On August 21, the City of Yokohama Europe Representative Office visited the ICLEI European Secretariat in Freiburg to meet with Regional Director Wolfgang Teubner and ICLEI’s Circular Economy team and discussed about ongoing European projects, exchanged ideas and identified areas for collaboration.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability- is a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development and manages successful projects like the Circular Cities Declaration. Their deep knowledge, experiences and broad network to municipalities, international organizations and the EU government make them a highly valuable partner in the fight for the green transition.

By establishing such connections Yokohama demonstrates the importance of collaborating across borders and the significance of mutual learning to achieve the ambitious goals toward the circular transition. Taking European initiatives as inspiration for projects in Yokohama will accelerate the realization of the global vision of a circular economy.

Another big step in enhancing the global dialogue will be the Asia Smart City Conference in November 2025, held in Yokohama. The conference will be a platform for cities, governments, academia, businesses and international organizations to deepen the cross-border exchange on circular economy and climate-neutral solutions.

These efforts to forge international connections will ensure that the Green x Expo 2027 will have the best possible basis for facilitating the broadest possible exchange and bringing about real change to Yokohama and the world.