innovation ecosystem at UnternehmerTUM.

Closing material cycles has to be the call of the hour for our economy and bring about the necessary resource loops in the future. This also requires all market stakeholders to change their mindset. And our use of language should change appropriately: The "consumer" is a thing of the past, we are users. Mass remains on our globe. To sustain creation, we have to keep all materials in circulation.

Dr. Johannes F. Kirchhoff, Managing Partner KIRCHHOFF Group

What We Do

Enable

We empower you to make circular economy innovation a reality and turn it into the core of your business model by

backing start-ups,
supporting established companies with circular economy funding programs,
giving an overview of the start-up landscape in the circular economy,
making matches and connecting start-ups and large organizations, and
providing access to the latest circular economy research.

Act

We bring you together with relevant partners to create circular economy solutions for your value chain with scalable and investable opportunities.

To achieve this, we initiate and implement multi-stakeholder projects in the circular economy field.

Inspire

We provide system-changing impulses and drive the circular economy forward with you by

inspiring and sharing knowledge,
organizing networking and events,
issuing and distributing scientific reports and resources,
creating joint storytelling.

Interested? Reach out to us!

Our Founding Team

Dr. Matthias Ballweg
Co-Founder and Director at CIRCULAR REPUBLIC

Matthias previously co-led the global circular economy platform at SYSTEMIQ for several years. Meanwhile, he's built coalitions such as the „Circular Cars Initiative“ and co-authored influential studies on the implementation of a European Green Deal. Before, Matthias was Vice President of Strategy at MAN Truck & Bus for several years where he was responsible for all issues related to the future of mobility in passenger and freight transport.

He holds a doctorate in behavioral psychology, is a start-up founder, father of four children, and a board member of the "Oberland" section of the German Alpine Club — the second largest sports club in Germany.

Dr. Susanne Kadner
Co-Founder and Head of Ecosystems at CIRCULAR REPUBLIC

Previously, Susanne headed the thematic focus "Energy, Resources and Sustainability" at acatech, the German Academy of Science and Engineering. She initiated the Circular Economy Initiative Germany, which defined the transition to a resource-efficient and digitalized circular economy with stakeholders from politics, science, business, and civil society. Before, Susanne worked at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, including as scientific director of the UN Climate Council office. Susanne serves as a mentor for the start-up accelerator program of the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt.

Niclas-Alexander Mauss
Co-Founder and Head of Operations at CIRCULAR REPUBLIC

Niclas will support start-ups and companies in realizing their circular economy innovation in this position. He's an expert on circular economy in the manufacturing industry and was involved in the transformation of the medium-sized measurement technology manufacturer Lorenz into a multi-award-winning pioneer of the circular economy for ten years. Since 2020, he has been leading a (pre-)incubation program at UnternehmerTUM and, in the course of his doctorate at the Technical University of Munich, he founded the university-wide research network CirculaTUM to advance the circular economy in research, teaching, and transfer.

News

How Industries Transform Their Net-Zero Goals from a Buzzword to a Reality

Last winter was characterized by sparsely snow-covered ski slopes in the Alps, with more green than white, and the weather was even spring-like. On New Year's Day, the temperature in Switze...

Battery Recycling for the Electric Future: Video Interview with Circular Start-up tozero

Batteries are omnipresent, and a future without them is unimaginable. Tomorrow's mobility, work life, and communication depend on energy storage systems containing rare earth elements. At the same ...

Landscape 2023: Start-ups Drive the Circular Economy

For the first time, our new initiative CIRCULAR REPUBLIC

Why the Circular Economy is Vital for Our Industry and How Start-ups Can Help - By Prof. Dr. Helmut Schönenberger, CEO UnternehmerTUM

The linear economy model, where resources are extracted, used, and then discarded as waste, is not sustainable. The world needs a new approach, one that is based on preserving and...

"Within Our Sustainability Strategy, the Circularity Concept Plays a Central Role" - Interview with Christian Haub and Dr. Saskia Juretzek of Tengelmann Twenty-One KG

Family members have run Tengelmann for over 155 years, now in its fifth generation. The family has been committed to environmental protection for more than 50 years. We spoke with CEO Chris...

Impulse: Four Good Reasons Why the Circular Economy Must Become the DNA of Our Value Creation

Impulse by Dr. Claas Oehlmann, Inken Sittler und Annika Stuckenhoff, BDI-Initiative Circular Economy

"We Can Deliver What Policymakers are Desperately Seeking in the Face of the Energy Crisis" - Interview with Start-up Reverion

"Transitioning to a future without fossil fuels" is the ambitious goal of the young TUM start-up Reverion. To this end, the now 27-member team, which is currently participating in our

"Sustainability is No Longer a Niche Topic" - Interview with Julia Roblick, Program Manager at RESPOND

The RESPOND accelerator program by UnternehmerTUM and the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt supports start-ups around the worl...

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CIRCULAR REPUBLIC