PRINCIPLES OF REGIONAL APPROACH

Don’t be powerless in the face of unprecedented energy crises – follow the BDA course in Energy Transition Diplomacy.

To help confront the challenges of the shifting global energy landscape, the BDA is offering a 12-hour course on Energy Transition Diplomacy.

This is everyone’s business because silo-thinking and single-issue approaches don’t work.

The fields of energy security, energy diplomacy, climate diplomacy and energy transition diplomacy will be examined and participants will have to defend various interests in a negotiation exercise running across the course.

They will gain an understanding of the tough choices and uncertainties of energy transition and its impact on industries and societies and will be equipped to build viable solutions.

When: 13-17.00 on 23, 24 and 25 October.

Where: VUB Etterbeek campus.

Price: 650 Euros

Further details, and the registration link, can be found here https://www.vub.be/en/event/energy-transition-diplomacy-its-everyones-business

The following article was written in preparation for an intervention at a convention in Istanbul organised by Kapsam – Public Policy Research Centre and Boǧaziçi University and sponsored by TetraPak on 28-02-2023 (note: due to the earthquake disaster in Türkiye, the convention has been postponed) .

I was asked, in the context of a conference on the very exciting topic “Achieving zero waste. Innovation in food packaging.”, to explain the role the EU plays in tackling the (plastic) packaging problem worldwide, especially the one in plastic food packaging.

I would like to start from clear premises I foster. The EU has taken a leading role in the evolution towards a climate-neutral society. The instruments that are used for this are versatile:

a.       Create awareness among the population so that they implement a change in behaviour. This is a long-term task that the EU has been engaged in since the last century.

b.       Creating awareness among the industry so that it takes measures on a voluntary basis to reduce its CO2 emissions, but also takes measures to tackle the pollution and health problems caused by their products through innovation. The sectors that have the most impact on both CO2 emissions and are polluting are: fashion & textile, packaging, plastic, eWaste, construction materials, automotive industry, chemistry, agriculture & agro-industry

c.       The knowledge centres, which are often subsidized by government money, take the necessary steps to conduct applied research to find solutions in all the above domains.

d.       Moreover, the EU has consistently pursued a decentralized policy for several decades. A very large budget has therefore been reserved for decentralized programs such as Interreg and Horizon 2030, in which regional and urban authorities are invited to work together to tackle social and economic problems together.

e.       To get specific legislation into the national laws of the 27 member states through European directives, creating a market large enough to get unruly industries to cooperate. And try to influence other countries (trading partners of the EU) to do the same. The latter is part of the so-called “soft power” for which the EU has built a reputation.

The EU context

However, it is important that I first frame the EU before we move on to European eco-politics. Especially for an audience that lives in a country in the pre-entry phase.

As you all know, the EU started with cooperation between 6 countries: the two enemies of the Second World War, France and Germany, Italy and the Benelux countries. Funny in retrospect, and I'm not saying this to upset the ecologists, is that the first forms of coal and steel cooperation have emerged. That was on April 18th 1951. There was then a second step on March 25, 1957, the Treaty of Rome was signed by the same countries. This new treaty established the Euratom and the European Economic Community, and meant further integration at European level. We then arrive at a free trade association. But it quickly becomes clear that the European countries wanted to go much further than that: they wanted to pursue a common policy in several areas. Between 1993 and 2009, the European Union (EU) legally comprised three pillars. The European Communities pillar handled economic, social and environmental policies. It included

•         the European Community (EC), the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC, until its expiry in 2002), and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM).

•         The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) pillar took care of foreign policy and military matters.

•         Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (PJCCM) brought together co-operation in the fight against crime. This pillar was originally named Justice and Home Affairs (JHA)

The Environmental Law and thus Climate change was part of pillar 1 and therefore very soon already tackled by the EU.

The perspective of a joint effort on many matters was attractive enough to allow European countries to join. Over the years, the Union was steadily expanded, up to 28 member states, reduced to 27 since the Brexit.

Let us now treat the way Europe tackles climate change.

In 1996 the EU adopted a target of a maximum 2 °C rise in global mean temperature, compared to pre-industrial levels. Since then, European Leaders have reaffirmed this goal several times.

In June 2000 a European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) was launched by the European Commission, with the purpose of avoiding dangerous climate change. The European Union Emissions Trading System for greenhouse gases (EU ETS) is perhaps the most significant contribution of the ECCP, and the EU ETS is the largest greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme in the world.

A Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) was adopted in 2015 by the EU containing a comprehensive body of legislative and non-legislative actions, which aimed to transition the European economy from a linear to a circular model. The Action Plan mapped out 54 actions, as well as four legislative proposals on waste.

Among those actions, the EU identified plastics as a key priority and committed itself to ‘prepare a strategy addressing the challenges posed by plastics throughout the value chain and taking into account their entire life-cycle’. In 2017, the Commission confirmed it would focus on plastics production and use and work towards the goal of ensuring that all plastic packaging is recyclable by 2030.

By engaging policymakers across different policy areas and levels of governance, as well as various stakeholders, it has aimed to promote a collaborative approach. In this approach the EU believes in  smart, innovative and sustainable plastics industry, where design and production fully respects the needs of reuse, repair, and recycling, brings growth and jobs to Europe and helps cut EU's greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on imported fossil fuels.

In December 2019, the Von der Leyen Commission unveiled its European Green Deal, an ambitious plan to transform the EU’s economy into a fair, sustainable, and prosperous one.

The European Green Deal is the result of an evolution in the European Commission's thinking and of a series of policy developments across different areas since 2011.

Based upon that decision, the European Commission proposed a new circular economy action plan in the beginning of 2020. In this framework the EU increased its actions against plastic pollution.

From 3 July 2021, single-use plastic plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and cotton buds cannot be placed on the markets of the EU Member States. In addition, the same measure applies to cups, food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene, and all products made of oxo-degradable plastic.

European directives must be transposed into national laws within a certain period of time. Countries often combine different directives in one law. And the speed and will with which national legislative work is done also shows how eager countries are to impose new laws on their industry. Other countries then see which way the wind blows and wait to see which way the more energetic countries are going.

For example, France and Spain have already passed and enacted stringent laws and have thus taken the lead in restricting the use of plastic packaging and single-use plastic. They should therefore experiment with solutions. This also means that France and Spain are attracting quite a few investments from major players to process the various types of plastics and to conduct research into the processing options for plastics that are still difficult to process.

Belgium and even England (note: not the UK) are also preparing laws or bills to curb plastic packaging in supermarkets.

In the Netherlands, on the other hand, which is nevertheless a forerunner in the field of circular economy, only recommendations have been written so far. The press, the critical fourth power, is therefore not tender in the latter country and denounces the procrastination.

Sometimes the ball is also mishit.[1] Plastic bags that were handed out at supermarket checkouts and markets, which became one of the biggest polluters of the oceans and ended up in our bodies as microplastics, were replaced in this century by elegant cotton totes. Neat cotton, which you could use again, and which carried a nice design or logo with which you became a walking advertising board again. A 2018 study by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark found that an organic cotton tote needs to be used 20,000 times to offset its overall impact of production. That equates to daily use for 54 years — for just one bag. oops! Not good again! It's a story of trial and error.

So there is still a lot of work to be done. But the directives create a research and experimentation dynamic in many countries. It speeds up the search for solutions. For example, I can quote a few articles here, from the Netherlands and France. In the Netherlands there is plenty of experimentation ongoing with deposits, washable plastic and edible chips bags. In France plastic containers to transport food from a collective catering kitchen to the various school restaurants are now replaced by stainsteel containers, heavier but unavoidable.[2]

Plastics require a multifaceted approach. On the one hand, there are thousands of types, of which only a small part is already recyclable. On the other hand, there is a petroleum industry that does everything it can to delay or boycott research into alternatives.  Of the seven major categories, there are only three that are already successfully reusable or recyclable.

But there is also improvement in sight. Large chemical multinationals such as Dow Chemical have turned to chemical recycling to process difficult plastics back into basic materials. [3]

What about paper bags and cardboard packaging?

Paper and cardboard are also materials that require a long incubation period. Both come from trees that are cut down and processed. Some trees grow quickly, but 10 years for a poplar is still a serious lead time. In addition, paper and cardboard are not moisture-resistant and are often coated with a chemical substance that appears to contain PFAS, an eternal chemical product that is not degradable and carcinogenic. So cardboard containers for Belgian fries are also banned in the Belgian bill.

Typical is Starbucks, who have made an icon of their disposable paper cup of coffee. They too have made the turn and are resolutely going for reusable cups.[4]

Paper recycling is not left to the most advanced countries in recycling in Northern Europe. Paper recycling champion is Italy: its recycling rate reaches 87.3% in the peninsula, compared to an average of 73.9% in the EU. This resulted out of sheer necessity: the country does not have resources for raw materials to meet demand. The largest hi-tech plant in Italy for volumes of paper and plastic was built by Iren close to Parma. The plant 100 thousand tons of paper and cardboard to close the entire system of collection and valorisation of flows in the provinces of Parma, Piacenza and Reggio.[5]

A last warning, published in February of this year in the New York Times:

Plastic waste is more than a local environmental pollutant. It clogs streams. It chokes turtles. It gets caught on a bare branch and blows in the breeze. It stews in landfills.

But it is also a climate pollutant. From the extraction of fossil fuels to make polymers to the transport and disposal of the waste, single-use plastics produced 450 million metric tons of planet-warming greenhouse gases in 2021 alone, according to estimates by Minderoo, a Australian think tank about the matter.[6]

Thank you for your attention

[1] Read also: https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/the-cotton-tote-crisis/vsvnvxk39rwe

[2] Read also: https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/in-a-years-time-company-canteens-events-and-the/tt1323wcxhn8 &

https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/the-collective-catering-restaurants-of/ztpogz6v7nsh

[3] Read also: https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/how-the-eu-can-enable-a-circular-economy-in/ghb9zhg1s7ic

[4] Read also: https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/starbucks-is-planning-to-phase-out-its-iconic-cups/3kqcjs30ly1y

[5] Read also: https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/iren-inaugurates-recap-in-parma-the-largest/82dbdbpriuzq

What can local and regional authorities do as a response to climate change and that can be beneficial for the citizens ?

Sustainability in their economy is a direction that many countries wish to take. It can be felt both in an energy transition and in a way of behaving as a consumer. The first motivation to move in this direction is the all-encompassing fight against climate change. The sense of urgency regarding the latter is growing every year and it is clear that every inhabitant of planet Earth will suffer the consequences if it is not resolved. However, there is more to it. Since the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century, we have started to consume both energy and raw materials. In addition, the number of inhabitants on planet Earth grew exponentially as a result. After the Second World War, a trend arose to consume in an unbridled way and to shorten the lifespan of the objects, devices and machines that were produced. As a result, the multinationals were able to sell more and more and to an increasingly large group of earthlings.

The policy of globalisation initiated by neoliberals such as Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan has, on the one hand, led to the emergence of a middle class in many countries in the world that could live in a decent way. On the other hand, raw materials in the earth's soil were being consumed at an increasingly faster pace. Raw materials that have taken millions of years to arise and come to fruition.

These are finite. And on the other hand, the objects made with those materials were dumped at a rapid rate without recovering the raw materials. We therefore need to move away from that linear economy based on the principles: take, make, use and dispose (and pollute!) and move towards a circular economy. The older generation is still insufficiently aware of this behavioural change, the younger generation, the Z-Gen and the Millennials, all the more so.[1]

Everyone should therefore be involved in this cultural change: citizens, companies, knowledge centres and governments. In this last regard  the European  Commission has taken a bold decision in 2019 by inviting the entire European continent to go for a Green Deal and by supporting every country with a decent plan towards a green transition. We quote hereunder the Commission’s plan’s benefits[2] to ensure Europe becomes the first climate neutral continent: fresh air, clean water, healthy soil and biodiversity.

Every plan we have been reading so far includes that an important role is reserved for regional and local authorities. They are the closest to the people, they are directly confronted with their daily existence and can influence it. That's what this article is about. The ecological topics in which regional and local authorities have a role to play are not peanuts: (1) waste management, (2) local job creation thanks to the shift from linear to circular economy, (3) urbanisation measures and control, (4) education & awareness creation, (5) urban transportation management, (6) stimulation of alternative and eco-tourism, (7) contribute to a local embedding of sustainable energy, (8) stimulate Industrial Symbiosis . We tend to treat these various items during the following chapters and integrate ideas for circularity projects in a municipality.

1.     Waste management

In the context of ecology, waste management is a crucial activity in which a regional or local public administration, whether or not in collaboration with private partners, has an important role to play. Separate waste collection door-to-door is considered the most efficient way, but not all countries are already organized for this. Some countries have developed an interim solution whereby citizens can dump waste into small containers of various colours scattered around the city. In addition, a system must also be worked out so that separated fractions that cannot be collected from home, because they are too large or too sporadic, can still be collected in an efficient manner.

All this requires considerable financial resources for a municipality or for a group of municipalities that have set up an intermunicipal partnership for this purpose. In Belgium, this financing takes place in two ways: the citizen pays a specific tax contribution to ensure efficient separate waste collection by trucks. On the other hand, he can buy plastic bags of various colours to put various waste fractions in front of the door. Depending on the recyclability of the fraction, the bag will cost less or more. In Taiwan, waste is also collected by trucks, but citizens themselves have to throw the fractions into the truck. They are warned by a characteristic "tune" (such as "Für Elise"[3] for residual waste) and come out to throw their waste into the truck – apparently it is considered an appreciated moment for socialising-.

Waste collection and the development of a waste policy encompass various principles that we try to define below. The first one is economic sustainability, which is secured through an adequate price for the utility service and by applying the principle of extended producer responsibility[4]. The second factor is adequate infrastructure and equipment, namely sanitary landfills, recycling centres, waste treatment facilities and trucks. The third one is the enforcement of regulations, particularly penalties for negligent waste disposal, and the fact that 100% of municipal waste can be landfilled without any restrictions, or a mechanism that would make landfilling more expensive for those who generate waste (companies and the population). The fourth factor is qualified staff, and the fifth and last one is the political willingness to integrate all of the above. This last characteristic is predominant and distinguishes capable local politicians aiming the wellness of their fellow citizens and selfish politicians taking only decisions for the happy few and themselves. Making politically opportunistic decisions without realizing that garbage should be taken care of, has as ultimate consequence that it costs all much more to society, and that the bill is being paid even through the healthcare system.

If landfilling as a cheap solution to get rid of garbage had to be paid for, namely if there was an item on the bill for waste disposal per kilogram, utility firms would have an economic interest in lowering the quantities they landfill, which they could do, for instance, by separating waste at the source in order for it to be reused and recycled.[5]

The European Union has encouraged its member states to implement separate waste collection. This has resulted in the creation of a market for recyclable goods or materials. Various plastics such as PET bottles have found applications. When the national government moreover imposed to some objects to consist of wholly or partly of recycled materials, the circle is complete. The transition from dumping all waste in landfills to separate waste collection, whereby the percentage of residual waste is systematically reduced, is not yet a fact throughout Europe. We dispose of OECD figures for 2020, that give a overview per waste treatment type[6]:

There is still a lot of work to be done, especially when it comes to the Balkans and Türkiye. For the Balkans, the trend is positive, but the movement is slow. [7] Most collected waste is still dumped at a landfill, of which many are illegally organised and therefore not controlled.[8]

Turkey is at the top of the list as the least environmentally friendly waste management country – as it did three years ago. In fact, as recently as 2019, no waste at all was recycled in Turkey. Today, according to official figures, 47kg per capita is recycled. However, despite these visible improvements in recycling, the large amounts of waste disposed of illegally each year – a total of 176kg per capita – cannot be offset against this.[9]

It is striking that the implementation of separate waste collection often takes place at the local level: city authorities that are aiming to prepare for living in the twenty-first century are stepping in and also noticing that landfills and incinerators are no longer up-to-date. We give some examples that further demonstrate this:

The Croatian capital Zagreb recently took the step. The mayor was inspired by a method that has been in use in various parts of Western Europe for twenty years: citizens pay for bags that have a different price per fraction and that are put on the doorstep at various times. The truck infrastructure is financed by municipal taxes.[10]

Also in Southern Italy[11], where traditional landfills were run by the mafia, the approach is being changed and people are switching to separate waste collection, not only because the existing landfills are robbed but also because they are unhygienic and are therefore harmful to the residents in the meadow area.

An exciting example occurs in Greece where the Dodecanese island of Tilos reached the highest recycling rate of any island in the world. The waste recycling rate has reached an all-time high of 86 percent thanks to an innovative circular economy project which aims to transform Tilos into the first zero waste island. The “Just Go Zero Tilos” project is funded and supported by Polygreen[12] and is implemented in collaboration with the municipal authorities.[13]

An important change was made when countries started to adopt the "polluter pays" principle. This was done by introducing the EPR, the Extended Producer Responsibility, and forcing companies to take back products at the end of their lives and do something with them. EPR has been around for several decades in many Northern European countries. In Canada it is now being introduced systematically, in the USA a dozen states[14] - especially the progressive ones - are working on it.

Many cities and municipalities understand they have a fundamental role to play in avoiding waste. The most motivated ones organised themselves in Zero Waste Europe[15]. The motivation of that organisation is that Zero waste brings us into the 21st century by shifting the focus away from waste management and into proper management of our Earth’s valuable resources. A Zero Waste Europe is no longer seen as a visionary project to escape from a dystopian future. Instead, today the concept has sunk in: the question is no longer “if”, but rather “how” and “when” policy makers and influencers will accept it as a legitimate and desirable goal for our society[16]. Zero Waste Europe connects and supports a network of 33 local and national NGOs from all around Europe sharing common values and objectives and working together for a zero waste future. We invite the reader to examine the example of the German city of Kiel in the article hereby quoted: “What to do with the garbage?”[17]

2.     Local job creation in the framework of circular economy development

Waste collection and waste processing creates new jobs, at all levels. separate waste collection at home is done by people from the region; waste container parks are run by local people; waste processing centres must be constantly fed by waste from a particular region. After all, transport takes place along the road or - preferably - over waterways, and can therefore not exceed the day’s journey. The collection of separated waste at places in the city is also carried out by local trucks.

The recovery or recycling of materials takes place centrally, but still in a specific country or region. After all, it is an alternative to virgin materials that are mined in distant countries, often in unhygienic conditions, but especially with a lot of CO2 emissions because of the necessary -fossil- energy needed to extract them, but also because of the distant transport that goes with it. And then there are the start-ups that arise to process recycled materials or use them locally. They employ university graduates as well as specialized craftsmen as well as manual workers. We have already found dozens of examples of a drastic increase in regional and local employment resulting from the transition from linear to circular economy. As a result of this EPR principle, companies have started to think about the waste they produce and how they could reduce or reuse it. The easiest chunks of course came first: precious materials such as gold, silver, etc. that were used in electronic devices were soon mined in so-called "urban mining" sites[18]. The fact that in Brazil 98.7% of the 33 billion aluminium drinking cans produced in 2021 were returned and could be recycled[19] - aluminium is endlessly recyclable - is primarily due to the small reward of returning a drinking can, which resulted in the fact that thousands of people in the favelas had a certain income.

In Greece, the American company Envipco in a joint  venture with the Greek Texan started the production of public devices for returning plastic, glass and metal packaging, launched their portable automated machine that runs exclusively on a photovoltaic system. A pilot project with one hundred reverse vending machines in five municipalities, picked for low recycling rates, was launched by the Greek government. The spending package is intended to raise employment by 40,000.[20]

An hour by train from Stockholm, the former industrial Swedish town of Eskilstuna -100,000 inhabitants- has an unemployment rate that is twice the national average. In order to stop this seemingly inexorable decline the town adopted a radical strategy: to make Eskilstuna the greenest place on the planet, thanks in particular to recycling. Since 2012, Eskilstuna has rolled out a plethora of green initiatives. It has helped to revitalize Eskilstuna and created 50 jobs, raised awareness of the circular economy for a whole population and made a town hit by unemployment a model for the nation and even the world.[21]

In the UK, the start-up Clean Planet Energy was founded and registered in London in 2018. It turns non-recyclable waste plastic into ultra-clean fuels & circular naphtha, with proprietary ecoPlants and sustainable technologies. The company announced in 2022 to launch ten advanced factories in England, where plastic waste that is difficult to recycle will be converted into clean diesel for trucks and machines and circular naphtha to make new plastic. In this way it plans to convert and reuse some 1 million tons of non-recyclable plastic waste in the long term. The company announced also a partnership with BP to market the circular products of its ecoPlants. The new factories will create 750 new jobs [22].   

In Spain, a new approach to the circular economy, focusing on the calculation of the carbon footprint, on investigating how to convert waste into new resources, eco-design products, and on adapting a business model to European environmental policies or know about climate governance. already brings together 2% of jobs. [23] In the next decade, according to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge[24], another 70,000 new jobs will be created.

3.     Elements of urbanisation

Particularly in the construction sector, a great deal of CO2 emissions can still be reduced. In addition, a lot of building material can be reused.  Legislation often plays an important role in developing a circular economy. For example, circular construction is hindered by the fact that steel and traditional concrete are still exempt from CO2 emissions assessment. This entails a skew in pricing that often prevents -public- developers from favouring innovative techniques such as green concrete and wood construction, because they are more expensive as a result.[25] On the other hand, regional and local government can play a very important role, both by encouraging and by implementing intensive regulations at the local level.

In many countries, spatial planning is a combined responsibility of the national governments - which lay down the rules - and of the local authorities - which translate the rules to the local situation. Spatial planning means determining for the entire area of a municipality where residential houses can be built, where industrial zones can be planned, where agriculture can be done - including the boundaries where meadows and fields can be laid out -, where parks and nature areas can be built, where recreation may be done and as much as sports activities.

But there can be a lot of lobby pressure from certain professions, such as project developers who would willingly build all open spaces. Or from nature conservationists who prefer to keep the number of meadows and fields as small as possible. Or from multi-nationals who would like to make their companies as large as possible and therefore need to have a lot of industrial area, preferably as easily accessible as possible by potential employees. The example of the arable zone of the city of Barcelona[26] near the airport where vegetables are grown for the metropolis of Barcelona is striking. This is a large contiguous area that the city must fight to preserve against the lobbying practices of both developers and multinationals.

Spatial planning is then translated at the local level into the granting of building permits and settlement permits for industrial companies and agricultural exploitations. In an ecological policy, this translates into obliging new homes to be thoroughly insulated in order to consume as little energy as possible, imposing cisterns to flush toilets with rainwater, installing sewers to evacuate dirty water and sewages to waterways for the evacuation of rainwater from the roofs, and of course for connecting homes and businesses to the electricity grid, preferably powered by renewable energy. Local authorities also unite to engage in water management. This means that polluted water must be purified before it is returned to waterways; that historical groundwater pollution must be remediated - preferably by the polluter - and that new groundwater pollution should be avoided as much as possible and certainly should be detected and contained quickly.

