In the media, Cyrkl is often referred to as “Tinder for trash.” However, Cyrkl has come a long way from its origins as a digital marketplace that connects waste producers with processors and helps return materials to the circular economy. From its workspace in Offices Unlimited on Na Příkopě Street, its team is developing its global technology, waste management, and consulting services.
Cyrkl’s current range of activities is broad—it provides comprehensive waste management services to businesses, develops the Cyrkl Copilot software, and offers expert consulting regarding the circular economy. It also continues to operate the aforementioned digital waste marketplace, which has since grown to become the largest in Europe—materials worth two billion crowns are traded there annually.
“In the Czech Republic, we generate roughly 40 million metric tons of waste each year, with construction and demolition materials accounting for nearly 60% of that total. Although a large portion of this waste can be reused, only a fraction of it is returned to the economy through recycling. The same is true for mixed municipal waste. As much as 42% of it still ends up in landfills,” explains Cyril Klepek, founder of Cyrkl, speaking about local waste management. However, international statistics don’t paint a much more optimistic picture.
This is exactly what prompted the young economist seven years ago to trade in his corporate career in banking for a venture into the circular economy and launch an online marketplace for secondary raw materials. “There are currently 48,000 entities from 60 countries registered in our database,” states Klepek. The digital marketplace became the foundation upon which Cyrkl gradually built its broader technology and consulting services. Today, the company also collaborates with renowned brands such as Škoda, VAFO, IKEA, and Siemens.
The consulting projects have also gradually evolved into a comprehensive waste management service. Cyrkl can thus not only recommend changes but also implement them, ensure long-term sorting, logistics, collection, and appropriate processing of individual materials, and at the same time negotiate the best possible prices for secondary raw materials on behalf of its clients.
Cyrkl Copilot, the company’s proprietary software, supports both consulting services and comprehensive waste management. It enables companies to manage waste data, track costs and material flows, and continuously evaluate the results of implemented measures. The software uses artificial intelligence, for example, to automatically read weigh slips and generate automated reports, including documentation for reporting to ISPOP.
“We help clients set up their waste management systems in a way that prevents the generation of excess waste while making the best possible use of the materials that are already produced. By integrating data, our Cyrkl Copilot software, and the expertise of our consultants, we’re able to identify opportunities for improvement. In addition to positive environmental impacts, this approach can save an average company up to 1.5 million crowns,” boasts Klepek. Cyrkl’s activities also include circular demolition and renovation, in which the company helps keep valuable materials and building components in circulation.
The company’s rapid expansion into dozens of markets nearly brought it to its knees. “We had to hit the brakes. We restructured Cyrkl and established a more sustainable business model,” admits Cyrkl’s founder. Staff reductions soon followed.
“Today, we thankfully have a stable team that works largely remotely. At the same time, however, we want office space that reflects our ambition to build a global technology and consulting firm, and achieve excellence in all areas of our operations,” says Klepek. “Offices Unlimited in the center of Prague meet our requirements perfectly—they offer an environment where we feel great, and at the same time can flexibly adapt to our needs when necessary.“