Amsterdam — The Frontrunner in Circular Economy
“The potential of a circular economy is enormous, and that is why we focused on research and are willing to support anyone who strives to make the circular economy a reality in our city. Globally, we are the leader in this field.”
– Alderman Abdeluheb Choho of Amsterdam
Circular Economy is a topic that has gained attention worldwide in the last decade. Some see it as a new face for “sustainable development”, others see it as the panacea for the frantic consumption-driven society that we have.
Some countries have been experimenting in developing circular and innovative approaches towards different sectors. China was the first country to bring the concept of “circular economy” to the political spheres, when the Asian giant passed the Circular Economy Promotion Law in 2008. The EU commission adopted a Circular Economy Package in 2012. Some critics say that the other participants of the BRICS shall follow such initiative. However, between all that is happening around the globe, the Netherlands seem to be taking the lead, mostly because of the circular initiatives of its capital — Amsterdam.
The report “Circular Amsterdam — A vision and action agenda for the city and metropolitan area” was published by City of Amsterdam in partnership with the consultancy Circle Economy. They were responsible for implementing City Circle Scan, a methodology to evaluate the circular potential of a city. As a result, areas in which circular business models can be applied were mapped, proving a city council an overview on where and how sustainable solutions can be implemented in the metropolitan area of the Dutch capital.
Some of the main results found by the study are:
· Added Value: Implementation of material re-use strategies has the potential to create €85 million of value per year within the construction sector and €150 million of value per year with more efficient organic residual streams.
· Material Savings: The material savings could add up to nearly 900 thousand tons per year, a significant amount compared to the current annual import of 3.9 million tones currently utilized by the region.
· Job Creation: Increased productivity levels have the ability to add up to 700 additional jobs in the building sector and 1200 additional jobs in the agriculture and food processing industry
Based on the study, the City of Amsterdam innovated when it launched the Circular Journey of Amsterdam, in September/2018. It describes a roadmap to turn Amsterdam into the world’s first circular city by 2050.
“The City of Amsterdam is engaging with the circular economy because it is the only way to have an economy in our future. The circular future of Amsterdam is a city without waste. It’s a city with a very small footprint. And it’s a city where we understand that we need fewer resources and more welfare for everyone.”
– Marieke van Doorninck Deputy Mayor Sustainability of Amsterdam
The Circular Journey of Amsterdam is based on four main fronts:
- Setting ambitious goals and targets, which has helped to generate commitment from both private and public stakeholders.
- Identify starting points with the greatest transformative potential.
- Encouraging experimentation and implementation, which has resulted in the completion of over 70 circular projects by the end of 2018.
- Measure progress and impact to break down the barriers towards creating a fully circular city.
Fueled by the political push that Circular Economy has gained within the City of Amsterdam, many circular initiatives have popped up in the city. One worth mentioning is C-bèta — “The Circular Paradise”, an entrepreneurship center focused solely in circular businesses that sprouted in the center of Amsterdam.
As evaluated by the Dutch government, The Netherlands is consolidating its status as a circular economy pioneer and inspiring others to follow its example. The country is ideal for new, innovative approaches for a number of reasons, including its central location, high concentration of experts and researchers, outstanding logistics infrastructure and open-minded, cooperative business mentality.
We can only hope that such intiatives spread around the globe, and circular bussiness model become the new trend between entrepreneurs, tacking the environmental problems while creating value.