In the framework of introducing a circular economy in cities, the latter started to redesign its urban environment in such a way that the citizen, and not the vehicle, becomes -again- the centre of everything. That makes them redesign the circulation issue, parking lots, community mobility, electrification… The urban centres of many large cities are being redesigned to accommodate this new mobility. In Spain, Barcelona seeks a reorganization of the city by limiting motorised traffic and giving space to pedestrians and bike lanes, which have increased by 72% since 2015. Other cities such as Madrid restrict access to the most polluting vehicles. The same trend is followed in capitals such as London, Berlin, Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen despite the fact that, in many of them, this type of new mobility requires a redesign of cities and is not always entirely feasible, since many times the city is built in a very specific way through which there are limitations. These limitations are though minor when it comes to expanding a city. [27]

In countries such as the Mediterranean countries Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece that limit separate waste collection to the installation of coloured containers[28] in various parts of the city - possibly with an incentive to encourage depositing by citizens - spatial planning is also passed on. necessary to reach everyone as well as to avoid stench and other inconveniences.

And then there is of course the whole problem of mobility in the city, led by the the car as king of the road, which -because of the CO2 emissions of petrol or diesel- is one of the main drivers of climate change. With trucks delivering downtown as even bigger culprits. Cities and municipalities are also working on this. Some of them united in the zero-carbon cities and municipalities.

However, where regions, provinces, cities and municipalities can play the most decisive role is in imposing ecological standards in the construction of government buildings[29], hospitals, schools, homes for the elderly, etc. We find numerous examples in various Northern European countries that encourage private construction companies to innovate in their materials and construction techniques. This concerns both the production of concrete without cement[30], the use of recycled concrete[31], the rethinking of the architectural output so that all parts of a building can be demolished and reused, etc. We quote various articles from our blog below for inspiration. We would like to point out to the realisation of ‘t Centrum in the Belgian municipality of Westerlo, ordered by Kamp C, an autonomous public company of the province of Antwerp. With ’t Centrum, Kamp C wants to show how circular construction is possible and to raise awareness and inspire the construction sector and private individuals to embrace the sustainable construction principle. The result is a three-storey building with a total surface area of ​​2,400 m² that consists of reusable and ecological materials, with or without a circular financing and business model, which focuses on sustainable energy supply and water management and which is easily expandable, demountable. and rebuildable, thanks to a design according to a modular and standardised grid of 5 by 5 meters.[32]

The Dutch urban planning multinational Arcadis has added a few years ago a study to this: the Healthy City Index[33], pleading for a balanced and comprehensive approach of the several aspects of urban development: built environment, mobility, outdoor space, environment and community. They compared 25 towns in the Netherlands around these aspects. Their conclusion was that many cities that score well on one theme, such as mobility, but significantly less on others. The top 3 of the Healthy City Index 2022, Groningen, Emmen  and Apeldoorn  (arrived at numbers 1, 2 and 3 respectively) do not excel on one point, but score well on all issues. Arcadis’ advice was clearly that cities should take an integrated approach towards the health issue. Those who score the best in all matters are the ones that involved residents in greening the city and that had developed a network of companies and organisations around the various themes mentioned hereabove with which they can give substance to these.[34]

4.     Education & creating awareness

One of the important roles that a local government has to fulfil is to make the population aware of the use of separate waste collection in a systematic way. She can, of course, do this by instituting fines. But it is easier and longer lasting by convincing families and companies that this is a TINA practice: There Is No Alternative. The greatest effect is achieved by involving the youth. These go to school and can learn the right reasons, techniques and methods. What they then bring home and pass on to their parents. Who in turn, if they are good parents, will put their child's rules into practice.[35] Municipalities are assisted in this by the non-profit organizations set up by the industry to recover packaging and devices at the end of life. These have been active in many European countries for twenty years and have already taken very good initiatives.

Fost Plus, the organisation of the companies that produce and sell packaging made in Corona times more than 2,000 CO2 meters available to classes that would sign up for an educational workshop. Sufficient ventilation of crowded areas such as classrooms was then a necessary measure in the fight against COVID-19 and other viruses. The CO2 meter from VITO, Connectum and Fost Plus made pupils and teachers aware of the importance of good air quality in an accessible way. If the house turns green, then the ventilation is OK. With orange or red it is time to open the window and ventilate the classroom extra.[36] La Música del Reciclaje on the other hand, is an orchestra-social project promoted by Ecoembes[37], the Spanish non-profit organisation of the distribution companies, and armed with instruments made with waste: cans, cutlery, boxes, bricks … The interpreters are young people between seven and 15 years old, at risk of social exclusion, from day centres and schools in the Community of Madrid.[38]

Primary and secondary schools play a vital role in instilling values such as sustainability, recycling, respect for nature and the planet. Should specific time be spent on these subjects, should it be a standalone course? We think these are cross-disciplinary topics that can be covered in the classes of geography, physics, citizenship, religion and languages classes. The result is not long in coming, as the article below shows, where a child of 6 years old already knows in which of the little coloured containers in the house the different waste fractions belong and also influences her parents in the municipality of Casar de Cáceres, Spain.[39]

In addition to educating young people at primary and secondary school towards a green and circular world, there is a second momentum that is increasingly being seized: the colleges and universities. Universities and colleges have first and foremost a role model to fulfil: they must demonstrate that things can be done differently, in the construction of their buildings and the heating thereof, in the meals they serve, in the student housing they offer, in the way to encourage or discourage students' means of transportation. The universities of the German federal state of Brandenburg are a good example of this. Solar systems, environmental management, special degree programs, changed menu in the cafeteria: for universities and technical universities in Brandenburg, climate neutrality and sustainability in the course of study are very topical. Their story can be read in the following article[40]. There are universities that go even further: in addition to the traditional topics taught at faculties, they stimulate multilateral thinking about ecological and circular living and invite students to set goals for themselves in that regard. The University communities of Liège (ULg) and Brussels (ULB) are gradually mobilizing around climate issues.[41]

The return of used packaging and objects can also be encouraged, through small rewards or by levying a deposit which is then refunded upon return. This system works smoothly, especially with materials that are easily recyclable and that the industry is therefore happy to take back. Glass bottles are often provided with a deposit and are thus returned either by the buyer himself or by people with a very low income (such as homeless) who consider the search for bottles with a deposit as a source of income. The role of cities and municipalities then consists in distributing the recovery devices as much as possible on their territory. These are often found at department stores.

In Sant Boi de Llobregat, a town located in the Barcelona province, with 84,500 inhabitants the Spanish non-profit organisation of the distribution companies Ecoembes have since shortly yellow containers capable of recognizing the waste that should be thrown in them and warning the citizen if he/she/they is doing it incorrectly. What differentiates them from the rest of the containers is an electronic ring located in their opening that collects the information of the products through their bar codes. These smart containers will be part of the container network of the Reciclos project, the first Return and Reward System (SDR)[42] promoted in 2019 in Spain by the already indicated Ecoembes that rewards residents who recycle with virtual points (baptized as recycles), exchangeable for shares in product giveaways, public transport vouchers or donations to collaborative environmental and social projects.[43]

Avfall Sverige is the Swedish Waste Management recycling association. In 2021, just over 4.9 million tonnes of waste was treated by Sweden’s municipalities. An increase of 2.5 percent compared to 2020. But it is a recurring trend that must be broken. Their program is clear: even if Sweden’s economic growth continues to grow, they do not want the amount of waste to keep up, but they want there to be more recycling and a more circular economy. And that even if Sweden is at the forefront in Europe in sending waste to landfills because in Sweden’s municipalities, only 0.9 percent of the rubbish is dumped.[44]

5.     Urban transportation management

The world’s population keeps growing and urbanisation is on the rise. More and more people and goods are on the move — to the point where road transport is responsible for 20% of CO2 emissions globally. We can’t fight climate change without addressing road transportation. While electric cars will be a big part of the solution, simply building better private cars is not enough. Electric cars don’t solve the problem of congestion, and we’re reaching bottlenecks in charging them. So we need to provide other tools to create better living environments. The number of personal cars in city traffic can’t keep growing. A solution can be to reduce the number of trips you use your personal car for, contributing to protecting the environment.

When we talk about public transportation, we primarily think of the combination train-tram/metro/trolley-bus. The intention is to ban the number of cars from city and municipal centres and thus to avoid pollution caused by CO2 emissions. But also by giving the centres back to pedestrians and bicycles and not cluttering up with cars in parking lots. Cities and municipalities with a commercial function have an important contribution to make in this regard: what energy do we use to power public transport? what do we do with the first or last kilometre that the citizen has to travel to reach a stop? What do we do if he has a full shopping bag or more? What do we do with all those cars that people now own in the city?

Solutions already exist. Preferably in a partnership between private and public: we can't spend taxes on everything after all. Models should therefore be attractive enough for investors to get in on them. As far as the first or last kilometre is concerned, there are already examples in dozens of cities: rental cars available at specific parking lots or car sharing apps[45], rental bicycles, scooters. But the regulations must also ensure that the cars, bicycles or scooters are also neatly parked and not left carelessly in the city and even in the suburbs. And that pedestrians or cyclists do not risk their lives because of kamikazes on bicycle lanes or pedestrian paths.

The next step is public transport. Although trolleybuses have largely disappeared in Western Europe, due to the overhead wiring that marred the cityscape, we still find them in Eastern Europe and invite city authorities to cherish them. The EU has invested in new trolleys in Chisinau, Moldova, for example. Since charging electric buses often takes a long time and is not always safe[46], they often look at hydrogen-powered city buses. And certainly if green hydrogen can be started nearby, such as in the South-Romanian city of Ramnicu Vălcea, that is testing the Polish Solaris Urbino hydrogen buses together with eleven other cities  in Romania [47]. Bus manufacturers are also slowly starting to produce and offer sustainable alternatives. Their main concern, however, is price: it should not be excessively more expensive compared to diesel buses.

And then there's an original approach that comes from Estonia. There, self-driving hydrogen-powered shuttles are being developed that can be called up at stops. The vehicle’s main goal is enhancing last-mile transportation by getting people to their end destination as conveniently as their own car would. With sights set on a more sustainable future through autonomous last-mile transport, the Estonian company Auve Tech is building a solid case to demonstrate that their vehicles are safer and more efficient than a human driver.[48]

But the management of transport in a city or municipality does not stop there. There is still the problem of the many trucks that have to deliver to the shops on a commercial street in the city centre. Or garbage lorries that have to collect household waste door-to-door. From 2025 on, the first thirty large cities in the Netherlands must have emission-free zones. This creates a number of challenges for carriers who frequently visit these zones. This also applies to waste collectors and recycling companies. But with the development of new collection models and digital technologies, the clean city centre is getting closer and closer. One of the solutions that the two largest waste companies PreZero Netherlands and Renewi have introduced is the Green Collective[49] initiative. Various waste collectors drive joint vehicles to collect industrial waste in municipalities. Instead of several competitors driving into a city with their own car to collect residual waste from different customers, the Collective now sends one joint car to all its customers. PreZero also already works with containers equipped with sensors[50] in some places. These sensors send a signal when the bin is almost full, letting the company know that it can pick up the container. This prevents vehicles from turning out to pick up a half-empty container, which can happen unforeseen during holiday periods. In Arnhem, a city in the east of the country, the first results are positive and the number of kilometres driven has been reduced considerably. [51]

6.      Stimulation of alternatives and eco-tourism

In today's economies, tourism is often used as a means to provide areas with few structural employment opportunities with the tools for economic development. This is especially when the areas in question are attractive because of their natural resources or because of their cultural and/or historical background. To get the best results from the tourism efforts in a city or region, all parties involved must work together, managed by the local government. The task is to make choices in which tourist category the city or region wishes to differentiate itself from the others. If a regional or local government coordinates initiatives with determination and competence, a complete region can enjoy a much higher added value, which by far exceeds the tourist aspect. The regional governments should keep the larger picture of regional development in perspective.

Areas and cities traditionally qualify for the tourism industry if they can fulfil at least one of three tourist interests: landscape, human interest or settlements. When more than one element is present in a region, its tourism potential increases. But that does not make the tourism industry ecological, far from it. Respect for the people who live there and their living conditions, respect for nature and wildlife -with the golden rule: don't leave (plastic) waste behind!- , respect for local culture and history are rules that local communities and their local authorities consider increasingly important. Tourism ecology is therefore located in the sections of various sub-aspects of tourism: cultural and heritage tourism and nature-based tourism can have rural heritage as a common feature. Nature-based tourism and Ecotourism can have natural heritage as common output. Ecotourism and cultural and heritage tourism may have wildlife as a common point of interest. Moreover, tourism ecology could be a toolkit of the regional development by building upon natural and economical-social-cultural resources. Our article quoted below describes several trends in the local tourism industry that generate a lot of jobs. [52]

Often local or regional authorities invest in tourist assets when the context is already attractive. Typical examples are the cycle paths in the green Belgian province of Limburg, where artificial attractions have been built such as the cycle path between water[53] and the cycle path above the trees[54].

It is in this context that the European From Farm to Fork strategy[55] has been accepted and applied with open arms by cities and municipalities that have already taken eco-tourism initiatives and are now encouraging their farmers and eateries to focus on healthy food implying the traceability of all ingredients. Also the Short food supply chain strategy[56] that brings the producer closer to the consumer via apps, farm shops and physical markets and thus tries to eliminate intermediaries who impose prices and -wrongly- run with the largest part of the profit. Initiatives in this regard are often effectively supported by both regional governments (region, province) and municipal governments.

Sometimes a not so attractive city starts to play with new achievements. For example, the Swedish industrial city of Eskilstuna has succeeded in creating shopping tourism. Eskilstuna is the first city in the world to have hosted a shopping mall entirely dedicated to recycling and recovery. Managed by a municipal company ReTuna Återbruksgalleria, it was opened in 2015, a 20-minute drive from the city centre, in a warehouse built in the middle of a field. The mall has dozens of eco-friendly shops - offering furniture, toys, clothes, electronics, etc. – as well as a café, restaurant, and conference centre… Despite some initial resistance to change, both the launch of the recycling system and ReTuna have been a success. [57]

O, dear reader of a municipality: this is an ingenious one. The renovation of the Main Square in the Belgian city of Tienen created the opportunity to install a public toilet. The toilet is self-cleaning, vandal-resistant, safe and accessible for the disabled. An ingenious system with floor, toilet and washbasin cleaning ensures that the room remains clean. When entering the toilet, the toilet bowl is flushed, so that material adheres less to the toilet bowl. In the event of a pipe blockage, a sensor immediately reports, so that the necessary measures can be taken immediately. After a maximum operating time of 15 minutes, the doors will open automatically and an alarm will sound. This is to prevent people who would become unwell remain locked in the toilet. Weight sensors also prevent small children from locking themselves up. With the automatic toilet paper dispenser there is no waste and the power and water consumption is also energy efficient. A visit to the toilet is possible with an amount of 0.50 euros to be paid with the bank card.[58]

 7.     Contribute to a local embedding of sustainable energy

Renewable energy is a phenomenon with many characteristics. Offshore wind farms are a national and international matter because they depend on the geographical location of countries. Denmark is such a privileged country in terms of location, and can share the production of that type of energy with other countries, such as the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium[59].With its enormous green energy potential, the North Sea has the capacity to become a regional green energy engine. By harnessing its winds, the neighbouring European countries can power millions of households with green electricity.

However, bringing this electricity generated at sea ashore does not run smoothly either: various municipalities refuse to allow the high-voltage lines to run across their territory, stimulated by pressure groups[60]. Onshore wind energy extraction is clearly more successful and more acceptable to citizens when it is organized through cooperatives in which citizens can participate and also reap the benefits. The lack of storage options for generated electricity is another negative point here: the electricity generated by local wind turbines must be offered on the grid in order to be profitable.

In the Netherlands there is great local willingness to implement the national Climate Agreement. So big, in fact, that regional administrators want to place more on-shore wind turbines and solar panels together than required. Instead of the intended 35 terawatt-hours of green electricity in 2030, municipalities, provinces and water boards together promise 50 terawatt-hours. That is a boost for the Climate Agreement, according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL). The switch to a low-emission Netherlands in 2050 is at an early stage. The enthusiasm in the regions offers perspective, but citizens still need to get excited [61]

In France President Macron wants to triple the number of wind turbines in France. Many local residents protest. Seventy percent of all new wind turbine projects are challenged. The arguments range from landscape protection over public health to cow deaths. According to the Fédération Environnement Durable[62], which groups the protest groups, 95 percent of those complaints are rejected. The exception to this rule is when mayors themselves take the initiative to set up windmills through a citizen cooperative, such as in the Les Ailes des Crêtes cooperative, in the Hauts de France region. The idea for 'Les Ailes des Crêtes' arose in 2003, when a group of municipalities next to Charleville-Mézières devised a local climate plan. At the time, they were the avant-garde of the 'transition écologique', a term that has not been removed from French current affairs since the yellow vests. For three years, the municipalities employed someone whose sole task was to inform citizens about the windmills and raise funds. It became a success. The shares flew out the door. You could buy a piece of windmill for a hundred euros. Because of this civic project of the capital is in the hands of individuals and local businesses and all the revenues go back to them. By playing master builders themselves, they also ensure that they are not overrun by gigantic windmills and that heir landscape is preserved.[63]

In Southern Europe, the number of sunny days gives solar energy a privileged position. Yet investing in solar energy is not systematically addressed at national level and many governments leave it to regional and local authorities. For example, in Bosnia-Herzegovina there is a city of sun, Trebinje[64], and one was recently added in Serbia Pirot [65]. This last city was the first in Serbia to establish a fund for co-financing energy efficiency measures in the residential sector.

There are many European countries that are trying to achieve their green energy goals with hydropower. Yet there is a lot of criticism from environmental organizations such as WWF that claims that there are currently 21,387 existing hydropower plants in Europe, with 8,785 additional plants planned or under construction. Almost half of these are in the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean, where many plants are financed by the EU. Over 90% of all the existing and planned hydropower plants in Europe are small, meaning that each plant generates at most 10 MW of electricity.[66] Europe tackled this criticism by helping hydropower capacity to raise by 3 GW across the European region in 2020, made up mainly by new hydropower plants commissioned in Türkiye and other additions in Norway and Albania. Generation from hydropower was almost 4 per cent higher in 2020 than the previous year, owing largely to increased production in the Nordics and Iberia.[67] Hydropower contributed a 13 per cent share of total electricity generated, underlining its major role in the EU’s energy mix. It is clear that hydropower plants are no big deal for local governments, although they are physically burdened with them and although this does indeed have a significant impact on the local fauna and flora, as well as on local employment - in the good sense -. Hydropower plants also bring artificial lakes, which in turn can contribute to tourism.

Then there are the biomass power stations that are nowadays often installed on a small scale. Biomass is plant-based material used as fuel to produce heat or electricity. Examples are wood and wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms and households. Since biomass can be used as a fuel directly (e.g. wood logs), some people use the words biomass and biofuel interchangeably. Biomass has also sparked controversy, with the choice of large-scale biomass plants being reversed after intense protests from environmental associations. In the Netherlands a quite study found that energy from biomass harms old-growth forest and animal life. The result was that environmental organisations collectively walk away from national consultations about energy from biomass.[68] It is clear that the wood that is burned in the biomass plant must be genuine waste wood. As a result, it is necessary to focus on small power stations, which mainly benefit local companies. In this way a biomass power plant has been opened in Ghent port. The plant will burn waste wood to generate electricity for local industry. The heat and steam released during combustion are also reused. All of these go to chemical companies in the area, which therefore . require much less natural gas.[69]

8.     Stimulating Industrial Symbiosis

Unsustainable resource use depletes the supply of resources to a critical level, degrades the environment and contributes to climate change. Therefore, reductions in material consumption and an increase in material productivity are paramount. New policies, innovative partnerships and cost-effective solutions are all tools that can be used to heighten resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production. For companies, industrial symbiosis has been proposed as a method they can adopt to assist them in preserving scarce resources, make their resource use more efficient and sustainable, and even as a way to increase their competitiveness. Industrial symbioses are commercial collaborations where companies exchange residual and surplus products such as water, energy, or materials. Normally, the companies are located in close proximity to each other, as long distances can impede the exchange of resources, or remove the business and environmental case for doing so. For companies, it can be advantageous to participate in the symbiosis, as it helps them achieve their environmental objectives (such as reduce CO2 emissions), reduce costs and find a market for their residual and/or by-products. But even if they are organised in sector federations, companies rarely organise this type of collaboration on their own. In most cases it is in collaboration with regional and local authorities who take the lead and offer the facilities, themselves often stimulated by universities or other knowledge centres.

Located at the top of Denmark, Northern Jutland is the old industrial heartland of Denmark. A thriving entrepreneurial culture and business community remains to this day, where the focus is on transforming the region into an incubator for sustainable solutions. A strong network of actors within companies, ports, the university, municipalities, and utilities, support corporate collaborations to manage resources and increase competitiveness. It was in this context that the ‘Sustainable Synergies. Facilitated Industrial Symbiosis for Energy and Resource Efficiency” project[70] was created. Initiated in January 2017, and running until June 2020, Sustainable Synergies was designed to improve the competitiveness of SMEs in Aalborg East by developing green business models that would improve energy efficiency and resource efficiency through a facilitated industrial symbiosis. In a collaboration between the Port of Aalborg, the University of Aalborg, and the energy cluster House of Energy, approximately ten attractive symbioses were developed – involving more than 25 companies. In addition, the local business network and the public energy supply organisation were engaged in the project[71].

The same happened in the Dutch province of Zeeland where Zeeland Seaports has found the way to a unique and innovative solution with Biopark Terneuzen. Biopark Terneuzen represents a new way of thinking in the creation of agro-industrial sustainability. Under the name 'Smart Link', Biopark Terneuzen promotes and facilitates the exploitation of synergies between companies located in the same geographical region. It helps to maximize the potential of the exchange and use of each other's by-products and waste products from the companies. These then become raw materials or additions to the energy supplies of our own production process. A part of some large corporatioons, Biopark Terneuzen is also partnering with the province of Zeeland and the city of Terneuzen as well as several public universities.

