This white paper on Quick Scan Circular Business Models - Inspiration for organising value retention in loops from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy offers an approach for developing a circular business model. It is based on a classification for existing and future circular business models developed in 2021. It consists of seven basic models geared primarily to the manufacturing industry, although it can also be used in other sectors.
The paper is divided into three parts:
an introduction explaining the background and central concepts
an overview of the seven circular business models comprising the classification, and
the actual Quick Scan.
The interactive Quick Scan version can be found here.
This study aims to gain insight into how the transition to a more circular economy could impact the labour market, with a focus on net job creation or loss, job creation at different skill levels and geographical job concentration.
The methodology used was a combination of literature review and exploratory data analysis, the latter mainly focused on the Belgian region of Flanders.
It concluded that the transition will positively affect employment for vulnerable groups and reduce overall unemployment. The transition also has the potential to reduce the educational and geographical mismatches present in the Flemish labour market.
However, opportunities will vary between regions and the quality of jobs is key (some jobs in the waste sector are 'dirty jobs').
The Flemish Government wants to reduce the material footprint of consumption in Flanders by 30% by 2030. In order to know whether Flanders is on the right track and makes well-considered policy choices, data are needed. That is why Circular Flanders and the Circular Economy Research Centre launched the Circular Economy Monitor on 17 November.
In Limbo is a platform (digital website and physical warehouse) facilitating the reuse of materials within thesocial and cultural sectors and schools in Brussels.
It encourages exchange and mutual aid within these sectors, as well as boosting recycling, reducing landfill costs and enabling organisations with limited resources to obtain reusable materials. Following the principles of circularity and sharing, all partners are invited to give and receive materials for free.
In Limbo is open only to registered partners which must be formal or informal non-profit associations or collectives, specifically social, cultural and artistic organisations, schools and temporary projects in Brussels. However, In Limbo accepts donations from all types of organisations.
The Federal Council for Sustainable Development Belgium has issued a formal response to the Federal Belgian Action Plan on the Circular Economy (in French). The council addressed issues regarding the substance and procedure of the action plan.
Procedural issues include the vagueness of the plan's exact intentions and deadlines as well as the lack of a better governance mechanism. Substantive issues include:
more focus needed on the social challenges associated with the introduction of a circular economy
more focus on the impact on the climate of increasing digitalisation
recycling of critical metals, and
importance of removing all known barriers (regulatory, fiscal, financial, etc.) to the circular transition.
C2C ExpoLAB was a consultancy firm which specialised in the practical application of Cradle to Cradle (C2C) principles in the built environment. It enables its clients to exploit the circular economy concept. One of its projects was Venlo city hall which illustrates its approach and principles.
Schijvens has been producing corporate uniforms for more than 150 years now. In 2017, they began collecting customers' old clothing, shredding it and mixing the textile fibres with shredded PET-polyester ones from sportswear, fishing nets and bottles. This led to 100% recycled yarn, which is used to make new fabrics and ultimately new uniforms.
Van Werven Plastics Recyling specialises in creating high-quality raw materials from post-consumer hard plastics, collected from construction waste, industrial waste and municipal recycling centres. Van Werven has a separate machine for each type of plastic, as every material has its own properties.
