On 9/12/2025, stakeholders from across the cement and concrete value chain gathered at Ole Sereni Hotel for a workshop on “Local Circular Economy in Cement and Concrete”, held within the framework of the Circular B-I/O Project. The event attracted strong participation from practitioners, industry representatives, academics, researchers, and policy makers, all eager to explore pathways toward a more circular and sustainable built environment.
The session opened with welcoming remarks from the Vice-Chancellor of MUST, who emphasized the university’s commitment to innovation and research that supports sustainable construction and local economic growth.
The technical program began with an inspiring presentation by Joseph Mwiti Marangu, who provided a broad overview of innovation potentials in the cement and concrete sectors. This was followed by Winnie Ntinyari, who highlighted opportunities for circular practices in the precast and ready-mix concrete industries.
Adding a research perspective, Kabibi Kamashanju, Ph.D. presented findings from the Circular B-I/O Project, focusing on local implementation strategies and lessons learned from pilot initiatives. The session concluded with an overview of the economic and socio-economic benefits of strengthening local supply and value chains in materials and structures.
Following the plenary sessions, participants divided into smaller discussion groups to explore specific potentials and challenges in implementing circular practices within the built environment. The interactive format fostered dialogue and collaboration among all stakeholders—advancing the shared goal of building a resilient, resource-efficient cement and concrete sector.
The event also marked the official launch of the Circular B-I/O Newsletter, which will serve as a platform for sharing insights, research progress, and best practices emerging from the project. For more insights, please download and read it here: https://lnkd.in/dEz7WDEF
Funded by the VolkswagenStiftung, the Circular B-I/O Project is a collaborative research initiative uniting the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), the Institute of Cement and Concrete (ICC) at Meru University of Science and Technology, and the SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences. Together, these institutions aim to foster circular economy solutions that strengthen local innovation, sustainability, and competitiveness in the cement and construction sectors.