Industrial symbiosis can also provide solid foundations for a circular economy at a local level on a small scale. In France, this is stimulated by regions and arrondissements. The national environmental agency Ademe[72] has launched a call for projects to convert companies to the functional and cooperation economy (EFC). Chosen to carry out this experiment, Angers Technopole has joined forces with the company TGS France. As part of its ecological transition strategy and the Waste and Circular Economy Objectives Contract (CODEC) signed with ADEME in 2019, Angers Loire Métropole, a public-private expert in innovation in the district of Maine-et-Loire  in conjunction with Angers Loire Développement, has commissioned Angers Technopole to launch, with its partners, the first acceleration program intended for circular economy project leaders. The CODEC acceleration program proposes to accelerate 6 projects around the themes of 3 pillars of the circular economy, real levers of innovation and transformation of society. [73]

In the Netherlands, the symbiosis projects are mostly private but acknowledged by the locval public authorities. The company De Clique was established in Utrecht, in 2019, by experienced entrepreneurs Anja Cheriakova (BinBang) and Bas van Abel (Fairphone) to combat wasting valuable urban resources. Many current types of organic resources, such as coffee grounds, cuttings, and food leftovers, are thrown out with the non-recyclable waste. De Clique has developed a resource service for the separation and CO2-neutral collection of these organic resources from companies, supermarkets, and hospitality facilities. The initiative was launched in Utrecht and, today, there are over 100 clients, including shopping centre Hoog Catharijne and Utrecht University, where organic resources are collected. Apart from its own facilities, De Clique cooperates with a network of partners that handle the processing and production of products like soap, tea, beer, bread, oyster mushroom products, animal feed, and compost. Several of the products are sold back to the clients, thus closing the cycle.[74]

The Amsterdam-based success start-up Seenons developed a platform for finely meshed waste flows. This allows them to 'match' companies that have to get rid of their waste with parties that want to do something with this waste. The parties themselves choose the location and time. A kind of Tinder, but for waste. A collection of logistics partners then transports the waste from a to b. For example, Seenons already collects orange peels and coffee grounds from the Amsterdam catering industry and delivers the load to liqueur maker Dik & Schil. But coffee grounds can also be used very well to make soap or to use as a breeding ground for oyster mushrooms.[75] The company is pretty much appreciated by the town of Amsterdam because ideally, they use reverselogistics. If the food or package deliverer is already in the city centre and he has an empty van, Seenons uses that space to collect a residual flow somewhere. They use electric cargo bikes for small volumes and electric river boats or a press truck for large volumes. Seenons now has plans to expand to the rest of Europe. The platform raised another 6 million euros in an investment round in the beginning of October 2021, bringing the foreign plans and the goals of zero-waste one step closer to become reality.

9.     Closing remarks

We have tried to provide an overview of the elements in the ecological transition in which a regional or local government can play a role or is even supposed to play a role. We see a special task for local authorities. They organise (separate) waste collection but need a market in order to be effective. Local authorities create, stimulate and maintain shopping space and look for partners in civil society. Sometimes this can be a closed marketspace for local farmers. In the framework of optimising the mobility in urban municipalities local authorities are meant to organise share economy and even organise part of the reverse logistics.  Local authorities inspire and bring partners together (businesses, universities & technical schools, start-ups) in order to bring knowhow and entrepreneurs together in a flow of ecological and circular initiatives. They do not necessarily have to be unique or innovative in the world: inspiration can be found everywhere and often ecological innovators have an open mind for collaboration.

Louis Delcart, board member European Academy of the Regions, www.ear-aer.eu

[1] Alec Tyson, Brian Kennedy & Cary Funk: Gen Z, Millennials Stand Out for Climate Change Activism, Social Media Engagement With Issue, in: Pew Research Centre, 26-05-2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/05/26/gen-z-millennials-stand-out-for-climate-change-activism-social-media-engagement-with-issue/ retrieved 10-11-2022

[2] European commission: A European Green Deal. Striving to be the first climate-neutral continent. https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en;  retrieved 10-11-2022

[3] Sean Michaels, How Beethoven’s Für Elise helps Taiwan to recycle, in:  The Globe and Mail, 5-12-2016; https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/how-beethovens-fur-elise-helps-taiwanrecycle/article33207068/ retrieved 10-11-2022

[4] Extended Producer Responsibility in: Europen-Packaging.eu. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy tool that extends the producer’s financial and/or operational responsibility for a product to include the management of the post-consumer stage, in order to help meet national or EU recycling and recovery targets. EPR policies thus generally shift the waste management cost or physical collection partially or fully from local governments to producers. https://www.europen-packaging.eu/policy-area/extended-producer-responsibility/; Retrieved 10-11-2022 retrieved 10-11-2022

[5] Balkan Green Energy News, Municipal waste – Serbia’s untapped resource, in: Balkan Green Energy News, 2-4-2022; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/681073627346665472/municipal-waste-serbias-untapped-resource our translation

[6] OECD, "Waste: Municipal waste", OECD Environment Statistics (database), https://doi.org/10.1787/data-00601-en, retrieved 10-11-2022

[7] European Environment Agency, Municipal waste treatment in the Western Balkan countries, 2020 ;https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/municipal-waste-treatment-in-the  retrieved 10-121-2022

[8] Balkan Green Energy News, Municipal waste – Serbia’s untapped resource, in: Balkan Green Energy News, 2-4-2022; https://balkangreenenergynews.com/municipal-waste-serbias-untapped-resource/?fbclid=IwAR0TuGjrK42khmb1MWpglJ9vWXP0eFibglfQ2wIR3WG11pXqA-VX-IzyarE rfetrieved 10-11-2022

[9] Global Waste Index 2022 released, in: Recycling Magazine, 17.03.2022, https://www.recycling-magazine.com/2022/03/17/global-waste-index-2022-released/#:~:text=Illegal%20waste%20disposal%20is%20booming%20in%20Turkey&text=Today%2C%20according%20to%20official%20figures,cannot%20be%20offset%20against%20this. Retrieved 10-11-2022

[10] Mihajlo Vujasin: Zagreb to roll out municipal waste model that motivates citizens to sort waste, in: Balkan Green Energy News, 25-1-2022 https://balkangreenenergynews.com/zagreb-to-roll-out-municipal-waste-model-that-motivates-citizens-to-sort-waste/ retrieved 10-11-2022

[11] Alessio Gemma : Rifiuti, via alla differenziata a Napoli est Obiettivo: passare al più 30% in otto mesi, in: La Reppublica, 8-4-2022 ; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/684399278825865216/separate-waste-collection-started-up-in-east our translation

[12] POLYGREEN Limited was established in 2018 in Cyprus and operates as a network of companies, offering integrated and innovative circular economy solutions worldwide. Thriving towards a viable cosmos where nothing is in excess and everything is useful, Polygreen provides pioneering circular economy solutions that improve our life quality. In addition, through purpose-built education, Polygreen aims to shape humans environmental consciousness. https://www.polygreen.eco/about-us/ retrieved 10-11-222

[13] Newsroom, Greek island reaches record recycling rate, in: eKathimerini.com, 11-05-2022, https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1184106/greek-island-reaches-record-recycling-rate/ retrieved 10-11-2022

[14] Winston Choi-Schagrin, Maine Will Make Companies Pay for Recycling. Here’s How It Works. in New York Times, 21-7-2021 https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/657570488283021312/maine-will-make-companies-pay-for-recycling

[15] This organisation connects and supports a network of 32 local and national NGOs from all around Europe sharing common values and objectives and working together for a zero waste future. The member organisations promote zero waste in line with the zero waste hierarchy, manage the network of zero waste municipalities, and engage with decision-makers and companies. 400 cities across Europe have joined forces for a waste-free future. The Zero Waste Cities programme works with Zero Waste Europe members to help guide and support European municipalities in the implementation of effective local zero waste strategies. https://zerowasteeurope.eu/the-movement/our-network/ retrieved 10-11-2022

[16] Zero waste as a legitimate and desirable future for all. About zero waste;  https://zerowasteeurope.eu/about/about-zero-waste/  retrieved 10-11-2022

[17]Carina Seeburg, Wohin mit dem Müll?, in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23-12-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/671806064425140224/what-to-do-with-the-garbage our translation

[18] Stijn Decock, Umicore wordt hofleverancier voor elektrische Mercedes en Peugeot, in: De Standaard, 27-04-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/682712149928394752/umicore-becomes-major-supplier-for-electric our translation

[19] Petro Rafael Vilela, Brasil registra reciclagem de 98,7% de latas de alumínio em 2021, Agencia Brazil, 13-04-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/681593695268732928/brazil-records-987-recycling-of-aluminium-cans our translation

[20] Igor Todorović, Greece presents mobile recycling kiosk powered by solar panels, in: Balkan Green Energy News, 10-06-2020, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/683038655727681536/greece-presents-mobile-recycling-kiosk-powered-by

[21] Veolia, This Swedish town has its sights set on being the greenest in the world!, in: #LivingCircular, 12-03-2020; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/666040776751497216/this-swedish-town-has-its-sights-set-on-being-the/amp

[22] André Oerlemans, Engelse plastic recyclingfabrieken maken schone diesel en nafta, in: Change Inc, 17-11-2022, https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/701557964155305984/english-plastic-recycling-plants-make-clean-diesel, our translation

[23] Jime Ripa, Nuevos talentos de la economía circular, in: El País, 7-11-2022, https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/new-talents-for-the-circular-economy/fkizn8row0yd our translation.

[24] Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico; https://www.miteco.gob.es/en/ministerio/funciones-estructura/ retrieved 28-11-2022

[25] Willemijn van Benthem, “Duurzaamheid wordt een discipline, in alle betekenissen van het woord”, in: Change Inc, 10-11-2021 https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/667949635074146304/sustainability-becomes-a-discipline-in-every/amp  our translation

[26] Ine Renson, Barcelona heeft zijn eigen groentetuin, in de schaduw van de luchthaven (Barcelona has its own vegetable garden, in the shadow of the airport), DS, 23-10-2021 https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/666315656278556672/barcelona-has-its-own-vegetable-garden-in-the  our translation

[27] Nahiara S. Alonso: La economía circular llega a la ciudad. Te contamos dónde se encuentra, in: El País, 24-6-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/688767376750231552/the-circular-economy-reaches-the-city  our translation

[28] Called “puntos limpios” (clean spots) in Spain.

[29] Antonin Marsac, Du "béton circulaire" pour réduire les émissions de CO2 du secteur de la construction (et oublier un fiasco du passé à Bruxelles), in La Libre Belgique, 12-06-21 ; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/653796957946544128/circular-concrete-to-reduce-co2-emissions-in-the  our translation

[30] Rianne Lachmeijer, Duurzame stap bij zuiderburen: België krijgt cementloze rioleringsbuizen, in: Change Inc, 03-03-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/678237819155677184/belgium-gets-cement-free-sewage-pipes

[31] Jakob Wetzel, Ökologisches Bauen aus altem Beton ,in: Südeutsche Zeitung, 16-7-2021;  https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/657126657158742016/ecological-building-from-old-concrete; Redactie, Nieuwste verkaveling WVI experimenteert met ecologisch beton, in: De Vlaamse Ondernemer, 15-04-2022; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/681986490715242496/in-its-newest-allotment-wvi-experiments-with  our translation

[32] Wouter Polspoel, Kamp C opent nieuw circulair kantoorgebouw officieel, in: Circubuild, 16-5-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/684600585815818240/camp-c-officially-opens-new-circular-office

[33] https://connect.arcadis.com/gezonde-stad-index-2022  our translation

[34] Hidde Middelweerd, En de gezondste stad van Nederland is…?, in Change Inc, 22-11-2022, https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/and-the-healthiest-town-in-the-netherlands-is/puyy32kmd6t5

[35] Julia Nunez, ¿Eres un fan del reciclaje o una de esas personas que aún cree que toda la basura va al mismo lado?,in: El País 22-4-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/675161180534390784/are-you-a-fan-of-recycling-or-one-of-those-people  our translation

[36] Bart De bruyn, Gerecycleerde botervlootjes waken over luchtkwaliteit in klassen, in: Made in Antwerpen, 10-01-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/673073723332526080/recycled-buttercups-monitor-air-quality-in   our translation

[37] Ecoembes is the non-profit organization that takes care of the environment through recycling and eco-design of light domestic packaging in Spain. https://www.ecoembes.com/es retrieved 10-11-2022

[38] Q.O./J.R.: La orquesta que transforma basura en sonido,in: El País. 25-11-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/670483604574437376/the-orchestra-that-transforms-garbage-into-sound  our translation

[39] cf. note 30

[40] dpa: Hochschulen in Brandenburg: Klimabewusst und nachhaltig, in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 28/8/2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/661528198529597440/universities-and-technical-universities-in

[41] Valentine Van Vyve, Des challenges pour relever le défi climatique à l'université, in : La Libre Belgique, 18-10-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/666552521214607360/challenges-to-address-climate-change-at-university  our translation

[42] The Sistema de Devolución y Recompensa (SDR) (Return and Reward System) rewards citizens’ commitment to the environment through recycling, offering them sustainable or social incentives (“green” mobility, responsible consumption, donations to NGOs). https://www.ecoembes.com/es/ciudadanos/sobre-nosotros/proyectos-destacados/reciclos; retrieved10-11-2022

[43] JN : Un contenedor intelligente que te recompensa por reciclar, in El País, 28-10-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/667375319273062400/a-smart-container-that-rewards-you-for-recycling

[44] TT, Mer pengar ger mer sopor – "trend måste brytas", in : Aftonbladet 31-05-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/686483396969496576/more-money-results-in-more-garbage-trend-must   our translation

[45] Ingmar De Temmerman, Mechelen tilt deelmobiliteit op hoger niveau samen met Autodelen.net en Mpact, Made in Mechelen, 2-5-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/683255367993524224/mechelen-takes-shared-mobility-to-a-higher-level  our translation

[46] On April 4 2022, an RATP “Bluebus” caught fire for an undetermined reason while traveling on line 86, boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris. Ditto on September 30, 2021, in Stuttgart, Germany, where a “Bluebus” had also burned down. In this fire, 20 other buses from the depot went up in smoke. https://www.i-micronews.com/two-electric-buses-from-the-bollore-factories-in-quimper-catch-fire-in-the-middle-of-the-street-in-paris/#:~:text=On%20April%204%2C%20another%20RATP,depot%20went%20up%20in%20smoke.

[47] FuelCellWorks, Romania: Twelve cities Will Start Testing Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus from Solaris, in:FuelCellWorks, 29-10-2021, https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/romania-twelve-cities-will-start-testing-hydrogen-fuel-cell-bus-from-solaris/  retrieved 10-11-2022

[48] Maria Magdaleena Lamp: Estonian autonomous vehicle company Auve Tech is poised to usher in the post-car era, in: Invest in Estonia, 05-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/683671008660668416/estonian-autonomous-vehicle-company-auve-tech-is

[49] A cleaner and safer inner city through fewer transport movements. That’s what Renewi and PreZero want to achieve with Green Collective, a new joint venture that brings waste collectors together to jointly collect commercial waste in municipalities. Using shared trucks that drive along combined collection routes they contribute to a cleaner and safer city. This reduces the collection traffic in the inner cities of municipalities by as much as 50 percent. This also delivers a considerable CO2 reduction, because every fewer 100 kilometres driven results in an average saving of up to 160 kilograms of CO2. Green Collective aims by 2023 to have started in at least 30 municipalities with the sustainable collection of commercial waste. https://www.renewi.com/en/investors/newsroom/green-collective-for-fewer-collection-trucks-and-cleaner-air  retrieved 10-11-2022

[50] Teun Schröder, Schone en veilige binnenstad door slimme afvalinzameling en digitale innovatie, in: Change Inc., 15 juli 2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/658119528454275072/clean-and-safe-city-center-through-smart-waste  our translation

[51] Teun Schröder, Schone en veilige binnenstad door slimme afvalinzameling en digitale innovatie, in: Change Inc., 15 juli 2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/658119528454275072/clean-and-safe-city-center-through-smart-waste  our translation

[52] Louis Delcart: New Views Combined With New Technologies in the Tourism Sector, in: International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy (IJIDE) 11, 2020, 8 pages; New Views Combined With New Technologies in the Tourism Sector: Computer Science & IT Journal Article | IGI Global (igi-global.com)

[53] 'Cycling through the Water' in Bokrijk is a unique cycling experience in which you cycle more than 200 meters through a pond. The cycle path was opened in April 2016 and since then many cyclists and walkers have felt the magic of this place. https://www.visitlimburg.be/nl/fietsendoorhetwater retrieved 10-11-2022; our translation

[54] 'Cycling through the trees' in Woodland is a unique cycling experience in which you cycle between the trees up to a height of ten metres. The cycle path was opened in June 2019. You can safely reach higher atmospheres on this cycle path. Literally, because via a double circle you cycle all the way between the treetops, up to ten meters. https://www.visitlimburg.be/nl/fietsendoordebomen#:~:text='Fietsen%20door%20de%20Bomen'%20in%20Bosland%20is%20een%20unieke%20fietsbeleving,boomtoppen%2C%20tot%20wel%20tien%20meter. Retrieved 10-11-2022, our translation

[55] The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal aiming to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly. https://ec.europa.eu/food/horizontal-topics/farm-fork-strategy_en

[56] Nieuws, Aandacht voor lokaal in Vlaamse ‘Week van de Korte Keten’, in GFActueel, 11-5-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/684128822144237568/attention-for-local-in-flanders-short-food  our translation

[57] Cf. note 21

[58] https://www.tienen.be/openbaar-toilet, our translation retrieved 10-11-2022

[59] Magnus Højberg Mernild, Harnessing the North Sea’s green energy potential, in: State of Green, 17-05-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/684674636739461120/harnessing-the-north-seas-green-energy-potential

[60] The target of the protest is a high-voltage line of 82 kilometers, called Ventilus, that grid operator Elia wants to build between Zeebrugge and Avelgem. 22 kilometers of this would be a new overhead line in the preferred route, between Zedelgem and Ardooie along the E403. Tom Ysebaert: West-Vlaams verzet tegen hoogspanningslijn: ‘We gaan dit hard spelen’ ( West Flemish resistance to high-voltage line: 'We are going to play this hard') in: De Standaard, 19-06-2021; https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20190619_04468455?

[61] Frank Straver: Regio’s beloven wind- en zonneparken voor het klimaat, nu moet alleen de burger nog enthousiast worden (Regions promise wind and solar parks for the climate, now only citizens need to get excited) in: Trouw, 1 oktober 2020; https://www.trouw.nl/duurzaamheid-natuur/regio-s-beloven-wind-en-zonneparken-voor-het-klimaat-nu-moet-alleen-de-burger-nog-enthousiast-worden~be008567/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.be%2F

[62] Twenty thousand useless giant wind turbines that will ravage France for a few % more electricity. The price of electricity for individuals which will double. An energy policy that leads to a financial abyss. Nuisances and the massacre of the landscapes of France " the social acceptability of wind power is equal to "zero". https://environnementdurable.net/ our translation. Retrieved 10-11-2022

[63] Jolien De Bouw: ‘Zelf windmolens bouwen om ons landschap te redden’  ('Build your own windmills to save our landscape') in: De Standaard, 31-12-2019, https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20191230_04787280

[64] Igor Todorović: Works on first out of three solar power plants in City of Sun Trebinje could start in spring 2022, in: Balkan Green Energy News, 3-11-2021;  https://balkangreenenergynews.com/works-on-first-out-of-three-solar-power-plants-in-city-of-sun-trebinje-could-start-in-spring-2022/

[65] Igor Todorović: Serbian City of Pirot is attracting major investments in solar power, in: Balkan Green Ebnergy News, 30-5-2022;  https://balkangreenenergynews.com/serbian-city-of-pirot-is-attracting-major-investments-in-solar-power/?fbclid=IwAR0ZlCVkCwxTgLSNamXlTKeGAVWUY2dwbSI48advtijTPFEi8rvG7FMShho

[66] Hydropower is destroying Europe's rivers and biodiversity. It is also one of the main reasons the EU's water protection law is breached. https://www.wwf.eu/what_we_do/water/hydropower/#:~:text=There%20are%20currently%2021%2C387%20existing,are%20financed%20by%20the%20EU   retrieved 10-11-2022

[67] https://www.hydropower.org/region-profiles/europe; retrieved 10-11-2022

[68] Frank Straver, Onderzoek: Nederlandse biomassa zorgt voor een kaalslag van bos in Estland, in: Trouw, 7 July 2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/656119128704286720/dutch-biomass-causes-deforestation-in-estonia

[69] Sandra Stacius, Nieuwe, kleinere, biomassacentrale in Gentse haven geopend (New, smaller, biomass power station in Ghent port opened), in: VRTNews, 19-05-2022

[70] https://vbn.aau.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/364232227/B_redygtige_Synergier_Publikation_web.pdf

[71] Aalborg University, Industrial Symbiosis: a model for growth in the circular economy, in: State of Green, 11-10-2022; https://at.tumblr.com/earaercircular/industrial-symbiosis-a-model-for-growth-in-the/kmd8rca9jg4d

[72] The Agence de la transition écologique. (ADEME, Agency for ecological transition) is a public agency under the joint authority of the Ministry for an Ecological Transition and the Ministry for Higher Education, Research and Innovation. At ADEME - The French Agency for Ecological Transition’s role is to mobilise citizens, economic actors and territories towards a fairer, more harmonious, low carbon and resource-efficient society. At every level, their expertise and forecasting capacities serve to guide and inform public policies. https://www.ademe.fr/en/about-ademe

[73] Julie Le Bolzer, Les territoires, communautés, synergies public-privé sont des accélérateurs pour l'économie circulaire, in : Les Echos,  7-11-2022 ; https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/700456558600110080/regions-municipalities-communities?_branch_match_id=1097545582490939714&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAAxXKSw6AIAwA0RNBdy68TS1Fm%2FCzFE04vbKbvMxl1voOgOZt5COpp5qBUZGVRGkkVFA%2BpZbu8ihC0jCJCXf3n0tWw1NmeOPW7hniB19Xv%2F9UAAAA our translation

[74] https://declique.nl/en/ retrieved 20/11/2022

Picture: Paprec Automated Waste Treatment Unit in Rheu (France)

This article was written in response to a lecture given by Louis Delcart at the second Digital Nerds Contest in Romania in April 2022.

The digitization of the economy, in all its aspects, including the internet of things and artificial intelligence, is promoted around the world and is the subject of debates at academic level and on the level of the World Economic Forum, of business and country strategies, and of financial and content support for cities, countries and organizations such as the EU, and the UN. It is recognized as an industry that can be deployed in places where there is no tradition of heavy industry and thus offers a solution for countries and regions in development or in reconstruction.

The industry that is the subject of this article, i.e. the circular economy, is also recognized as a generator of employment, but its focus is on countries and regions that have traditionally already had an industrial tissue or have built up a new tissue, and that are constraint to a shift in order to literally survive in an era with hellish consequences from climate change. The majority of serious studies teach us that the biggest shift has to be made by the manufacturers themselves, who have to redevelop the entire design of their products in such a way that the spare parts they have produced for already existing products can be quickly re-used when assembling new products.

The principal motive for this way of acting is that virgin raw materials are becoming scarce in the earth, therefore unaffordable. Moreover, reusing existing raw materials is much less energy-wasting and therefore closer to CO2 neutrality than continuously mining and producing virgin raw materials. Starting from our large database of articles treating circular economy developments, we will try to find out how both trends - digitization and circular economy - interact and to what extent they reinforce each other.

When we talk about digitization in the context of the circular economy, we will be talking about different areas. The European Academy of the Regions has been creating a blog for about a year in which it daily translates articles from the press of various countries such as the Benelux, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Scandinavian countries, the US and Canada that highlight practical applications of circular economy[1]. We then filtered out the applications that had a clear IT approach. In this way we have arrived at a ranking with six large domains.

The most important area of expertise is, of course, the collection and recycling of waste. And then we are not only talking about the reuse of plastics, but also about urban mining and the recovery of metals, the reuse of textiles, etc.

