24.07.2026 ResourceEfficiency Kickoff for CircEL: Interdisciplinary Exchange as the Key to the Circular Economy

“An afternoon full of misunderstandings lies ahead!” With these words, Prof. Frank Balle and Prof. Jan Henrik Klement opened the kickoff event for the Circularity Engineering and Law (CircEL) project at the University of Freiburg.

CircEL conducts interdisciplinary research into the technical and legal foundations for a functioning circular economy. The kickoff event brought together representatives from academia, industry, law firms, and government agencies to foster dialogue across different professional perspectives. It quickly became clear that misunderstandings are an inherent part of interdisciplinary collaboration and can even provide valuable insights. They open up new perspectives, foster understanding of different ways of thinking and working, and lay the groundwork for joint solutions.

Dr. Felix Streiter and Dr. Luise Goroncy attended the event on behalf of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung and enriched the discussion with their diverse professional backgrounds. The Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung is funding the CircEL project with approximately three million euros over a period of six years.