The following domain is linked to this: individuals should be motivated to return objects, such as plastic packaging, bottles, electrical and electronic devices. This often requires incentives such as a deposit.

An entirely new application is the creation of markets that bring together holders of materials that can no longer use them with companies or individuals who could use them. With the necessary intermediaries who transport the goods in question from A to B.

Waste treaters and manufacturers are often confronted with the fact that materials such as plastics or textiles come in thousands of types, often mixed. And that neither knows who needs what and how to separate them. Big data is therefore needed to identify all these different materials, the distinctions so that the new users know that they are buying the correct materials. Companies often want to be sure that the lifespan of objects, devices or machines can be extended as long as possible and that they can recover the objects at the end of their life for recycling. The means that are increasingly being used for this purpose is to rent out the devices or machines instead of selling them. Then the supplier can be sure that they will be well maintained and he can recover them and replace them at the end of their life. This closes the circle with regard to the circular economy.

Not all materials that are recovered can still be used for their original destination. Aluminium and zinc, for example, are infinitely recyclable. Lithium and the other battery materials as well. But not many plastics. Not always building materials. Nevertheless, hundreds of universities are diligently looking for alternatives to make new things with existing materials. That's another domain.

And then finally there's a special phenomenon: the fact that people are starting to see that they don't have to own every single piece of equipment, machine, car, bicycle. The sharing industry is spreading at an unbelievable speed, especially in urban areas. This increases the use of appliances so that they are really at the end of their life when they are thrown away, and so that the owners do everything they can to recover or recycle as many pieces as possible.

1.     Waste management

When one speaks about the circular economy, one refers in the first place to the reuse of objects or machines that are considered to be obsolete, due to being out of fashion, no longer functioning or worn out. In the current context, these end up in the garbage bag for separate waste collection or at the waste container park, where waste is also separated and recovered by specialized collectors.

But the separate waste collection also mixes many types of waste. In Belgium and the Netherlands, people speak of PMD bags, where plastic bottles and flasks, metal packaging and drinking cartons are collected and recycled after sorting. In Northern Europe, computer science often comes in handy for this sorting. The first waste sorting machines that came on the market were often still mechanical. They sorted metal magnetically, and sorted of waste by rotary screening machines. The next step was then optical sorting, whereby the various materials were optically recognized by cameras and mechanically separated. Nowadays, companies can be found that combine mechanical and optical means with artificial intelligence and robots to do separate waste sorting for: plastic[2], packaging[3], scrap metal[4], construction and demolition waste[5], wood.

The optical recognition of raw material also plays a role in the construction business. A Dutch invention to separate concrete into raw materials reduces material use and saves containers of CO2.

The “urban miners” of the Dutch company “New Horizon” now want to find more places to set up the concrete machines and are looking for municipalities and regions that can help. Ultimately, the goal is to make the invention big worldwide[6].

The same applies to separate waste collection. From 2025 on, the first thirty large cities in the Netherlands must have emission-free zones. This creates a number of challenges for carriers who frequently visit these zones. This also applies to waste collectors and recycling companies. But with the development of new collection models and digital technologies, the clean city centre is getting closer and closer.

PreZero, the waste collection company of German origin and active in the Netherlands, works with containers equipped with sensors in some places. These sensors send a signal when the bin is almost full, letting the company know that it can pick up the container. This prevents vehicles from turning out to pick up a half-empty container, which can happen unforeseen during holiday periods, for example. In the Dutch city of Arnhem the first results are positive and the number of kilometres driven has been reduced considerably[7].

The world’s first automatic textile recycling facility is built in Malmö. The facility, which uses optic sensors to identify different textile types, has been opened in summer 2020. The project marks the third phase of the Swedish Innovation Platform for Textile Sorting (Siptex) [8], and comes after a successful pilot project in Avesta[9].

Automatic sorting processes are required to be able to efficiently sort the large amounts of textile rubbish which cannot be recycled and which is not suitable for fibre to fibre recycling. The aim is to use the recycled textiles to make padding, insulation, and cloth for industrial cleaning, slowly increasing the amount of textiles recycled from 3,000 to 16,000 tonnes over five years.[10] The facility will be operated by Sysav [11], the recycling company owned by 14 municipalities in Skåne[12], which today operates the site.

2.     Digital incentives for waste collection

A second series of waste applications where ICT comes in handy is to encourage citizens to deposit waste that can be collected separately. This is often -but not necessarily- accompanied by some type of incentive that is given to the citizen in the form of a digital voucher or bill, with which discounts are negotiated from local merchants.

In Belgium, the city of Antwerp is encouraging in this way its residents and the tourists who visit the town to keep the streets clean by using outdoors waste cans.

Click, a new application in the Belgian port-city of Antwerp, encourages residents and visitors to throw their waste in the dust bin outdoors as well. By scanning the packaging, one can save digital coins that one can redeem at local merchants[13]      .

Romania, and soon also Moldova, is focusing on the toxicity of e-Waste and wants to recover this. Shops who sell the devices, agreed also to take them back and to work on the recovery. This is not different from other EU countries. The difference lies within the incentive in order to stimulate citizen to bring in their old appliances.

In Romania a program “Scrap for appliances” (Rabla pentru electrocasnice) has been implemented. Romanians receive vouchers, which can be used in stores, in exchange for old appliances (TV, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.).The same program could be launched in Moldova. The value of the ticket will be up to two thousand lei, depending on the energy class of the product. The “scrap for appliances” aims to encourage Romanians and Moldovans to replace their used appliances with energy-efficient, less polluting ones.

Spain has installed small container parks with containers (or “puntos limpios”, “clean spots”) of various colours in various places in the cities. It encourages its citizens to drop their waste over there in a separated way. Here also, some encouragement is needed, especially in order to present the correct waste at the correct container.

Sant Boi de Llobregat, a town of 84,500 inhabitants  located in the Barcelona province, has recently received yellow containers capable of recognizing the waste that should be thrown in them and warning the citizen if he/she/they is doing it incorrectly. What differentiates them from the rest of the containers is an electronic ring located in their opening that collects the information of the products through their bar codes. And it can also process data on habits (frequency of use, type of waste, neighbourhood …) to help improve the process. These smart containers will be part of the container network of the Reciclos project, the first Return and Reward System promoted in 2019 in Spain by Ecoembes that rewards residents who recycle with virtual points (baptized as recycles), exchangeable for shares in product giveaways, public transport vouchers or donations to collaborative environmental and social projects. About 24 hours after the citizen has used the technological ring, they will receive the points and can spend them. In Sant Boi, for example, residents can exchange them for donations to the ‘Tots som Santboians’ Association, dedicated to helping people with disabilities and which will use these grants to launch an initiative to preserve green spaces in the area.[14]

In Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, glass, especially beer bottles and cola bottles, are recovered, rinsed and reused by the producer. This asks the customer an amount to be able to do this. This is called a 'deposit'. The customer can recover that money by returning the empty glass. This often happens in supermarkets.[15]  In the past, they had to hire staff for this. That costs money. So there are companies that now have machines produce that optically recognize the bottles for deposit. These issue a voucher, which can then be deducted from the next purchase in the supermarket. Everyone wins.

France goes even one step further.

The Normandy-based company GreenBig invented the deposit of the 21st century with its machines to recycle plastic bottles. Automatons – baptized “b: bot” – are multiplying on French territory. A plastic bottle recycling machine has been in service since the end of January 2022 at the Leclerc store in La Flèche. Users are paid one eurocent per bottle swallowed by the machine.[16]

3.     Creating digital market places

Creating digital marketplaces is one of the most frequent and lucrative initiatives of start-ups, because of the interest of many investors. Although, in the eyes of green boys and girls, Amazon is the example of how things should not be organised, the developers of these initiatives within the recycling sector, often consider the Palo-Alto company as their lighting example. They occur in just about all sectors: construction, textiles, perfumes, reusable waste in general, repaired smartphones, but especially plastics. After all, that is the most difficult market with its 60 to 80,000 species where big data can be useful. We give a few examples below. We will not discuss the digital agricultural markets, the so-called short food supply circuit, sin this article, because it is directly linked to the recycling subject that we tend to treat. If the reader is interested in this subject anyway, I propose to refer him to my article “Selling Agricultural Products through the Short Food Supply Chain: It is Becoming Increasingly Popular”.[17]

First the generalist. A Dutch company that created a platform in order to bring producers of waste together with users of waste for new applications. Moreover, they also organise the transport between the two.

Saving more waste streams from the incinerator, that is the mission of the Dutch company Seenons. The start-up, founded in 2019, uses technology and smart logistics to help companies recycle residual flows such as coffee grounds, oranges and oil. Seenons developed a platform for fine-grained waste flows. This allows them to ‘match’ companies that have to get rid of their waste with parties that want to do something with this waste. The parties themselves choose the location and time. A kind of Tinder, but for waste. A collection of logistics partners then transports the waste from a to b. “Ideally, they use return logistics: one’s truck is already in the city centre and one will return empty, that space can be used to collect a residual flow somewhere. The company itself uses electric cargo bikes for small volumes and for large volumes electric boats or a press truck.[18] For example, Seenons already collects orange peels and coffee grounds from the Amsterdam catering   and delivers the load to liqueur maker Dik & Schil. But coffee grounds can also be used very well to make soap or as a breeding ground for oyster mushrooms. The platform raised another 6 million euros in an investment round recently, bringing the foreign plans and the goals of zero-waste one step closer.

The market place that grew most ion the past two years is the one of second-hand clothing. For years they were like cat and dog: luxury brands did not want to know anything about the second-hand sale of their clothing and accessories. Too little control, too little exclusive, too much mothball smell. But that time is over now. The Lithuanian platform Vinted has been the driving force behind a change in purchasing behaviour, which has now reached such proportions that more second-hand clothes are sold over the virtual counter than new ones and that the big brands have to adapt.[19]. A Boston Consulting study[20] estimates the industry’s annual growth rate at 12 percent. In that context, the 3 percent growth of the ‘normal’ luxury segment appears to be small.

Vinted – the largest second-hand fashion platform in Europe, raised recently 250 million euros in a capital increase round. Via the originally Lithuanian platform, members can buy and sell second-hand clothing. The investment was made by ETQ Growth. This means that Vinted now has a value of 350 million euros. With the new investment, the second-hand fashion platform Vinted is expanding to regions within and outside Europe. In addition, the company invests in user experience, security, payments, shipping, infrastructure and in new product tools and functions. With this, the company wants to make second-hand clothing the norm and enable more people to participate in the circular economy.

The Realreal[21], Depop[22], Grailed[23], Vestiaire Collective[24] are also online platforms for second-hand luxury goods. These have sprung up like mushrooms in recent years.

And then there are three different start-ups, all three of which mirror the Amazon e-commerce platform and whose ambition is to become the Amazon of their sector. Circular in Motion aims to become the Amazon of the Recycled materials.

Circular in Motion®, a European start-up, based in Amsterdam with founders from various nationalities has created a revolutionary e-commerce platform where their professional expertise and their environmental values are combined in one system. Trading recycled materials safely and reliably online, that is the promise of Circular in Motion. Using blockchain technology and the expertise of credit insurer Coface, the platform aims to enable the purchase and sale of certified plastics. The company aims to become the Amazon of renewable materials. The company’s CEO got the idea for the trading platform after working in the petrochemical industry for 22 years. Due to the abundance of links in the supply chain of plastic producers, he noticed that communication was sometimes difficult. As a result, companies have little flexibility in choosing partners to do business with. With changing European regulations on their way, whereby producers are obliged to use a proportion of recycled material, it is becoming increasingly relevant that buying and selling parties find each other. In the blockchain application the selling party can only offer renewable materials that are certified as such. This means that the specifications have been checked. Blockchain makes it possible to record information about transactions with the impossibility to be changed in the meantime. The buying party then checks in the real world whether the raw materials received are really certified renewable, in accordance with the characteristics and claims of the seller. If this turns out not to be the case, then one will fall through the cracks as a seller and he will be kicked off the platform. About 100 companies have now joined the beta version of the platform, from waste processors and recyclers to polymer producers and processors, as well as some prominent brand owners. Circular in Motion has entered the commercial stage in the third quarter of 2021.[25]

The repair platform Refurbed is the fastest growing online marketplace for refurbished electronics in the German-speaking region. Its office is located in Vienna/Austria, but most of its software development team is spread over Europe and working remotely. They operate an e-commerce platform with sites in over a dozen different European countries through which we sell completely renewed electronics like phones, laptops and tablets. Products sold via its marketplace are like new, come with at least 12 months of warranty, and are up to 40% cheaper and much more sustainable. The shortage of chips and the general shortage of raw materials has contributed to the fact that people are buying fewer new goods and using more remanufactured products can help to deal better with limited resources.[26]

The German company Cirplus wants to be a kind of Amazon for recycled plastics. Its aim is to create the first global internet exchange for plastic material.

Under the company name Cirplus, which is made up of circular (circular) and surplus (added value), the two founders reached the second round of Entrepreneur First. That brought them an initial start-up capital of 80,000 British pounds in 2019. Two years later, more venture capitalists from Sweden and Germany joined the company. In addition, Cirplus is supported with state subsidies. Cirplus currently has 10 employees and around 1000 users are registered on the platform. The number is increasing all the time, not least because the platform is still free of charge. The company is currently still living on investor and subsidy funds. Investors firmly believe in Cirplus. They aim to be a professional procurement platform for plastic and all recycled plastic materials.[27]

And then there are new types of government markets that are emerging. Environmentally conscious governments that try to link discarded utensils with companies that want to keep these materials in the cycle. The parties just need to know how to find each other. Hence the importance of ICT and the internet.

The municipality of Apeldoorn recently launched a link between its database with all existing building materials in public space and a digital marketplace. This makes it possible to trade released materials so that they can be reused elsewhere. Apeldoorn is the first municipality in the Netherlands to take steps towards the circular economy at local and regional level in this way. Financially supported by an innovation subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of the Interior, the municipality innovated by making up a raw materials accounting scheme for all materials in public space and connected it to a trading platform. It works like this: Special cars – comparable to Google cars – scan the public space using different techniques. In this way they collect information about the material over and alongside which they drive, such as the type of stone, thickness of the stone layer or height of the sidewalk and colour. This information is combined with data from the Dutch municipal basic information (GBI). The GBI is a database available to every municipality and where information can be found about purchased materials. It then links these data to an online marketplace. Basically a kind of dating site for materials. Based on the offer on the trading platform, the municipality is looking for a match with another party, such as a municipality or contractor, who can make use of these secondary materials. This is how we facilitate circular construction.[28]

4.     Data collection for waste recycling or reuse

A very big trend is the one that makes the switch from purchasing a device to renting the device and the service it provides. This tendency is high on the list of recommendations put forward by significant institutions to achieve a truly circular economy. The philosophy behind it is that the supplier will then do everything it can to keep its device ready for operation for as long as possible and therefore make it repairable. And if the device is replaced by a newer one, the parts will be designed so that they can be reused fairly quickly with new versions from the supplier. However, this requires very good database management of all devices in circulation. Also paying attention to its consumption, performance, life cycle, etc. This therefore requires quite a bit of remote data collection and particularly up-to-date big data management.

In the coming years, instead of the traditional sale of light sources, the Belgian lighting company Etap wants to focus more and more on concluding agreements with companies, schools and hospitals, whereby Etap will take over the management of the lighting. This means not only cost savings for customers, but in addition, customers can reduce their carbon footprint by combining reduced energy consumption with the reuse of lighting materials. Etaps’ strong asset is that it has both the development and production in its own hands and can therefore focus on circularity in a controlled manner. An example? The CEO of Etap can already boast of a striking circular project. The lighting from the WTC towers in the North District of Brussels, which have been completely stripped and renovated, has been reused in classrooms of a Brussels school after maintenance. But that light management can only run optimally if the life cycle of luminaires and lamps is monitored. Then replacements can be made in time and the customer is satisfied. The Internet of Things plays an important role here. [29]

Pallets to transport goods on a truck or train are also subject to an owner shift. An environmentally conscious Dutch company that both made and sold pallets and rented them out, has sold its manufacturing department and has only focused on the rental and thus the reuse of pallets, called Faber Group’s circular pooling system. They only want to be able to keep those pallets in service for as long as possible, so they need data about their lifespan.

That is why the company recently started with a partner for Internet of Things solutions: Connected Load Carrier. The aim is to provide pallets with a tag that allows one to measure, for example, how much weight rests on them, how often they get a blow and what temperature they are in. The awareness is growing more and more how valuable all these data are. The company uses this information itself to prevent loss and thus ultimately increase the reuse rate. Everything contributes to more circular movements and more frequent rotation, which means fewer new pallets are needed. Moreover can now feedback a lot more information about pallet usage to the customer[30].

Since there are 60 to 80,000 types of plastic in circulation, many of which are virtually non-recyclable, a database of all plastic types, and especially the recyclable ones, is urgently needed. Since such standardization is parallel to what the Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. has done for other industrial products, such as paper, for example, it was almost appropriate that this institute was thought of to create some order in the plastic chaos. Please note: the US – as the only country in the world – uses different standards.

Together with industry giants such as the Dual System Deutschland[31] (the Yellow Bag), the disposal company Remondis[32] or the plant manufacturer Krauss Maffei[33] as well as the German Institute for Standardization[34], the two founders of the plastic material market platform Cirplus we talked about before have initiated the urgently needed new DIN standard for plastic waste. As early as October 2021, it has created dedicated framework standards for the classification of plastic recycled materials, for example according to origin, quality or quantity, and so far all market participants recognize and encourage them.[35]

Moreover, in order to assist the industry in effectively securing the supply of recycled resins suitable for food and beverage packaging, global commodity intelligence company ICIS[36] has announced the release of the Recycling Supply Tracker – Chemical, which provides the producers of fast-moving producer goods (FMCGs) and chemicals, large converters and retailers with the most comprehensive view of the emerging chemical recycling market. Chemical recycling processes can also be used to revert plastic waste back to an earlier molecular state.

The ICIS Recycling Supply Tracker – Chemical has identified that, in terms of capacity, only around 20% of the global recyclers currently produce polymers as an output of their chemical recycling facilities. The ICIS Recycling Supply Tracker – Chemical is updated with new projects and project developments as they happen. Less than 30% of projects are currently operating at commercial scale, but over half of the plants identified are expected to start up in the next 3 years.[37]

More than a quarter of the world’s population does not have access to clean drinking water at home. And more than half do not have a connection to the sewer. Family-owned company Dutch Clean Tech BV aims to provide millions of households with both services over the next ten years with a service model. “You don’t want to invest in all kinds of devices, you just want your water to be purified.”

A drinking water installation is only the first step in the DCT approach, but they also focus on the infrastructure that drains the used water. After cleaning, it can be safely discharged. Or one can put it to good use elsewhere, for example to irrigate agricultural land. Only with a sewer connection and water purification one can create a structural solution and restore the natural water balance. Because most of the cities that are in need for clean water cannot afford the installation investment, Dutch Clean Tech  came up with the idea of ​​a financing structure in which municipalities pay a monthly amount. We collect the money needed for the installations from investors who receive a fixed return on their investment.[38]

This needs of course an important remote monitoring system in order to detect  consumption, water pollution, leakages, purification and quality of the drinking water etc. Hence: an important digital part of the game.

5.     Using recycled material in innovations

And then there is the whole technology of 3-D printing, which will focus fully on the reuse of plastic and even building materials. This allows new objects to be printed. There is, of course, the energy that the printers consume that should be CO2 neutral, but the printing materials to be used are circular anyway.

And then we arrive at the combination of designers and software to design things. This provides opportunities for designers willing to make standard screws and nuts that can be reused, standard metal supports designed for modular applications which can be rearranged to create different configurations and variants. This is also for designers wanting to do product design innovation from existing products or even waste, wanting to manufacture and produce products on a limited volume.

Real estate and the built environment – responsible for close to 40% of global carbon emissions – have a significant role to play. While much attention is focused on new, state-of-the-art buildings that achieve the highest sustainability certifications, 70% of buildings that exist today will still be here in 2050, highlighting the need to repurpose spaces, retrofit older buildings and refurbish in line with circular economy principles. Companies needed a roadmap to get their real estate to net zero carbon emissions. Now they have one. To guide real estate investors and occupiers on implementing and achieving their net zero carbon targets across their portfolios, JLL has partnered with the World Economic Forum to establish 10 Green Building Principles.

The Finnish Betolar supplies an alternative to cement. Concrete is a very good product. It is strong, safe, financially interesting and lasts a long time. The only problem is that it is not sustainable in an environmentally friendly way.

Betolar now mainly use blast furnace slag from the steel industry. As a result, they do not have to tap new raw materials. The world will continue to make steel for a while even in Europe. Enough places to collect blast furnace slag. Betolar does not supply concrete itself. Instead, it provides manufacturers with the knowledge and chemicals to make their concrete without cement; within the process that the concrete producer is already using. To ensure that the concrete is of exactly the same quality as the original product, Betolar performs tests in their factory. There they investigate the right combination of chemicals. In this way, the concrete producer can supply the same concrete as always, but with less CO2 emissions. Betolar now focuses on concrete products such as sewage pipes and paving stones. In the long run, it also wants to get started with foundation concrete.[39]

Antwerp’s Triple Helix wants to build a factory to process polyurethane foam originated from, among other things, discarded mattresses into chemical basic components such as insulation panels . The factory will operate in a fully circular manner and will provide with its own energy needs. 

Triple Helix is a group of Belgian engineers whose goal is to have a genuine impact on transitioning towards a more sustainable economy. By focusing on removing obstacles for more circular materials through the creation and/or growth of specific solution companies, we can substantially reduce the overall carbon footprint, plastic waste pollution and improper use of feedstocks. And we want to do this is in an economically viable and profitable way.[40]

Reusing materials requires new technologies and processes.

Examples of these opportunities are not lacking, such as the Toledo-based company Preco and its chemical recycling system for plastics that eliminates toxic additives and reduces the progressive degradation caused by the current mechanical recycling. The Spanish recycling company is located in the Toledo Ecopark and manages more than 20,000 tons of plastic and manufactures renewable products with a low carbon footprint.[41]

The company Dgrade in Dubai collects, pulverises and converts old plastic bottles into recycled polyester yarn. They make T-shirts, jackets, caps and face masks from this sustainable material.

Dgrade devised a way to green polyester. They collect discarded plastic bottles and turn them into polyester yarn. Less waste on the street and a T-shirt made from recycled material. Making polyester from plastic bottles costs 50 percent less energy and 20 percent less water. In addition, there are 55 percent less CO2 emissions than with new polyester. Dgrade sells the recycled polyester yarns to companies. Dgrade also makes clothing from their sustainable material. From T-shirts and jackets to caps and mouth masks. To make one T-shirt, you need about 10 500-milliliter plastic bottles, and you can weave the fabric in different ways to create different textures.[42]

6.     Sharing platforms

When one thinks of sharing platforms, one primarily refers to mega companies such as AirBnB, Uber or TaskRabbit. However, these are disruptive and only focus on profit -without human exploitation as a unavoidable con sequence- and not on climate and environment. When we talk about sharing platforms, which are part of the trend towards a circular economy, the starting point is very different. A sustainable product is an item that one can use for as long as possible. As a result, less energy is needed for the production of new products, and no other raw materials have to be used. Either one selects one product until it is really worn out, or one starts using a product together with other people in a kind of sharing economy. One product used by many people has a longer useful life. The business type is already very introduced when it comes to bicycles, Kick scooters, car or device sharing.

The largest group of car sharers is registered with a so-called 'free-floating car-sharing provider'. In this formula you can pick up the car and leave it at any parking space in the city. It is more non-binding because you usually do not pay any subscription costs and you can book a few minutes in advance via an app. The second largest group participates in so-called 'round-trip' car sharing. The shared car is at a fixed station. You pick up the car there, but you also have to return it to that place.. Often there are subscription costs involved. The smallest group is the 'private cost-sharing car sharing' or “peer-to-peer car rental” in which local residents can borrow a car from an owner or buy a car together in co-ownership. Making a profit is of secondary importance here.

The most successful car sharing company in Europe is Blablacar. BlaBlaCar is a French online marketplace for carpooling. Its website and mobile apps connect drivers and passengers willing to travel together between cities and share the cost of the journey. The service is named for its rating scale for drivers' preferred level of chattiness in the car: "Bla" for not very chatty, "BlaBla" for someone who likes to talk, and "BlaBlaBla" for those who can't keep quiet.

The company does not own any vehicles; it is a broker and receives a commission (between 18% and 21%) from every booking. The platform has 90 million users and is available in 22 countries, almost all of which are in Europe and Latin America – countries include: Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

GoMore is the European leader in combining ridesharing and peer-to-peer car rental and Scandinavia’s leading business in the sharing economy. Our mission is to be the preferred mobility solution in Europe and beyond.[43]

The digital sharing platform founded by GoMore enables people to share their cars or a seat on a planned trip through private car rental, shareable leasing, and ridesharing. The digital sharing platform now has 2.7 million members across Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Spain, leading the way for private car sharing Enabling private car sharing minimises the expenses associated with car ownership and the negative impact on the environment.

Shared bicycles in themselves are not new. In Chinese cities they are the most normal thing in the world and Europeans also drive a lot of kilometres on bicycles that they do not own. In the Netherlands, a cycling country par excellence, the phenomenon has never really taken off, although the very first bicycle sharing plan is of Dutch origin. The municipalities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam experimented with so-called free-floating shared bicycles, which could be left behind anywhere. But in European cities it appears that systems with docking stations work better. These are permanent, mandatory parking spaces for shared bicycles, so that they cannot be placed anywhere in the city. They use such a system in Antwerp, Paris and Milan, among others. In Barcelona, too, tens of thousands of residents annually use the more than 7,000 bicycles offered by the Bicing shared bicycle system.[44]

I avoided to tackle the food business. We assist though at the appearance, all over Europe, of innovative farmers are already growing healthy food, without synthetic chemical inputs, with ever higher yields, while respecting pollinators and nature. This should go together with the willingness of  citizens, who indirectly finance the current system with billions of euros (aid from the Common Agricultural Policy, water pollution control, etc.), to switch this type of support to farmers who feed them towards this new, more resilient and sustainable agricultural model.

Within that new model the role of digitization is extremely important. The creation of alternative sales circuits, avoiding the demanding and greedy intermediaries such as supermarkets and agro-industry, are better because they are created by the producers themselves or organized by a cooperative that seeks a balance between a fair price for the producers and an affordable price for the consumers. And therefore not based on double digit EBITDAs.

A nowadays app that is popular in many Western European cities is “Too Good To Go” app  .  This application of a Danish start-up connects people in major European cities with shops that provide unsold food. With the help of the app one can buy surplus fruit and vegetables, bread and cakes as well as leftover food from restaurants, bakeries, hotels, supermarkets and similar businesses at reduced prices. The app shows all participating shops in the area and lists them according to their distance from your own location[45].

Closing remarks

The digitization of processes or design is often so evident that start-up initiators no longer mention it. It is therefore very possible that we have overlooked themes in which computer science in all its aspects is one of the key factors in the breakthrough of circular economy initiatives. However, this article offers many avenues for thinking that can offer young graduates ideas for further development in their own environment. After all, that is the advantage of digitization: it requires expertise and software programs, sometimes a high-performance printer. No factory halls. And if there is one thing that corona has taught us, it is that projects can be worked on anywhere in the world. They are just those who manually control or produce things that have to be on site.

Louis Delcart, board member European Academy of the Regions, www.ear-aer.eu

[1] https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/

[2] the robots sort plastics by polymer, shape and/or color or they can sort specific objects, such as garden furniture, pipes, crates etc

[3] high purity in recyclables such as Plastics (PET bottles/trays, HDPE, PVC etc.),Foils (LDPE), Lightweight packages, Paper, OCC, Aseptic carton packages, vUBC, is maintained

[4] the robots can sort positively several metals in one pass or do negative sorting of residue and contaminants, Metals by shape/colour: brass, aluminium, zinc, copper, stainless steel etc., Metals by type: Iron scrap, copper wires, “meatballs”, Contaminants

[5] the pre-processing of waste can be heavily reduced and simultaneously sort many fractions such as: Metals, Wood by grade (A/B/C/D-wood), Inert mixed and by type: bricks, concrete, stones etc., Rigid plastics mixed or by polymer

[6] Marc Seijlhouwer, Beton recyclen maakt grote sprong vooruit: bedrijf zoekt naar locaties voor recyclemachine (Recycling concrete makes a big leap forward: company is looking for locations for recycling machine), in: ChangeInc, 3-02-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/650959780738924544/recycling-concrete-makes-a-big-leap-forward

[7] Teun Schröder, Schone en veilige binnenstad door slimme afvalinzameling en digitale innovatie,( Clean and safe city center through smart waste collection and digital innovation) in: Change Inc., 15-07-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/658119528454275072/clean-and-safe-city-center-through-smart-waste

[8] SIPTex is a Swedish research project that will test and evaluate automated textile sorting by building and operating a pilot facility for 12 months (in Sweden). The recognition and sorting equipment is based on near-infrared (NIR) technology. The project contributes to resource efficiency and closing textile loops by matching customers’ quality requirements with fast and highly accurate sorting technology.

[9] Avesta is a locality and the seat of Avesta Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 11,949 inhabitants in 2015.

[10] The Local: Malmö to host groundbreaking textile recycling plant,in: thelocal.se, 11-7-2019; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/670024895099469824/malm%C3%B6-to-host-groundbreaking-textile-recycling

[11] Sysav, South Scania Waste Company, recycles and treats waste from households and industries in southern Skåne. The company is owned by 14 municipalities with a joint population of slightly more than 710,000, and Sysav is commissioned to manage the household waste in all owner municipalities. The subsidiary Sysav Industri AB has approximately 6,000 corporate customers. https://www.sysav.se/en/siptex/

[12] Skåne County, sometimes referred to as Scania County in English, is the southernmost county – län in Swedish-, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the traditional province Skåne. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge and connects to Capital Region, Denmark by the Öresund Bridge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the city of Malmö. The headquarters of Skåne Regional Council are located in both Kristianstad and Malmö.

[13] Jan Stassijns, Antwerpse actie om afval ook buitenshuis in vuilnisbak te gooien,( Antwerp organises action to throw waste in the garbage can outdoors as well) in: De Standaard, 2-7-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/655585474681962496/antwerp-organises-action-to-also-throw-waste-in

[14] JN : Un contenedor intelligente que te recompensa por reciclar,( A smart container that rewards you for recycling), in: El País, 28-10-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/667375319273062400/a-smart-container-that-rewards-you-for-recycling

[15] https://tomra.be/produits/machines-frontales/?lang=fr

[16] Arnaud VASLIN : Dans ce supermarché, recycler vos bouteilles en plastique vous fait gagner (un peu) d’argent, in : Le Maine Libre, 26-2-2022 ; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/680326096914415616/in-this-supermarket-recycling-your-plastic

[17] Louis Delcart, Selling Agricultural Products through the Short Food Supply Chain: It is Becoming Increasingly Popular, International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies Volume 8, Issue 8, 2021, pp. 7-13 ISSN 2694-6296 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22259/2694-6296.0808002

[18] TEUN SCHRÖDER, Nederlandse start-up haalt miljoeneninvestering op om Europese afvalmarkt te veroveren (Dutch start-up raises millions in investment to conquer European waste market) in: Change Inc, 08-10-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/665487447558438912/dutch-start-up-raises-millions-in-investment-to

[19] Karlien Beckers, Van ‘vies’ naar ‘vintage’: luxe omarmt tweedehands,(From ‘dirty’ to 'vintage’: luxury embraces second-hand) in: De Standaard, 28-09-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/664321527312957440/from-dirty-to-vintage-luxury-embraces

[20]  “The secondary market for luxury goods has always existed in the shadow of the primary market,” according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group, but that is beginning to change as demand for discounted pre-owned goods is giving rise to “one of the fastest-growing areas of luxury.” The management consulting firm estimates that luxury resale will grow at an average rate of 12 percent per year through 2021 to a whopping $36 billion market with a 9 percent share of the personal luxury goods segment. That is quite a bit larger than the 3 percent growth rate for the primary luxury market for that same period of time. https://www.thefashionlaw.com/the-luxury-resale-market-is-growing-faster-than-the-primary-luxury-goods-segment-per-bcg/

[21] The RealReal, Inc. is an online and brick-and-mortar marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment. Based on the circular economy, The RealReal sells consigned clothing, fine jewelry, watches, fine art and home decor. It employs an in-house staff of experts including horologists, gemologists, art curators and luxury fashion authenticators who inspect items for authenticity and value. https://www.therealreal.com/

[22] https://www.depop.com/

[23] At its core, Grailed is a simple concept: It’s a website and app for buying and selling high-end, second hand menswear and streetwear. The major investor is the luxury group Kering , that is owned by the Pinault family. Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Gucci, among others, fall under the umbrella of the group. https://www.grailed.com/?utm_content=UIYRILyo5xyIT9vy3Bx9tVLdUkGQ5r01hSVHzM0&utm_source=impact&utm_campaign=27795&utm_term=partnership_affiliate&utm_medium=partner_post&irgwc=1

[24] https://fr.vestiairecollective.com/

[25] Teun Schröder, Dit platform wil 'de Amazon van gerecyclede materialen' worden met hulp van de blockchain, (This platform aims to become 'the Amazon of recycled materials' with the help of blockchain), in: ChangeInc, 18-06-2021 https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/654586662560661504/this-platform-aims-to-become-the-amazon-of

[26] Dpa, Gebrauchte Technik in Chipkrise gefragt,( Used technology in demand during the chip crisis), in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23-11-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/668764664896831488/used-technology-in-demand-during-the-chip-crisis

[27] Steffen Uhlmann, Ein Markplatz für den Müll,( A market place for garbage),in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 19-10-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/665585273398231040/a-market-place-for-garbage

[28] Teun Schröder, Gemeente Apeldoorn lanceert database en marktplaats voor circulaire materialen,( Dutch Municipality launches database and marketplace for circular materials), in: Change Inc, 7-07-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/656216071419854848/dutch-municipality-launches-database-and

[29] Pascal Sertyn, Etap countert led-revolutie met verhuur van verlichting,( Etap counters LED revolution with lighting rental) in: De Standaard, 1-02-2021, https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20210131_98106025?

[30] TEUN SCHRÖDER, CEO Ingrid Faber: “Hergebruik van pallets is beter voor de klant, het milieu en voor ons een goed businessmodel”,( Reuse of pallets is better for the customer, the environment and a good business model for us in: Change Inc, 30-11-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/669390304941604864/reuse-of-pallets-is-better-for-the-customer-the

[31] Der Grüne Punkt (The Green Dot) - Duales System Deutschland GmbH (DSD) is an operator of a dual system for waste separation in Germany. https://www.gruener-punkt.de/de/

[32] REMONDIS is one of the world’s largest recycling, service and water companies. With over 30,000 employees and around 900 business locations on 4 continents, the group serves more than 30 million people and many thousands of companies. https://www.remondis.de/en/home/

[33] KraussMaffei is a German manufacturer of injection molding machines, machines for plastics extrusion technology, and reaction process machinery. It was acquired by ChemChina in 2016. https://www.kraussmaffei.com/de/startseite

[34] Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (DIN; in English, the German Institute for Standardisation) is the German national organization for standardization and is the German ISO member body. DIN is a German Registered Association (e.V.) headquartered in Berlin. There are currently around thirty thousand DIN Standards, covering nearly every field of technology.

[35] Steffen Uhlmann, Ein Markplatz für den Müll, (A market place for garbage),in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 19-10-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/665585273398231040/a-market-place-for-garbage

[36] ICIS is the global source of Independent Commodity Intelligence Services – connecting data, markets and customers to create a comprehensive trusted view of global commodities markets, enabling smarter business decisions that help optimise the world’s resources. For decades, its prices have been the backbone of thousands of transactions around the world. ICIS helps businesses make strategic decisions, mitigate risk, improve productivity and capitalise on new opportunities. The company makes some of the world’s most important markets more trusted and predictable by providing data services, thought leadership and decision tools. As a result of its global presence, they deliver targeted connected intelligence to influence thousands of decisions across supply chains every single day. Drawing upon our legacy, ICIS is also in a unique position to leverage big data and analytics as part of RELX, a FTSE20 data and analytics company with over 30,000 experts across 40 countries. With its intelligence, the company shapes the world by connecting markets to optimise the world’s valuable resources. https://www.icis.com/explore/

[37] Vladimir Spasić, World’s first interactive global database of chemical recycling projects kicks off, in: Balkan Green Energy News, 1-11-2021, https://balkangreenenergynews.com/worlds-first-interactive-global-database-of-chemical-recycling-projects-kicks-off/

[38] Teun Schröder, Nederlands familiebedrijf wil miljoenen huishoudens van schoon drinkwater voorzien,( Dutch family business wants to provide millions of households with clean drinking water), in: Change Inc, 18 maart 2022; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/679687315436748800/dutch-family-business-wants-to-provide-millions-of

[39] Rianne Lachmeijer, Duurzame stap bij zuiderburen: België krijgt cementloze rioleringsbuizen,( Belgium gets cement-free sewage pipes), in: Change Inc, 03-03-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/678237819155677184/belgium-gets-cement-free-sewage-pipes

[40] Pascal Sertyn: Proeftuin duurzame chemie in Antwerpse haven gaat van start,( Sustainable chemistry pilot project opens in the port of Antwerp), in: De Standaard, 14-01-2022; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/673359652493361152/sustainable-chemistry-pilot-project-opens-in-the

[41] Juan Pablo Zurdo, El incendio, el colibrí y la economía circular,( The fire, the hummingbird and the circular economyà, in El País, 29-09-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/677695636759609344/the-fire-the-hummingbird-and-the-circular-economy

[42] Kelly Clarke, Meet the Dubai company turning discarded plastic bottles into T-shirts, in: The National News, 1-2-2022; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/675065989247942656/this-is-how-you-make-one-t-shirt-from-ten-plastic

[43] Anders Sauer Petersen: Sharing circular transport solution, in: State of Green, https://stateofgreen.com/en/partners/gomore/solutions/sharing-circular-transport-solution/

[44] Sjors Beukeboom: Deelfiets breekt niet door, maar nieuwe app moet verandering brengen (Bike Sharing bike doesn't break through, but new app should bring change), in NOS nieuws, 27-11-2018, https://nos.nl/l/2261097

Maarten Vanden Eynde: Gadget 3D, cotton threath, wooden bobbins, 2017

From linear to circular: a strategy, not a serendipity

Since the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, our economic model has been mainly linear: natural resources are continuously extracted in order to produce goods and services in increasing quantities, that are consumed and then discarded at the end of their use. This model poses a problem for the future of humanity because the planet's resources are not unlimited. According to the website of Alliance, in 1969, the planet was barely sufficient to meet the needs of the world's population.[1] The think tank Global Footprint Network [2] estimated that in 2019, 1.75 planets were already needed to meet all of our needs.

One has therefore to note that the model of linear economy no longer allows us to apprehend a reasonable future for humanity. This is why we need to move to a model focused on avoiding waste and reducing the intensity of resource use, while reducing environmental impacts. The increase in the use of materials could also be slowed down due to advanced technology and the possibility of recycling some materials. This is precisely what the circular economy is aiming for.

Already in 2004 the Chinese professor Chen Demin of the University of Chongqing defined the circular economy as follows: “It is a kind of economic model, aimed to protect the environment and realize the sustainable utilization of material resources, and ensure sustainable development for human society. In order to promote the efficiency of resources recycling in industrial and living processes, this economic model refers to a few important measures, which include the clean production using market mechanism and macro-controlling”.[3]

Circular economy is also a mind-set and if I may say so: it should be it in the first place. The hereabove mentioned professor Chen Demin puts it as follows in the same article: “The recycling economy is a dynamic concept. It is a dynamic state that economy, environment and human society develop co-ordinately. It depends on technology advancement. It invites the public opinion to embrace the principle of not exhausting the planet, to go for sustainability, for reuse of materials and garbage and for avoiding waste by making the effort of re-entering used products in the consumption chain.” It is the young generation, the Millennials and the Gen Z, that embraces fully this mind-set, and that also loves technical innovation in a sustainable context.

The building-blocks of a circular economy

There are several definitions of circular economy worldwide. In most cases, one finds the definition of a circular economy resumed in three principles to be put in practice: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle[4]. These keywords are primarily aiming the behaviour of households. These are the steps they could/should take. When we start to focus on companies and the efforts they can make, this list expands further. They will have to invest, but they can also earn money with it.  The list of r-words gets therefore longer in a way that one starts talking about the R-ladder. The ladder then indicates the effectiveness with which circularity is implemented. The higher up the ladder the better. It is about maximum reusability and minimum value destruction of raw materials and products. Some experts who have to assess projects on the intensity of their circularity use the ladder as a checklist. The R-ladder refers to the following matters: refuse, rethink, reduce, re-use, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycling and recover.[5]

One of the indictments of the students in May 68, was an outcry against the emerging consumption society. Multiple were already  the closures of factories in textiles, mechanics, metallurgy throughout Europe and America. Many utensils, products, food, etc. that we currently consume as families were from then on produced on an industrial level, often even far from home, or with parts that have completed a 4 month sea voyage. The post-industrial consumption society has also become a throwaway society, with concepts such as fast food, fast fashion and even fast furniture.

And here appears the connection between the circular economy and climate change. Every mining operation, clearing forests, growing industrial crops such as cotton consumes large-scale energy, deploys large-scale machinery and -in the case of cotton- swallows water from the environment. This results in large-scale CO2 emissions. Unlike virgin materials,  raw materials that already have been mined or yarns that already have been woven, can be put in use again with as much value as possible, while also reducing amounts of waste materials, and can be reused with less energy and machinery. This technique is referred to as “urban mining”. So not only is the soil less quickly exhausted, the lower consumption of energy and machines drastically reduces CO2 emissions. Raw materials such as lead and aluminium[6] have infinite recyclability without loss of performance that pushes its circular economy credentials into the realm of maximum valorisation.

A typical example for reuse thanks to this urban mining type is the development of recycled batteries. Indeed, researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the US Advanced Battery Consortium have shown that recycled lithium-ion batteries perform just as well as batteries with newly mined lithium. That study offers hope for the electric car industry for which essential metals are becoming increasingly scarce.[7] The results arrive very quickly: a battery for a car consists for the most part of lithium. But there are more metals in it, such as nickel, manganese and cobalt. Several companies, start-ups and others, invested lately in this battery recycling business of which the knowhow is again disseminated worldwide.

French multinational Veolia announced early 2022 to build a recycling plant for electric vehicles in the United Kingdom.

Veolia’s new factory will be located in Minworth, in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom. The company could recycle about 1,000 tons of batteries by 2024. In 2040 this should be 350,000 tons per year. The plant will discharge and dismantle batteries and then complete the recycling processes for mechanical and chemical separation.[8]

The stumbling block in this whole process is the still significant price difference between virgin and recycled materials. This price difference is unfortunately artificial because when calculating the recycling of existing raw materials, all cost factors are included, whereas this is not the case with newly mined materials. In 2018, before the pandemic hit, the world emitted greenhouse gases with a warming potential of about 55 gigatons. About a fifth of this comes from changes in land use and agriculture. Producers of industrial crops such as cotton are not penalized for the enormous water consumption that results in desertification and thus a reduction in CO2 absorption. The remainder quantity of greenhouse gases consists largely of emissions from energy consumption and industrial processes. Data from the World Resources Institute, a think tank, show how these emissions are distributed[9]. Buildings (about 17% of the total) and road transport (12%) are the largest contributors. Other modes of transportation are also of interest, with shipping and flights at 2% each. Logistics players who are responsible for the transport of materials and crops from distant regions are not penalized for CO2 emissions during transport. Within industry, iron and steel (8%), chemicals and petrochemicals (6%) and cement (3%) are big parts of the pie. Miners on the other hand are not penalized for the CO2 emissions of the energy used, nor of those of the machines used. The transition from fossil fuels remains therefore a huge challenge.

Creating awareness

What precedes the circular economy is to make the inhabitants of this planet aware that both the excessive consumption of energy and raw materials not only continuously causes CO2 and methane emissions, but also irresponsibly wastes the many materials that the earth is rich in, but cannot be replenished of. I know this is a long-term task: after all, man is a creature of habit whose behaviour is largely determined by two natural laws: the law of inertia and the law of least effort. The first is defined as resistance to change. The second is behavioural laziness.

Yet people can be activated. In a hard dictatorship behavioural change is imposed and resistance is broken[10]- provided the leader himself already has progressive insights for the governance of his country - . In a democracy, citizens need to be convinced through awareness campaigns. A large part of the population is reluctant to change its behaviour and resist it. The resistance of the antivaxxers during the corona crisis is a poignant example of this. Given this resistance, behavioural changes can only be stimulated at a level close to the population. That is why cities, municipalities and regions take initiatives for this, very often in collaboration with non-profit organisations. It is the municipalities that organize and encourage separate waste collection. It is the municipalities that put coloured containers in the street and smart garbage cans that also reward citizens for their efforts to throw litter in the garbage.

Targeting schools and universities

In order to achieve rapid success, governments of all levels often focus primarily on groups that are still open to change. It is obvious that the young generation is more attentive for their future and therefore also more open to modifying their behaviour and the one of their families. That is also the reason why the awareness campaign focus is often put on those target-groups.

A recent and very effective and targeted awareness campaign towards pupils is the one organized by FostPlus[11], an initiative of the Belgian private sector that promotes, coordinates and finances the selective collection, sorting and recycling of household packaging waste.

In order to keep primary schools open during the Corona pandemic, schools in Belgium have been obliged to properly ventilate the classrooms and to monitor that ventilation and intervene where necessary. Fost Plus has made more than 2,000 CO2 meters available for free to classes that signed up for an educational workshop (LABO – Learning Waste Management at School) from January 2022 on.[12] The CO2 meters are in the form of a house and are made of recycled polypropylene (PP) from door-to-door selectively collected butter dishes and plastic pots, for example, that are given a second life in this way.

Outside the countries that openly declared their recycling strategy since long, this type of efforts is also introduced by new adherents to the principle such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One of the driving forces there is the company Dgrade. It produces Eco-friendly clothing and accessories made from recycled PET plastic. It supports a closed-loop supply chain working with clients to upcycle their plastic into uniforms, bags and more.[13]

DGrade’s Simply Bottles recycling initiative works with businesses and schools across the UAE to increase recycling rates of plastic bottles.

EU as change driver

The awareness projects that Europe supports through its Cohesion Fund are also numerous. The various Interreg programmes[14] have been bringing municipalities, cities, regions and research institutions together for several decades around projects that are supportive in the field of health, research and education, transport or sustainable energy. They often consist of supporting study days and research projects so that the partners and participants can learn from each other.

As a nice example, I would like to refer to a project called CECI, which is currently running between 1 Aug 2019 and 31 Jul 2023, with €1.5 million in support and partners in several countries. Partners in the project are: LAB University of Applied Sciences (until 31.12.2019 Lahti University of Applied Sciences) (FIN), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region (F), Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre Ostrava, a.s.(CZ), Varna Municipality (S), Government of Aragon (E), City of Malines (Mechelen) (B), Regional Council of Päijät-Häme (FIN).The lead partner is located in Finland.

In this Interreg project the aims are: (1) to raise awareness of circular economy and highlight the importance of citizen engagement, (2) to inspire citizens to adopt sustainable consumption habits and behaviour patterns, (3) to promote new sustainable services, e.g. sharing economy, lengthening product life cycles through reuse, repair, remanufacturing and refurbishment, (4) to further encourage waste reduction, energy savings and circular thinking.[15]

Europe inspires also neighbouring countries that have signed a co-operation agreement with the EU to take the same steps. And since the EU is also supporting these steps financially, the inspiration becomes reality.

The Asociația pentru Valorificarea Deșeurilor (Association for Waste Recovery)  is a non-governmental organization established in 2010 in order to identify, mediate and implement an efficient waste recovery system in the Republic of Moldavia.[16] The association is represented by a team of national and international experts specialized in circular economy, legal assistance on environmental issues, waste management, investment, energy efficiency, who provide citizens with a wide range of services and eco-smart solutions for business and sustainable projects. The association is also the publisher of the “Waste Management” Magazine, the only profile magazine at national level, which provides the necessary information support to Local Public Agencies’ representatives, sanitation operators and economic agents in the Republic of Moldavia.

Cities and regions as drivers

The circular economy does not only give a second lease of life to objects, it can also give a second chance to an industrial town with a glorious past. An hour by train from Stockholm, the former Swedish industrial town of Eskilstuna has an unemployment rate that is twice the national average.

In order to stop this seemingly inexorable decline the town adopted a radical strategy: to make Eskilstuna the greenest place on the planet, thanks in particular to recycling. Since 2012, Eskilstuna has rolled out a plethora of green initiatives. [17]  Since 2015, they can also drop off their unwanted items in containers at ReTuna, a large 5,000 m² shopping centre where everything on the shelves is repaired, reused, recycled, upcycled, or produced sustainably. Eskilstuna is therefore the first city in the world to have hosted a shopping mall entirely dedicated to recycling and recovery. Despite some initial resistance to change, both the launch of the recycling system and ReTuna have been a success. It has helped to revitalize Eskilstuna and created 50 jobs, raised awareness of the circular economy for a whole population and made a town hit by unemployment a model for the nation and even the world.

Waste hunting and rethinking production chains

The first scourge of unreasonable consumption that affects businesses as well as households is created by waste. In the food sector alone, the FAO estimates the direct economic cost of wasted products at 900 billion euros per year. In France, this represents 20 to 30 kg per person per year. In the non-food sector, 630 million euros of new products are destroyed each year[18]. For companies concerned with reducing costs for the benefit of their margins, waste hunting should be a top priority.

Second lever for action: rethinking the companies’ production chains. This involves, upstream, optimizing the supply to reduce the purchase of raw materials, working on product traceability to reduce the consumption of resources and energy. Finally, to optimize its flows and waste management.

The principle of zero waste is on the rise, especially in industries that were confronted with a lot of waste because of the precision work they have to deliver. The cost of recovering and reusing this waste was considered too important. However, the scarcity in the raw materials market created during the corona pandemic has stimulated the thinking processes of many companies in various sectors. Below I propose recent examples from two industries in various countries.

The French Bouhyer group, bringing together the foundries of Ancenis (Loire-Atlantique, F) and Revin (Ardennes,  F), develops innovative technological recycling projects as part of a zero waste approach. The combustion of batteries will allow them to save fossil fuels, manganese, coke … Moreover in their zero waste approach, the zinc, residue from the combustion of batteries contained in the fumes, is captured by filters and is also recycled via specialized sectors. For the manufacture of their parts, they use single-use sand and resin moulds. These moulding sands are already 98% recycled. The remaining 2% will now be transformed by a plant decontamination process, phytoremediation: at the end of this process, the sand will be decontaminated, and therefore reusable, while the plants can be used as biomass. With this process, the company is a pilot site in Europe.[19]

The Infinited Fiber Company from Finland has developed a technology that converts textile waste containing a lot of cotton into a new material: Infinna. This fabric is similar to cotton, biodegradable and can be recycled again with other textile waste at the end of its life. The water used to produce Infinna is a fraction of the water used to grow an equal amount of conventional cotton. And because they don’t need farmland or forests to harvest, because they use existing waste streams as our raw material, Infinited Fiber keeps pre-existing materials in circulation and reduce the pressure on natural resources.

What can authorities do in the framework of the development of a circular economy?

Here I will try to bring together the elements that I have detected in the different countries I have followed.

Changing behaviour through legal framework & public procurement

National governments create a legislative framework. That framework can be mandatory, but not all countries opt for it. France traditionally goes the furthest in this regard. The Loi AGEC or anti-waste law that came into effect on January 1, 2022 prohibits many things, but also obliges many things.[20] The fact that France has set strict standards in the production of new plastics, that require the processing of a significant percentage of recycled plastics, has led the large French multinationals, to join forces with processors:

In this context a nice case is the one of the Auvergne-based company Carbios. This interesting scale-up recreates a virgin resin, through a technology unique in the world, based on enzymes, from plastics that could only be buried or burned. Including synthetic textiles, of which only a third are reused. The SME will create two factories, one in France and one in Germany. Listed on the stock exchange, it also convinced to enter its capital the French multinationals L'Oréal, L'Occitane and Michelin, the latter hosting its industrial demonstrator in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme). [21]

National, regional and local authorities can also steer successfully. They have a lot of resources to spend in the context of public procurement. Call for tenders must be drawn up for this, which indicate which criteria a service provider or a product seller must meet in order to be eligible for the tender. In recent years we have noticed that the three levels are eager to use this opportunity.

The public sector is by far the largest client of the construction sector in Switzerland, which accounts for around half of the order volume in the main construction trade. It has an important role model function provided that it increasingly orders recycling material. With the new procurement law that came into force on January 1, 2021, quality and sustainability should become more important. By also introducing recycled material within submissions in the tendering for construction, builders make an effective and concrete contribution [22].

Mid 2021,  real-estate operator Befimmo presented its ZIN real estate project, which will be located in the northern district of Brussels, and poured “circular concrete”, concrete made from old buildings’ rubble. In this case, it is the towers WTC 1 & 2 that will rise again from their own “ashes”. Befimmo ensures the reuse of 65% of these old buildings, of which only the elevator shafts are still standing today. It all started when the Government of Flanders, the North part of Belgium, issued in 2017 a call for tenders for a real estate project with very high sustainable criteria. Befimmo developed for this purpose its ZIN project, in partnership, and it went further than what it hoped.[23]

Introduce circularity in its own property

The government can re-use the sites they own in the context of the circular economy. This is what happened in Antwerp, for example, where the grounds and buildings of the former General Motors (Opel) factories are being returned to the market for green chemistry. This is no coincidence because Antwerp has the second largest concentration of traditional chemical plants in the world after Houston, Texas and also wishes to play a pioneering role there. The ambition of the Port of Antwerp authorities was to turn the former General Motors site into a ‘testing ground for sustainable chemistry’. In 2020 and 2021, the port authority launched market consultations to attract suitable candidates. Two companies have already emerged from those surveys. [24]

Moral persuasion

In addition to government institutes that try to coordinate matters across the country, I also want to pay attention to regional and even urban initiatives. The role of the regional and local government is mainly to stimulate and coordinate. Cities and towns have limited budgets, but governors and mayors often have a lot of moral persuasion power.

Regions driven by their desire to adopt a circular economy and the employment associated with it can therefore try to morally support the financing of start-ups by convincing venture capitalists of the value of circular economy. The land of Baden-Württemberg, traditionally one of the most prosperous länder in Germany, is presently administrated by a coalition of Christian Democrats and Greens. The latter are doing everything possible to have start-ups in their region supported by venture capital companies. Start-ups depend on investors because they don't initially make any profits. Funds and large companies invest capital in young companies in the hope that their business ideas will prevail. According to a recently published study, start-ups in Baden-Württemberg raised significantly more money in 2021: they received 599 (previous year: 155) million euros in venture capital from investors. In Germany it was almost 17.4 billion euros in total - more than three times as much as in the Corona crisis year 2020 (5.3 billion), reported the consulting company EY.[25]

Innovation is the main driver of liveable circular economy

Today, multinational organizations with increasingly complex supply chains and processes can struggle to maintain a pulse on ever-advancing circular innovation, while at times they can also lack the capabilities required to embrace new modes of operation in the transition to circular business. By contrast, start-up entrepreneurs create the disruptive solutions to solve these challenges, but may lack the capital, resources or enabling networks to replicate and scale their solutions at pace. It is therefore important to connect multinational actors with disruptive players, stakeholders across the value chain are empowered to fully embrace innovation, to prioritize targeted business models for impact, and respond effectively to new global challenges.

And indeed we see true innovators receiving an early support from structural investors in many domains. This trend increased during the COVID period. The Covid-19 crisis showed indeed how vulnerable our economic model is to shocks. That model is based on large amounts of cheap, easily accessible materials and energy. However, the old linear system with its long and complex supply chains has been thoroughly disrupted by the pandemic. This resulted in major delays, shortages of materials and products and significant price increases. Since 2018 we have seen a special turnaround and we have recorded capital raising rounds at companies with promising circular economy projects.  

It is always interesting to see how venture capitalists from Nordic countries act, because they are the most convinced of the potential the circular economy includes. Nordic Capital announced in March 2021 an agreement to acquire Sortera, a fast-growing Nordic environmental contractor in the collection, recycling, processing and brokerage of residual products from the construction and civil engineering sector.

Sortera’s customers are mainly small and medium-sized companies in Sweden and Finland and the business is divided into three business areas: Recycling (construction recycling services), Materials (complete solutions for waste and water) and Industry (Industrial removal of materials and liquids).[26]

We would like to refer also to the Norwegian start-up Kenobi that has found a method to produce wood for buildings from conifers by reinforcing that type of soft wood available in Scandinavia.

CNBC Business has listed Kebony,  Norwegian start-up as one of Europe’s 25 most creative companies. Two companies have put 30 million[27] into Kebony. In doing so, the company mainly wants to become better known and attract new customers all over the world. In the first half of 2021, the company achieved sales that were 23 percent higher than the year before, which makes it seem like they have found a gap in the market.[28]

A vigorous rebound in economic activity (after the cold snap of the COVID19 pandemic), interest rates being still very low, investors looking for profitable investments… There is no shortage of factors to explain the attention of venture capitalists for start-ups in recent months.

It was May 2021 that the largest operation was carried out (period September 2020 to July 2021): it concerns the raising of 2.3 billion euros by Northvolt, a Swedish manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles. An operation carried out by several Swedish pension funds, Goldman Sachs and Volkswagen[29].

In Spain on the other hand the multinational insurance company Sanitas[30] and the insurer's parent company, Bupa, that stimulates start-ups in the circular economy, rewarded in the beginning of 2022 Circoolar, a Spanish start-up that, with just two years of existence, is opening a niche in the textile business, from an "ethical, ecological and circular" approach and provided them with an injection of 200,000 pounds (240,000 euros). Moreover they commissioned the start-up to produce Sanitas uniforms in Spain. [31]

The Québec-based Loop Industries is an environmentally responsible manufacturer of PTA (Purified Terephthalic Acid) and EG (Ethylene Glycol). The Company has created a process that decouples plastic from fossil fuels, breaking down waste PET plastic to its base building blocks. These are combined to create virgin-quality PET plastic that can be used in for food-grade plastic packaging[32]. It successful achievements caught the eye of players on other continents.

South Korea’s SK Global Chemical has bought a 10-per-cent stake in Quebec-based Loop Industries Inc. for $56.5-million, and the two plan to form a joint venture to deploy Loop’s proprietary plastic recycling technology in Asia.[33] The same Loop Industries will invest 250 million in a French factory, in association with the part of Suez that has not been absorbed by its rival Veolia. The factory will employ 180 people and produce 70,000 tonnes of virgin resin in Port-Jérôme, on the Seine, a crucible of French chemistry[34].

Another source of growth born from the emergence of a new generation of consumers who are part of a collaborative economy is the second-hand market. There are already several platforms that focus on allowing existing clothing to be reused by new consumers. The Lithuanian-Dutch platform Vinted has become a well-known brand. Another Lithuanian initiative Think Twice, that works with stores is also an excellent illustration. Its first Belgian branch was opened in 2007, now there are ten. Their growing success is undeniable. This growth also translates into employment. Think Twice now employs 65 people in Belgium.[35]

Though a step in the circular direction, facilitating second-hand sales is not the same as buying back directly. Until recently, traditional retail has been resistant to enter the resale market because it ostensibly steals sales from the primary market. As brands see that strong resale values actually drive sales of first-hand, or new goods (as, for instance, luxury consignment website TheRealReal [36] experienced when they partnered with Burberry to encourage consignment) the hostility has thawed. Indeed, if brands want to foster a following and develop a base of loyal customers, embracing the second-hand economy will be essential.

We are in the early stages of a radical transformation in retail. The resale disruptors who have positioned themselves as conscious alternatives to vapid consumption have turned circularity into a major consideration for shoppers and their primary purchases.

Greenwashing: the caveat on the road to circular economy

Marketers discovered very early on that part of the public yearned for living in a healthier environment, to fight against climate change, to fight the plastic pollution of the oceans, to be closer to nature and to understand that every part of nature has its role to play.

They tried to make it clear to their bosses within the big companies that a market was emerging that certainly saw these arguments as a purchase argument, provided that they were correctly responded to. The company executive officers, on the other hand, understood that this would cost them money if they really had to invest and were not yet convinced that these trends would continue. Their shareholders, who have already seen their dividend fall, were of the same opinion. So the companies embarked on a discourse that emphasized respect for nature and the fight against global warming, without, however, offering lasting results.

Large fashion chains but also distributors and shoe producers are in the picture and declared guilty of this.

The last in line to crawl in the dust was the American sports shoe producer Nike, where German investigative journalists found tossed thousands of returned sneakers through the shredder. A team of German investigative journalists placed GPS trackers in Nike sneakers to see if they were recycled as promised. In doing so, they found out that tens of thousands of seemingly new shoes are simply destroyed. Separation of parts – important for recycling – seemed out of the question. The shoes were destroyed entirely: only the filling paper was manually removed beforehand. In the factory, German journalists also filmed workers pushing apparently new Nike sneakers into the shredders.[37]

Large NGOs and quality newspapers make it a point to harass and even sue these companies. Their attacks tarnish not only the sinners in question, but all companies also those that are effectively targeting the transition from linear to circular economy. Business groups are therefore vigorously opposing this type of marketing. In the southern region of Belgium, Wallonia, the employers’ representatives organised in the Union wallonne des Entreprises (UWE) declared recently in the press that greenwashing is no longer an option. UWE wishes to make a long-term commitment to the promotion and practical implementation of the 17 sustainable development goals of the UN within companies.[38]

Circular economy as a future international model

Circular companies tend to be more resilient because they are less dependent on very long supply chains and have lower material consumption. Moreover, a circular company is closer to the customers, but also to the other companies it works with. The movement can be considered as a global: groups of countries like the EU and many big countries in the Far East organise this trend on a governmental level or within a corporate consensus.

In the 1990s, Chinese scholars proposed a circular economy as a new model to help China make better use of resources and energy. Since then, the model has become an integral part of the national economic strategy, and has been built upon throughout the last three Five Year Plans. Today, there are four main components to China’s circular economy strategy: (1) Circular production — to embed reduce, reuse and recycling into whole production processes; (2) Circular systems of industry, agriculture and services — to follow the principle of optimising industrial processes, greatly supporting circular production;(3) Growth of recycling industry — to recycle and reuse urban waste streams, focusing on remanufacture and renewable energy; (4) Green consumption (‘circular values’) — to guide citizens towards smart, healthy and safe consumption. [39]

Taiwan is one of those countries with no minerals and with a strong industry directed on export. They have already a strong commitment to the circular economy and focus on several industries: agro-food and biomass, construction, electronic and chemistry, plastics, textiles and transportation. Within the methodologies to apply and introduce the circular economy in their system they make a distinction between high-value utilisation, product as a service and systems partnerships. The technical cycle of circular economy distinguishes several methods: material sourcing, process optimisation, product design, recycle, refurbish/remanufacture, repair/reuse, separation/collection.[40] Hundreds of examples are already available: it shows the country is really dedicated to the process.

(South) Korea is a country of large conglomerates that closely monitor market trends and, if necessary, link up with the inventive players in the rest of the OECD. The conglomerates have a lot of industrial influence on the rest of Asia, especially the ASEAN countries with which Korea is linked. The fact that the Korean conglomerates are paying so much attention to circular economy initiatives is a strong indication that they are convinced that this is the way forward. A striking example is from Hyundai.

Hyundai Engineering Co., part of the South Korean car manufacturer, is investing almost 300 million euros in a factory that produces clean hydrogen from plastic waste. The company wants to capture and store the CO2 released during the process. It expects its first production in mid-2022. The factory will be built in Dangjin, about 120 kilometers south of Seoul. Hyundai expects the plant to be fully operational in 2024. The factory will then have to process 100,000 tons of plastic every year, good for 22,000 tons of hydrogen. According to the company, this is equivalent to the annual energy requirement of 150,000 hydrogen cars [41].

Japan -like Korea- has business conglomerates that follow the market very well. Although the idea of ​​3R - a combination of the first three letters of a word: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- was originated in Japan already in 2005 as a the proper management of waste, Japanese are rarely deep green. Japanese are pragmatic: they bow when they notice that the wind is getting too strong. Japanese car and parts makers are working to develop more sustainable batteries for electric vehicles, part of efforts to reduce total carbon emissions, trace the lifetime of their products and cope with tighter global regulations. And while in recent years, most Japanese carmakers have turned to hydrogen as the fuel of the future, by 2025, electric cars designed and built by a joint venture of Japanese multinationals Sony and Honda should roll off the production line.[42] In the same time the industry works to lessen negative impact of everything from mining to recycling.[43] Efforts for a circular economy are gaining traction in the global fashion industry.

In Japan last year, Fast Retailing's Uniqlo put polo shirts made of recycled polyester on store shelves, but items using renewable materials that debuted in June sold for about 1,000 yen more than conventional clothes. The costs associated with recycled clothing remain a challenge. Japanese department store operator Takashimaya will team with 15 fashion brands to recycle used clothes to make brand-new apparel as it doubles down on sustainability efforts.

Down Under, Australia, is an Anglo-Saxon country that, unlike the US, has embraced the principle of the circular economy since a couple years. Australia’s ban on waste exports commenced on January 1, 2021, marking a milestone in the progression towards a circular economy and the responsible management of its waste resources. Looking beyond the country’s exported waste, the country detected an even more significant onshore opportunity for materials recovery and emissions reduction that is five times the size of the waste export market: the 20 million tonnes of materials that go to landfill every year in Australia. Australia is a country with many mineral resources that it also exploits. On the other hand, it realizes that these are finite and that they must be used as efficiently as possible.

Closing remarks

This article refers to a global movement that has been speeded up by COVID. It is disruptive, because it breaks with a rewarding economic system that has been developed after the second world war and that created gigantic wealth for one percent of world population, but also a middle class in many developing countries. But it has been also an economic system that is considered nowadays as the cause of many ecological problems, pollution and climate changes. And although those who benefited most of it are reluctant to let the system go, more and more citizens worldwide have been able to convince their authorities that this system is no longer sustainable and that measures have to be taken to shift the entire economy into a less destructive economic system that not only takes growth and profit into consideration but also ecological and social boundaries. In the eyes of many citizens as well as existing companies this vision is disruptive. And disruption is not always considered as the right way to take. But more and more people, entrepreneurs and politicians are convinced that this disruptive future is the only one that will enable us to cope with major problems for the future generation such as climate change, inequality and pollution.

All aspects of this topic and its state of affairs have been treated in a book I published recently with Lambert Academic Publishing and that is available. [44]

Summary

Originating a “cradle-to-cradle”, a movement of idealists wanted to end the disposable economy that resulted from the globalisation of the economy since the Second World War. The principles of the movement turned into a circular economy that has in recent years become a direction in which the young generations recognize themselves worldwide and is picked up by many politicians as the only direction to keep the planet liveable.

The continuous extraction of raw materials and the constant production of new food crops, industrial crops, animals, objects and machines have undeniable consequences for CO2 emissions due to a high consumption of energy and to the long transport periods that the extracted goods undergo. On the other hand, those consumed goods thrown away by consumers again have undeniable consequences for the pollution of soil and groundwater, rivers and finally the oceans. The consideration, especially among the young generation, has therefore grown that human activity on planet Earth cannot continue like this and that drastic changes in human behaviour, consumption and corporate responsibility must be made.

These new sensitivities have their origins in many places of the globe: as well in Europe, Canada, the progressive states of the US as in the Far East. Two target groups are bound to be reached: both the consumer, who must be driven in the direction of preventing waste and managing waste so that it becomes a raw material again, and the companies that need to reconsider their entire production process and treat waste as a new material.

This is a disruptive concept, there is no doubt about it. All the more so because the global transportation of waste is increasingly coming to an end. China ended imports of waste from abroad in 2018, because much of that waste had to be reprocessed there. Latin American and African countries where waste has been shamelessly dumped from North America and Europe are also closing their borders because they do not have the resources to process it and because this waste is often toxic and polluting. But it is a disruptive concept that is constructive and that can as well have positive consequences for the climate as for local employment.

Louis Delcart, board member European Academy of the Regions, www.ear-aer.eu

[1] Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounting – What It Does; https://oneplanetalliance.org/ecological-footprint/

[2] National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts 2021 Public Data Package; https://www.footprintnetwork.org/licenses/public-data-package-free/

[3] Chen Demin, “The Essence of a Recycling Economy: Circular Utilization of Resources”, Chinese Journal of Population Resources and Environment, (2004), 2:1, p.20

[4] Julio Núñez, “Cuando lo que hacían tus abuelos era la base de la economía circular”(When what your grandparents did was the basis of the circular economy), El Pais, 18-03-2021

[5] Rianne Lachmeijer, “Dit zijn de 6 beste circulaire bedrijven van 2022” (These are the 6 best circular companies of 2022 in the Netherlands), Change Inc, 5-02-2022

[6] M.A., “El envaso eterno existe” ( Eternal packaging exists), El País, 30-09-2021

[7] Teun Schröder, “Gerecyclede lithium batterijen doen het net zo goed als nieuwe batterijen” (Recycled lithium batteries perform just as well as new batteries), Change Inc, 21-10-2021

[8] Romy de Weert, “Afvalbedrijf bouwt recyclemachine voor batterijen elektrische auto's” ( Waste company builds recycling machine for electric car batteries) Change Inc, 12-1-2022

[9] Guy Scriven, “The great disrupter”, The Economist Today, 17-09-2020

[10] Sabine Sluijters, “Klimaatmaatregelen China bedreigen aanvoer zonnepanelen Europa”(Climate measures in China threaten supply of solar panels to Europe), Change Inc, 04-10-2021

[11] Fost Plus is an initiative of the Belgian private sector that promotes, coordinates and finances the selective collection, sorting and recycling of household packaging waste. The company is self-financed by its members: companies that produce and sell packaging such as Unilever, Danone and Colruyt. Fost Plus was founded in 1994 as a voluntary private sector initiative. Shortly afterwards, the selective collection of household packaging waste was introduced in Belgium.

[12] Bart De bruyn, “Gerecycleerde botervlootjes waken over luchtkwaliteit in klassen”(Recycled buttercups monitor air quality in classrooms), Made in Antwerpen, 10-01-2022

[13] Kelly Clarke, “Meet the Dubai company turning discarded plastic bottles into T-shirts”, The National News, 1-2-2022

[14] In 1990, Interreg was developed as a Community Initiative in with a budget of just EUR 1 billion covering exclusively cross-border cooperation. Over the years, Interreg has become the key instrument of the European Union to support cooperation between partners across borders. The aim: to tackle common challenges together and find shared solutions - whether in the field of health, research and education, transport or sustainable energy.

[15] Citizen involvement in circular economy implementation, https://www.interregeurope.eu/ceci/

[16] Ruslan Nercaș, “E-deșeurile, o bombă ecologică… Cum scăpăm de aparatele electronice vechi” (E-waste, an ecological bomb … How to get rid of old electronic devices?), Moldcontrol, 22.12.2020 ,

[17] Ammar Kalia, “Eskilstuna: how a Swedish town became the world capital of recycling”, The Guardian, 19-06-2019

[18] Learning Hub, https://archive.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/explore

[19] BpiFrance, « Les fonderies Bouhyer : entre traditions et innovations »( Bouhyer foundries: between traditions and innovations), France-Ouest, 05/10/21

[20] Muryel Jacque, “Plastique, vêtements, recyclage : tout ce qui change en 2022 pour lutter contre le gaspillage”(Plastic, clothing, recycling: everything that will change in 2022 in France in the framework of the fight against waste), Les Echos, 30-12-2021

[21] André Thomas, « Le recyclage des plastiques progresse en France » (Plastic recycling is progressing in France), France-Ouest, 27-01-2022

[22] Patric Van der Haegen, « Kreislaufwirtschaft: Gemeinsam nachhaltiger bauen » (Circular economy in Switzerland: building more sustainably together), Presse blog, 13-04-2021 ; https://www.presse-blog.com/2021/04/13/kreislaufwirtschaft-gemeinsam-nachhaltiger-bauen/

[23] Antonin Marsac, « Du “béton circulaire” pour réduire les émissions de CO2 du secteur de la construction (et oublier un fiasco du passé à Bruxelles) » (“Circular concrete” to reduce CO2 emissions in the construction sector), La Libre Belgique, 12-06-21

[24] Pascal Sertyn, “Proeftuin duurzame chemie in Antwerpse haven gaat van start” (Sustainable chemistry pilot project opens in the port of Antwerp), De Standaard, 14-01-2022

[25] dpa-Newskanal, “Grüne sehen Wirtschaftsministerium bei Start-ups in Pflicht” (Greens see the Ministry of Economics as a duty for start-ups), Süddeutsche Zeitung, 28-01-2022

[26] “Nordic Capital förvärvar tillväxtföretaget Sortera med målet att bli störst i Norden inom miljövänlig återvinning” (Nordic Capital acquires growth company Sortera with the goal of becoming the largest in the Nordic region in environmentally friendly recycling), Nordic Capital, 08-03-2021; https://www.nordiccapital.com/aktuellt/nordic-capital-foervaervar-tillvaextfoeretaget-sortera-med-maalet-att-bli-stoerst-i-norden-inom-miljoevaenlig-aatervinning/

[27] Kebony’s EUR 30 million financing round was led by Jolt Capital and Lightrock, who will join longstanding Kebony shareholders such as Goran, MVP, FPIM, PMV and Investinor, of which the latter two will remain represented on the Board of Directors. The capital injection will expand and accelerate Kebony’s growth initiatives in core markets in Europe and the US. The funding will enable Kebony to further penetrate a EUR 3 billion market, and leverage the underlying megatrends of producing sustainable materials for the residential and non-residential construction industries.

[28] Marc Seijlhouwer,” Nieuwe techniek uit Noorwegen zorgt ervoor dat we het regenwoud niet hoeven te kappen voor hout” (New technology from Norway ensures that we don’t have to cut down the rainforest for wood), Change Inc, 04 -11- 2021

[29] Pierre-François Lovens : « Levées de fonds pour les start-up européennes : voici le classement des pays qui attirent le plus d’investisseurs » ( Fundraising for European start-ups: here is the ranking of the countries that attract the most investors), La Libre Belgique ,25-19-2021 

[30] Sanitas is an insurance company and provider of health and wellness services of Spanish origin. Founded in 1954 by a group of Spanish doctors, it had a solid expansion from 1960. In 1989 it became part of the British United Provident Association (BUPA), an international medical care group, with its origins and its headquartered in the UK  

[31] Inma Moscardo,  “Circoolar transforma el plástico en ropa de trabajo” (Circoolar transforms plastic into work clothes),  El País, 14-1-2022

[32] https://www.loopindustries.com/en

[33] Jeffrey Jones, “South Korean firm partners with Quebec’s Loop Industries to deploy recycling technology in Asia”, The Globe and Mail, 23-06-2021;

[34] André Thomas, « Le recyclage des plastiques progresse en France » (Plastic recycling is progressing in France), France-Ouest, 27-01-2022

[35] Korneel Delbeke: “Tweedehands, goed voor het klimaat en de tewerkstelling” (Second-hand, good for climate and employment), De Standaard, 4-05-2021

[36] The RealReal, Inc. is an online and brick-and-mortar marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment.[2] Based on the circular economy, The RealReal sells consigned clothing, fine jewelry, watches, fine art and home decor. It employs an in-house staff of experts including horologists, gemologists, art curators and luxury fashion authenticators who inspect items for authenticity and value. 

[37] Nico Tanghe, “Nike versnippert splinternieuwe sneakers in Vlaamse fabriek” (American sport equipment company shreds brand new sneakers in Belgian factory), De Standaard, 16-11-2021

[38] Antonin Marsac, “Le greenwashing n'est plus une option”: l'UWE réunit la Reine Mathilde et les entreprises pour aller plus loin dans le développement durable » (Greenwashing is no longer an option), La Libre Belgique, 22/6/2021

[39] Nick Jeffries, “Circular economy in China: six examples”, in: CirculateNews, 16-07-2018

[40] www.circular-taiwan.org/en/practice/case

[41] Teun Schröder, “Hyundai investeert miljoenen om waterstof van plastic afval te maken” (Hyundai invests millions to make hydrogen from plastic waste), Change Inc, 22-12-2021

[42] Johan Raskin, “Sony en Honda bundelen krachten om elektrische wagens te bouwen” (Sony and Honda join forces to build electric cars), De Standaard, 5-03-2022

[43] Eri Sugiura, “Nissan, Denso and Bosch showcase more sustainable batteries”, Nikkei Asia, 22-10-2021

Maarten Vanden Eynde: Gadget 3D, cotton threath, wooden bobbins, 2017

From a cradle-to-cradle philosophy to a circular economy strategy

Started under the nickname "cradle-to-cradle", the principle of the circular economy has come a long way in ten years’ time, also in the public opinion. While at the beginning everyone laughed about the idealistic entrepreneurs who made office furniture in standard pieces and nuts and screws that could be expanded by extension but also demolished and reused in other furniture, most found this an unusable business model. We were therefore still in the era of the throw-away culture, encouraged by the multinationals who focused their sales policy on selling new office furniture, new computers, new smartphones, new clothes to the same users almost every year. And the used ones were dumped, preferably in Africa or Latin America, without shame.

And then mining companies arrived at the conclusion that one mine after another became empty or would cost a lot more to continue to be exploited. At the same time local residents also became more critical of the mine operators or the cotton field cultivators who for years had been grudgingly digging up their environment, treating them with acids, polluting the air, emptying the water table and actually offering no employment or added value to the region. The realisation that Earth's mineral resources were finite grew steadily along with the population of our planet. There was no more laughing with companies that collected old pieces. The Corona crisis was confronting: enormous delays have arisen in the delivery of materials that can actually be found at the local scrap heap or landfill.

The realization has therefore arisen that resource optimization, efficiency of materials, their reuse, increase of recycling, but also ecological design are strategies  in a more cyclical economy to reduce the consumption not only of plastics , but also of a number of other products that use important raw materials and materials that are potentially dangerous for the environment and human health[1]. One of the consequences is that people start to realise  that we really should not own so many objects, machinery and devices at home. Once the lifeline of those is finite, no one takes good care of them, and the mountain of disposable items has conquered the world. The example is particularly poignant when it comes to plastic: the oceans are becoming full of plastic, the fish eat that unbreakable plastic and end up in the food chain, with all the resulting cancer-generating consequences.

Certainly the digitisation of society and the fact that the digital natives have become buyers has led to the emergence of new business models in which cars, computers, household appliances, maintenance machines etc. can be reserved and delivered or collected. When they are delivered for rent, they are ready for use and also maintained.

This is a mind shift that is gradually happening among the citizens, with the urban younger generation motivated in the lead. They see the consequences of climate change, they can no longer travel and are working at home in front of their computer screens. And they require a more ecological offer from the companies. They have become critical of the multinationals that pretend: greenwashing has become a term of abuse.

And as soon as there is a market, companies jump on it. And the early birds will be the quickest to make the switch. Because it is coming. And the authorities, led by local authorities, are pushing in that direction. Because they see new opportunities for their region, in terms of employment, in terms of citizens' well-being, and in making their city or region more resilient to climate change.

Time-span & TINA

The transition to a circular economy is one of the building blocks of the Green Deal, the European agenda for sustainable growth. The transition to a circular economy substantially reduces our ecological footprint. In the EU, this could lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions of almost half by 2030 and even 83 percent by 2050. The economic benefits are also significant. For companies in the EU, measures such as waste prevention, eco-design and reuse can save costs of 600 billion euros or 8 percent of annual turnover. The new business models that are emerging also provide a new dynamic with additional innovation, growth and more employment. Jobs are created in recycling, maintenance and repair, sectors that are labour-intensive. Moreover, we can expect that the transition will create new jobs that do not yet exist today.[2]

It is encouraging to notice that governments and citizens around the world have already become so evolved in their thinking that they assume that the switch from linear to circular economy can be the only step forward. For many the TINA principle is acquired: There Is No Alternative. Democratic countries are struggling to achieve this goal because not all noses are yet in the same direction. Not only are business leaders often grumpy, because they see the many investments that need to be made, but also because they are not always convinced that the solutions will be as profitable as what they are doing right now. The sense of urgency is missing for the moment because the risk that they will ever run out of business or customers by continuing to produce in the same way is too distant in time to be influential. The population itself is also not always convinced and often hides in its comfort zone. The example of the posh neighbourhoods in Barcelona who think it's a shame to put their garbage bags in front of their door because of odour nuisance is typical.[3]

Sensationalism & The press

There is still a lot of communication work to be done in order to convince citizens that everyone has to contribute if they want to keep the world habitable and that citizens do have an important role to play. I have learned from the corona pandemic that in a democracy there will always be a persistent minority who will not feel called to be part of a society that imposes rules for the common good, and who are convinced their opinion is the right one, and will continue to fight for a utopian dream of absolute freedom. Continued communication and motivation will hopefully help reduce this group to an absolute minimum in the long run.

Even if citizens in many European countries now willingly cooperate with separate waste collection, the reports that the press often spread about it are confusing. For example, a few years ago I read in Belgium a report in the gossip-press that a waste processor would have said that all that separated waste was brought back together for incineration because it was too difficult to recover parts. That's barfly wisdom but it remains in the subconscious and is just as persistent as the story that the former French president Sarkozy has prevented in extremis an imminent EU directive stimulating that only straight bananas should be sold in the EU.

What bothers me therefore personally, however, is that the press barely takes up its obvious role in this event. Since the press is a profit-oriented business, journalists often limit themselves to sensationalism, to political errors and to controversy. Striking results in the fight against CO2, striking new discoveries by researchers, cooperation between companies and between companies and universities are barely mentioned, because they do not arouse the interest of the general public. That, of course, is the chicken and egg argument.

The role of the press varies from country to country. Thanks to its Change Inc, the Netherlands have created a permanent source of information. Dutch-speaking Belgium is now also making a creditable attempt with Made in Green Economy. If one inquires to the traditional (quality) press and type in the words "recycling" or "circular economy", the difference becomes very clear. In the German newspapers one finds almost daily reports, in the French and Italian also. In Belgium and the Netherlands it is a bit more limited, just like in the Spanish, Danish and Swedish newspapers. The Portuguese or Canadian press publishes an article every two months. The American about ten articles a year.

Various sectors & shareholders first

In an extensive study we made over the last year, and that will be subject of a book that will be published in March 2022[4], one of the important conclusions is that the reuse of waste as a new raw material is not easy for a number of sectors. The 70 to 80,000 different types of plastics that moreover are often mixed, need to be mapped and then reduced. And that requires the cooperation of all companies in all countries. And let it be the chemical companies, the petroleum processors, that are the most unteachable. Nevertheless, university researchers are working on solutions every day and important results are also being achieved. The public has a right to get to know these kinds of successes. The press doesn't care.

The textile industry is also a major polluter, not only because of the use of synthetic yarn. Growing natural yarn such as cotton also has an enormous negative impact on nature. We have reached a stage where the young generations is starting to become sensitive to it. We also discovered that a number of fashion designers take the lead to do something about it. But, as mentioned above, as long as fast fashion is not considered "not done", it will remain a multi-billion dollar business and the idealists will continue to be a minority again and again. And that, again, is a movement that the press must participate in.

Companies are important players in making the circular story successful. Multinationals often struggle with their shareholders, who don't give a shred of thought about the survival of the planet. Eco-driven CEOs are therefore often called back when they try to take a circular or sustainability course. In the case of multinationals, reputation is often the only vulnerable thing there is: large NGOs know this well enough. It's a company's Achilles heel and the latter often kick it hard to force stubborn multinationals to go beyond just greenwashing. The journey towards a circular economy is therefore led by medium-sized and family-owned companies, by start-ups and scale-ups, as well as by universities and research centres.

The business of business is business

This is a quote from Milton Freedman, neo-liberal economist who won the Nobel Prize in Economy and was an advisor to former US-president Ronald Regan. We confirm his premise: a business cannot exist if it does not make a profit. But that's where the connection between Freedman’s time, the end of the twentieth century, and our present time, the third decade of the twenty-first century ends. And with this I endorse a Christmas contribution in last year's the Danish newspaper Berlingske by Prof. Steen Hildebrandt who, referring to Friedman, states: “There are two worlds. Two vastly different sets of success criteria. In both corporate images, scarcity of resources is required; nothing should be wasted, but the criteria used are different. There is no doubt - this business is a business; it must make money. But in new ways, under a new business paradigm. One can always discuss what is goal and what is means. Two things cannot be discussed: a business cannot exist if it does not make a profit. And it cannot exist if it does not simultaneously strive for some of the goals that can be summed up under the heading of sustainability or the UN's 17 world goals.”[5]

Start-ups & associations & local

We often have reservations about start-ups. Start-ups that set up a project out of both social and ecological concern often find themselves short of breath. And having to rely on public funding, even if disguised as an investment fund, is not often the best possible step to gain credibility in the corporate world when taking the next step to scale-up. Many of our interlocutors, also from Eastern Europe, indicate that lots of start-ups get stuck in using recycled materials, without being able to create a real market. The numerous platforms that now see the light are also often convenience solutions where the impact is rather a lucky shot or serendipity. The Lithuanian second-hand platform Vinted[6] has been lucky enough to catch on, but is vulnerable because it doesn't proceed with quality control and thus admits fraud. After all, people are not always honest.

The sector associations play a crucial role in developing circular economy thinking patterns and taking joint initiatives. Family businesses are clearly taking the lead here. The role of the sector associations in the eagerness of companies to collaborate with universities and research centres should also not be underestimated. They can call on their members to conduct joint research, which then can be used by all stakeholders. In my own country, I recently found a vacancy announcement on LinkedIn for a circular economy coordinator for the construction sector association.

And although Anglo-Saxon countries look with great suspicion at initiatives taken by local authorities, I wish to draw attention to the latter. The impact of local authorities can be quite important: motivating citizens to participate in separate waste collection projects, refining separate waste collection so that private companies can devise more applications, stimulating and supporting start-ups in circular economy, bringing together various players to create  markets related to circular economy, etc.

Opportunity for investors

The switch from linear to circular is also a huge opportunity for investors. They not only assess companies on the basis of their financial results, but also increasingly look at their sustainability performance. Regulation and investor preferences will devalorise unsustainable companies in the long run.

Analysts estimate that investments in the circular economy will grow to USD 4.5 trillion by 2030, more than a quarter of the EU’s current GDP. Today, the global economy is only 8.6 percent circular, so there is still a long way to go. The transition to a circular society is a train of which we all should get on board.[7]

Opportunities for citizens

A transition from linear to circular is coming, unless you're blind or bury your head in the sand. Our consumer behaviour will change, and is already changing. This may be considered as a revolution,  be it a benign revolution to look forward to. What is wrong with families who start to privilege the use of things and stuff rather than the ownership of it? They apply this principle since several years now when it comes to music platforms were they rent the song and don’t buy the CD anymore. The same principle goes for renting a house rather than being the owner of it. What is then wrong with renting garden tools instead that everyone owns these separately and moreover benefits of the repairs and maintenance of the objects. And machines for rent is already accessible in many western countries. The next step they foresee is rented space for furniture makers. And what about renting a car instead of owning a car that is parked in the garage or in the parking lot? And how about the new trend of slide-in houses in prefab form or even houses on wheels[8], or student rooms on recycled boats[9], all energy neutral and with remains that are recyclable? Or about going to repair café sessions, learning how to repair broken cell phones or tools.?

What we discover by examining the evolution of our economy and our society is that the circular economy is definitely in our own interest: there is less ecological footprint, it creates employment closer to home and worldwide. Europe itself has few raw materials, so do many other countries. When they are democracies they are systematically blackmailed by less democratic regimes who refuse to sell their virgin material, because they abhor those countries’ preference for democracy. So we will have to put faith in our own hands, trying to keep our prosperity and to help others by a mechanism that in time will create a growing middle class. If this happens we know that this approach can also lead in the future to a global world population decline by 2050.

Let’s face it: the transition is coming step by step, along with growing insights and a technology that follows and stimulates. It is a type of prosperity that on the one hand harks back to a long-lost world in which things were not thrown away so quickly, in which appliances were repaired, in which sweaters were taken off to collect knitting wool again. It is a world mythically magnified by an older generation to proportions of well-being that never existed. On the other hand, it is an option to use all new techniques and resources that are currently available not even as a threat, but as a means to achieve the objective of reusing and thereby reducing the extraction of new raw materials. As a result, new local employment is created again, but on a global scale. This drastically reduces global CO2 emissions. And let's face it: a world in which the average citizen feels appreciated, gets his money's worth, has a future perspective that his children will also survive on this planet, wherever they live, isn't that worth it?

Louis Delcart, board member European Academy of the Regions

[1] ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ: Mελέτη Alpha Bank: Πού βρίσκεται σήμερα η κυκλική οικονομία στην Ελλάδα και οι εφαρμογές της, in: Hellenic News of America, 23-12-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/676384678922665984/where-is-the-circular-economy-in-greece-today-and

[2] Frank Maet & Véronique Goossens, De nieuwe beloftevolle markt voor beleggers,( The new promising market for investors), in: Belfius News, 14-01-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/673621935039692800/the-new-promising-market-for-investors

[3] Karin Janker : Wie Barcelona an der Einführung einer Müllabfuhr scheiterte,( How Barcelona failed to introduce separate garbage collection circuits), in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 5-11-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/667372692840873984/how-barcelona-failed-to-introduce-separate-garbage

[4] Louis Delcart, Towards a circular economy – the great experiences book, Lambert Academic Publishing, Chisinau, March 2022

[5] Steen Hildebrandt, Disse succeskriterier kan skabe fremtidens virksomheder,(These success criteria can create the companies of the future), in: Berlingske, 25-12-2021, https://www.berlingske.dk/kommentarer/disse-succeskriterier-kan-skabe-fremtidens-virksomheder

[6] Unfortunately, the fact that Vinted constitutes a market platform that also allows private individuals to sell to other individuals opens the door to fraud. In the Belgian press, the company was recently accused of promoting fraud through its rules. Sellers who offer expensive second-hand items from well-known brands on the platform, send them in, and are then accused of counterfeiting. They will then receive another piece, from a cheap brand, in the mail back. Vinted balks at his 20-page rules. But the damage is done: the smell of random decisions at the platform tarnishes the brand. Some luxury second-hand clothing websites work with an authorization system. But then you need a large database and a small army of specialists who can judge whether something is real. But that costs a lot of money and undermines the platform boy’s profit. It is therefore waiting for EU initiative. At European level, a proposal for a digital services act is on the table. In it, the European Union looks at online liability; Karlien Beckers, ‘Probeer in 24 uur maar eens te bewijzen dat je jas niet fake is’(Try to prove in 24 hours that your jacket is not fake), in: De Standaard, 8-1-2022, https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20220107_97888158

[7] Frank Maet & Véronique Goossens, De nieuwe beloftevolle markt voor beleggers,( The new promising market for investors), in: Belfius News, 14-01-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/673621935039692800/the-new-promising-market-for-investors

[8] Nils Schillewaert: Tiny houses, compacte woningen op wielen, worden steeds populairder maar de wet volgt nog niet,( Tiny houses, compact homes on wheels, are becoming increasingly popular, but the law is not yet following) in: VRTNews, 29/09/2021 https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/667371287709138944/tiny-houses-compact-homes-on-wheels-are-becoming

It is clear that green economy and circular economy do not only offer solutions for the major problems of climate change. They also create new jobs. This is necessary because due to digitization and the introduction of robotics and artificial intelligence, many labour-intensive jobs for the low-skilled will be lost. Decentralised countries have a feeling for regional development and the benefits of it.

A striking testimonial comes from Australia, a federation of states with a lot of autonomy. The New South Wales website www.nswcircular.org dedicated on the circular economy mentions: “Regional development strategies are particularly well suited to planning with the circular economy in mind. Communities with remote and decentralised industry, energy and water systems already know the benefits of local closed loops in using locally available resources, and minimizing transport costs. Agricultural and mining communities, for example, are constantly being challenged to adapt to climate change, resources depletion and high production costs.”[1]

We also see that it is the cities and regions that are taking the lead in supporting both start-ups and large companies that have started the actual conversion.

Port cities as traditional economic forerunners

Traditional port cities for example often are quicker in setting up initiatives in that perspective, because they usually also have an industrial hinterland and do not want to see that lost.

For example, I read examples from Antwerp and Bordeaux where the city and the region, via local agencies, are targeting new start-ups, supporting scale-ups but also large companies.

An incubator for sustainable chemistry called BlueChem[2] opened in May 2020. It is an initiative of the Port of Antwerp. A year and a half later, 12 start-ups and 6 large companies have been established, with which the incubator is currently at an occupancy of 63%. The City of Antwerp provides financial support to start-ups that rent a lab in BlueChem in order to furnish that lab. To this end, a BlueChem Kickstart Fund was established in 2019. With this fund worth 3.4 million euros, the city can help new start-ups in BlueChem on the long term. The first files for the BlueChem Kickstart Fund were approved by the council of mayor and aldermen last week: Inopsys[3] and Peace of Meat[4]. BlueChem is located in the NextGen district[5], the former site where the Opel cars were was produced, that is converted into a circular hub in the port of Antwerp.

French Tech Bordeaux on the other hand is a combination of entrepreneurs, engineers, designers and developers of the Bordeaux and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region but not only! It is also investors, large groups, associations, media, public operators, research institutes, educational establishments and communities who are committed to the growth of Bordeaux start-ups and their international influence. Recycling is becoming a promising sector even in the world of start-ups. Especially in the Bordeaux ecosystem where they are multiplying.[6]

In the same region there is also EPA Bordeaux Euratlantique (Bordeaux Public Development Establishment) a state body specializing in urban development and in particular responsible for developing the banks of the Garonne in the Bordeaux metropolitan area. It intervened recently in guaranteeing the future of a former paper mill, owned by the Belgian group Etex that stopped its activities in March 2021. Under Euratlantique’s impulse the Burgundian industrialist Global Hygiene, was selected to ensure the paper mill’s conversion aiming to eventually produce 30,000 tons of single-use products by concentrating on the production of wadding from recycled paper.[7]

In the same way goes the evolution of the port city of Kiel on the Baltic Sea. One of the major projects in Kiel: the port should be climate neutral by 2030.

Huge shore power systems are to supply anchored ships with green electricity and the city is negotiating with shipping companies to convert their ships accordingly. In addition, Kiel is striving for an alliance with other ports in order to prevent environmental dumping. However, the area of influence of the city administrations is clearly limited when it comes to the really big levers.[8]

Malmö, an important port in Sweden also on the Baltic Sea, makes efforts in the same direction. Although still in its early stages, the industry players in the harbour of Malmö City are collaborating in new ways, particularly with a focus on innovative utility systems that have the potential to support the wider City of Malmö[9].

Residual heat flows in the port area were mapped in detail, helping to develop a new district heating system with private-sector partners trialling types of hybrid ‘ecto-grid/smart-net pilot,’ as ways to support energy recovery and the development of low temperature heat network solutions. Progress was made towards new food production systems based on residual flows, including technological and economic assessments for an aquaponic systems, which gained positive results.

“Donut”-cities

One of the economists whose theories have the greatest impact on the evolution from linear to circular economy is the British professor Kate Raworth. In her book “the Donut Economy”, published in 2017, she states that the economy balances between an ecological upper limit and a social lower limit. That lower limit consists of human rights such as safety, health and sufficient food. The ecological upper limit concerns issues such as air pollution, climate change and soil depletion. The economy is therefore subordinate to the planet. When one draws this model, you see a large circle (the planetary boundaries) with a small circle (the social lower boundary), hence the name donut economy. The space between those two circles forms the donut. The 'sweet spot': a circular economy that is good for people and the environment.

Her theories are adhered by many politicians -mostly regional and local politicians- and NGO’s worldwide. But she figures out that the city is where it starts first. At the donut economy action lab, that is a platform that helps people and organizations put the donut economy into practice, she and her fellow researchers never asked anyone to talk about the donut, use the donut, or implement the donut. Everything that happens is because people decided to use it. Cities are leading the way in this. More than countries, more than villages. Amsterdam has been the first city in the world to have applied her theories in practice. In addition to Amsterdam, other cities, like Birmingham, but also the Caribbean island of Barbados, also started using it, which provides inspiration. But there is also something about the scale of the city that makes cities pick it up. The city has power over housing, transport and heating. So the city has opportunities to do things. There is also a limit to what a city can do, as the city is embedded in national regulations, yet a city can do a lot. And it is her -and also my- opinion that a lot of people feel more connected to their city than to their country.[10]

Regions and cities all over Europe take useful initiatives

Regions and cities are not only tasked with collecting and processing garbage. Healthcare, education, economic development are all themes that quite a few regions, counties and cities are trying or even wishing to include. Not every regional authority has the necessary financial resources, but they can influence all and get things going. Due to the fact that the EU uses cohesion funds to promote regional development, regional functioning is taken seriously in many countries. However, that does not mean that every region or city is equally dynamic or has the same emphasis.

Italy

According to the GreenItaly 2021 report produced by the Symbola Foundation and Unioncamere, Italy is the leader in Europe in the circular economy. In the Peninsula, recycling of all waste (urban and special) amounts to 79.4%. A result well above the European average (49%) and that of other large countries such as Germany (69%), France (66%) and the United Kingdom (57%) and, finally,  Poland (54%) and which allows an annual savings of 23 million tonnes equivalent of oil and 63 million tons of CO2 equivalent in emissions. The Boot also confirms its leadership in the reduction of raw materials per unit of product, as well as being awarded the best score in the circular economy performance index for the third consecutive year. The latter measures the degree of efficient use of resources in five categories: production, consumption, waste management, secondary raw materials market, investment and employment. The growing sensitivity towards environmental issues on the part of companies, consumers and citizens is also driving the adoption of the circular economy. Fears related to the climate emergency and the outbreak of the pandemic have in fact led to greater ecological awareness and to re-evaluate the impact of human activities on the health of the planet. From a recent survey conducted by the Political and Social Analysis Laboratory of the University of Siena, which involved a sample of 2,049 Italians, 89% believe that the climate emergency represents the main threat to national security, increasing compared to 2020, when 84% considered it as such.[11] The administrative subdivisions of Italy are made up of municipalities, provinces, metropolitan cities, regions and the state. Regions are territorial entities while metropolitan cities, provinces and municipalities are local entities.

Emilia-Romagna was the first region to adopt the principles of the circular economy in 2015. It established the permanent forum for the circular economy to which local institutions, representatives of civil society, business organizations representing companies and environmental associations participate. The commitment of the Region is continued in 2016 with the resolution relating to the Regional Waste Management Plan (PRGR), operational tool with the necessary actions to achieve the challenging objectives of the law. The main tools identified by the Plan are: incentives for municipal administrations, application of punctual pricing systems, promotion of reuse, participatory programs, supply chain agreements, coordination with trade associations for by-products, symbiosis, industrial activities, information and education activities on prevention and recovery.

The Tuscany Region introduced in 2018 the principle of the circular economy in its own Statute. The goal is to guide regional policies towards a circular economy model through the Regional Development Program (PRS) with the identification of minimum objectives and contents. Another regional instrument is the Plan for the management of waste and the remediation of polluted sites (PRB). The Region sets up technical tables concerning different districts and production sectors, in particular the extraction of marble, the textile, paper, steel, tanning and chemical sectors, waste from electrical and electronic equipment and those from construction and demolition, the fans from the purification of waste water, the integrated cycle of municipal waste.

The Lombardy Region has equipped itself with a Roadmap for research and innovation on the circular economy. Based on the development priorities present in the roadmap, widely shared between regional stakeholders, private and public investors can work together to support emerging initiatives, with financing instruments that include both public administration incentives and additional and complementary investor financing instruments institutional. In this context, a Plan towards the circular economy is being developed, new regional waste management program including the regional reclamation program for polluted areas. The Region has also published a public notice to verify interest and the availability of universities and public research centres in Lombardy for research on new plants, innovative technologies, integrated circular economy solutions and models of business.

France

France has traditionally been a highly centralized state with a government that is strongly governed by legislation. In recent years, the French national government has also been a frontrunner in the evolution towards a circular economy in creating more national legislation that steers the economy in that direction. Its anti-waste law, one of the first to propose initiatives in favour of the circular economy, promulgated in early 2020, entered into force on January 1st 2022. From January 1, 2022, the over-packaging of certain fresh fruits and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kg will be prohibited.

Companies will no longer be able to landfill or incinerate clothing, hygiene products, childcare products, school books, batteries or electronic products and furniture that have not been sold. They must first be put in service once again, reused or recycled. The “Triman” logo[12] will be displayed on all packaging to indicate that the waste is subject to a sorting rule. Companies will also have the obligation to clearly inform individuals on how they will have to dispose of them (terminals, recovery in store, yellow bins, etc.).[13]

The fact that France has set strict standards in the production of new plastics, that require the processing of a significant percentage of recycled plastics, has led the large French multinationals, such as LVMH, Estée Lauder, Clarins, Danone, L'Oréal, to join forces with processors like the American Eastman or the Canadian Loop who invest into factories in France that process plastic waste into new raw materials.[14]

In this context a nice case is the one of the Auvergne-based company Carbios. This interesting scale-up recreates a virgin resin, through a technology unique in the world, based on enzymes, from plastics that could only be buried or burned. Including synthetic textiles, of which only a third are reused. The SME will create two factories, one in France and one in Germany. Listed on the stock exchange, it also convinced to enter its capital the French multinationals L'Oréal, L'Occitane and Michelin, the latter hosting its industrial demonstrator in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme).

On the other hand, France also has a decentralized administration. There are three levels of local authorities: municipalities, departments and regions, known as ordinary local authorities. A fourth intermediate stratum between the municipality and the department is made up of inter-municipal cooperation structures (public establishment of inter-municipal cooperation with own taxation or unions), which are not local authorities, but whose deliberative assemblies are made up of elected representatives from member municipalities. The structure occurs by necessity because of the small size of many French municipalities. The European Commission noted already in 2013 that 40% of all municipalities in the European Union are French, for an average population of 1,800 inhabitants, against 5,500 in the rest of the EU. These scattered local authorities contribute also largely to a public call for a strong centralised government. In France, the finances of the various levels of the local authorities, like their competences, are determined by law. The resources of local authorities are of four kinds: (1) Own resources (local taxation);(2) State grants and subsidies;(3) Advances and loans;(4) Income from property and services rendered.

Partly inherited from former provinces and historic regions, administrative regions were created from 1960 on. The number of administrative regions decreased on January 1, 2016 from twenty-seven to eighteen (thirteen in mainland France and five overseas).

Examples of stimulating the circular economy can be found in many regions. I quote hereby one of a less known region in order to show that the concept lives throughout France.

Originally founded to lead the Territoire Zéro Déchet Zéro Waste (2015-2018) initiative set up by the 4 local authorities of the two departments in the historic Savoie region (Grand Annecy, Grand Chambéry, Grand Lac and Rumilly Terre de Savoie), the association SoluCir[15] was established “to identify and support circular solutions for the territory”. Today, the association has 102 members, including 72 companies from Savoie and Haute-Savoie, who want to “influence public policies in favour of the development of the circular economy”. The SoluCir association wants to make of its trade fair edition 2022, held for the first time in 2020 in Annecy[16], the major event for the circular economy. Large industrial groups will be present: Danone Waters will exhibit its Terragr'Eau project, Tefal will show how it organises the collection of old stoves in Rumilly and the Fournier group, a major sponsor of SoluCir, will explain how it intends to become the leader in the reuse of used furniture.[17].

Spain

Spain is divided into seventeen autonomous communities and two autonomous cities. Not all regions developed active economic policies. And not all regions chose the green economy and the circular economy. The Basque Country, like Galicia, has resolutely promoted the green economy. The results mainly consist of companies -both large and SMEs- in the region working together and working out a renewed economic policy.

The companies of the Euskadi environmental industries cluster association (Aclima) had a turnover of 2,101 million euros in the Basque Country in 2020 in environmental areas. the Basque environmental sector has come to represent around 5% of the Basque Country's GDP, and is called upon to continue growing and become a lever for competitiveness for the rest of the sectors in the economic recovery after COVID-19. Within the sector there is a high representation of the value chain of waste management and secondary raw materials, which incorporates managers, equipment manufacturers and valorisers. The Basque Country has more than 200 companies dedicated to health and several pioneering centres in the Spanish State that work in collaboration with universities and hospitals. Of these, more than 94 entities carry out research in biotechnology, dedicating more than half of their internal spending to R&D. The business biotechnology sector of the Basque Country is made up mainly of small and medium-sized companies, intensive in qualified personnel and with a constant commitment and investment effort in research, which develop products and services mainly applied to health. Aclima Basque Environment Cluster and Basque Health Cluster have defined a new bio-health value chain based on the circular economy for the production and supply of essential health products, after the Coronavirus crisis has exposed external dependence on supplies. This project responds to the 2030 Agenda and the European Green Deal and is developed within the framework of aid to the Circular Economy of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.[18]

Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany counts the sixteen federal states of which three city-states. They have their own constitutions, parliaments and governments. Unlike in non-federalist countries, the federal states in Germany have many local powers. With due observance of the above, the Kreisen, sometimes translated as districts, form the administrative layer under the federal state. There are two types, Kreis-free cities (Kreisfreie Städte or Stadtkreise) and ordinary Kreisen (Kreise or Landkreise). Kreis-free cities are large cities (often with more than 100,000 inhabitants) and have not only the powers of a city, but also those of a Kreis. The administrative structure is the structure of a city, see below. The lowest administrative level is formed by the municipalities (Gemeinden), including the cities (Städte). As well in Kreise as in Cities the structure and powers differ from state to state.

The city of Wuppertal with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany would like to develop a systematic climate protection strategy that is also an economic, investment and quality of life strategy. Wuppertal of all places is now . In the middle of the 19th century, one of the largest economic centres in Europe and one of the first German industrial regions was located here. The textile factories on the banks of the Wupper fueled the development of modern mass production - including mass waste. Now the region, which is considered to be the cradle of industrialization in Germany, is to become a model for a radical turnaround towards a sustainable economy. It still sounds like utopia: that a city is managed in such a way that no waste is generated and resources are used all over again. But in Wuppertal one doesn't want to wait any longer and get closer to a garbage-free future step by step. A "Circular Valley" is being created according to a design by the "Wuppertal Movement"[19] citizens' association. In the middle of the city, around the colossus of a gas boiler from the 50s, which towers 66 meters high into the sky. The cylinder was used in the past to store energy; today it houses a domed hall with a cinema screen. A place where the old is preserved and the new created - the symbol of circular thought. Selected start-ups and researchers from all over the world should settle here and develop new business ideas and technologies for the circular economy. Everything is closely interlinked with the Wuppertal Institute. [20]

Sweden

The counties of Sweden (Swedish: Sveriges län) are the top-level geographic subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is today divided into 21 counties. The regional council is the elected regional political assembly that oversees the municipal affairs of the county, primarily in regard to public healthcare, public transport, and culture. The municipalities of Sweden (Swedish: Sveriges kommuner) are its lower-level local government entities. There are 290 municipalities which are responsible for a large proportion of local services, including schools, emergency services and physical planning.

Växjö for example is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County. It had 66,275 inhabitants (2016) out of a municipal population of 90,721 (2017). The city claims to be the “greenest” city in Europe, so the local municipality plans to make its step towards the circular model as soon as possible. To make responsible consumption easier, the municipality plans to build an interactive re-use village Återbruksby[21] in Norremark.

Borås on the other hand is a city and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It had 66,273 inhabitants in 2010. In Borås, the local municipality, university, and regional authorities focus on the textile industry and its possibilities to become a part of the circular economy. Re:textile is a project within Science Park Borås which aims to develop new design principles, business models, and production systems that enable circular flows in the textile industry. By creating new garments developed to last a long time by being able to be repaired, reworked or updated, opportunities for completely new business areas in repair, redesign and other types of services are opened that extend the life of the garment and create economic growth. Alongside, it created Re: Design Factory – an innovation environment for prototype development and implementation of pilot projects with companies and innovators.

The Netherlands

There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands, representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local municipalities, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance. To a large extent, the provinces of the Netherlands are financed by the national government.. As of January 2021, there are 352 municipalities and three special municipalities in the Netherlands. The latter is the status of three of the six island territories that make up the Dutch Caribbean. Municipalities are the second-level administrative division, or public bodies, in the Netherlands and are subdivisions of their respective provinces. The municipalities get most of their finances from the national government. The municipality is the lowest level of government, but this does not reflect the importance that the Amsterdam and Rotterdam governments play in Dutch political life. The economic big five – the regions of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Southeast Brabant (Eindhoven) – together make up about fifty percent of the Dutch economy. At the same time, this indicates that the Netherlands also has many regions with an economically modest size.

The south province of the Netherlands, Limburg, has  long eastern boundary that forms the international border with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. To the west is the international border with the similarly named Belgian province of Limburg, part of which is delineated by the river Meuse. The province developed a large industrial zoning around the intersection of the A2 and the A76 dedicated to green chemistry, called Chemelot. Chemelot represents a chemically oriented site of no less than 800 hectares in South Limburg. The site is unique because of many elements: the central location in South Limburg, the good accessibility by rail, road, pipeline and airport, the presence of a large number of factories that complement each other, the umbrella permit, the unique collaboration between factories, research and development and pilot plants. The site also offers a number of central facilities such as utilities, fire brigade, maintenance, a company emergency organization, infrastructure and regulations. Chemelot is also the name of the organization that forms the central counter for the companies in the industrial complex and the campus, but also for potential residents of the site, the environment and the authorities. The organization is also very active in attracting new business, stimulating cooperation between companies and initiating contacts with the outside world.[22]

The most recent accessor on the zoning is Black Bear Carbon[23]. The team behind this group decided in 2010 to set up a company to stop the aimless burning of car tires. Their goal was (and still is) to achieve less CO2 emissions and to recover oil, gas and carbon black from old tire granulate. It works like this: to make tires wear-resistant and black and to provide them with a good structure, carbon black is added to the rubber of the car tire. Where “old” manufacturers produce carbon black by burning heavy petroleum fractions - that release a lot of CO2 and pollution - Black Bear Carbon has invented how carbon black can be extracted from old tires. And that in a clean and sustainable way. The company has now become an international player and the next phase has begun: Black Bear Carbon is going to build a factory at Chemelot Industrial park[24] in Limburg.

Belgium

The politics of Belgium take place in the framework of a federal, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy. The federation is made up of (language-based) communities and (territorial) regions. The regional and community parliaments and governments have jurisdiction over transportation, public works, water policy, cultural matters, education, public health, environment, housing, zoning, and economic and industrial policy. They rely on a system of revenue-sharing for funds. The two biggest regions, Flanders and Wallonia, are further subdivided into five provinces each. The Brussels-Capital Region is directly divided into 19 municipalities. In total, Belgium counts 581 municipalities. Belgium therefore has 1 more local level than traditional other democracies. Provincial and local government is an exclusive competency of the regions. On the other hand, it should also be said that the territory that is now Belgium has historically had strong local structures such as cities since the Middle Ages, which had acquired a fairly large right of self-determination vis-à-vis higher authorities. As a result, I still find very far-reaching and well-organized initiatives around circular economy and sustainability in provinces, cities and municipalities. Also the fact that there is a very well-developed and high-quality network of higher education institutions in both the North and the South of the country, that they are run from the federal states and are closely linked to the cities and provinces in which they are located , contributes to a well-functioning triple helix that makes Belgium one of the leaders of the circular economy.

Regions in Belgium also have powers to stimulate employment. In the southern state of Wallonia, there is a strong government involvement in the creation of employment for vulnerable individuals. There, the government quickly discovered that the circular economy can create employment, allowing them to link their own initiatives to start-ups in the circular economy.

The Belgian clothing brand Opte[25] has been created as an eco-responsible alternative to a textile industry. In big brand warehouses, fabric scraps are burned or thrown away. To avoid this waste, Opte recovers - via textile agents in textile companies or specialized companies - these fabric scraps to make new clothes. Requiring ready-to-wear know-how and cutting-edge technical skills to produce their pieces, the co-founders of Opte wanted to produce their ecological pieces in their own country. But: the clothing workshops can be counted on the fingers of one hand in Wallonia. They turned to the Adapted Work Company (=ETA) C.A.R.F.[26]

The Northern state Flanders is more liberal and business driven. Which does not mean there is no public intervention. Let us provide with the example of the port of Antwerp.

A new water factory will be established on the NextGen district[27], the former site where the Opel cars were was produced, that is converted into a circular hub in the port of  Antwerp. The factory will bring 20 billion litres of waste water from the households living in Antwerp, treated already by Aquafin[28], to the much higher quality level of cooling water[29]. A new pipeline distribution network in the port will also ensure that industrial customers on both the left and right banks can use the circular cooling water. The new factory is a joint venture between Aquafin, a public water-treatment company,  Ekopak[30],a private water treatment company, PMV[31], a public investment fund and water-link[32], the water company for the Antwerp region.     

Portugal

Portugal is a unitary State: the central State has, in mainland Portugal, several regional directorates of ministries intervening in different areas.  The 1976 Constitution establishes that Portugal is divided only into autonomous regions (Azores and Madeira) and districts on the mainland. In turn, all these are divided into municipalities and the latter into parishes. There are nowadays also Coordination and Regional Development Commissions (CCDR) — North; Center; Lisbon and Tagus Valley; Alentejo; Algarve —. The recycling method in Portugal runs parallel to Spain: they have to deposit their separated waste in small coloured containers, called “Ecopontes” in Portuguese,  that are set up in places in the city. Since there is therefore no separate waste collection at the doorstep, this requires a lot more convincing effort from the local authorities. That is why the Portuguese press focuses on that, and much less on the efforts of local companies to put that waste back on the market as material. It is also clear that the cities and municipalities should make an effort in this regard, together with the waste management companies. Here is an example of cooperation between the city of Cascais and the waste processing company. It starts from the inconvenient truth that recycling is not always easy. The space at home to separate is not much and the recycling bin is not always next to the door. And for those who still don't know the best practices of colour recycling, it can be confusing: the butter and milk packets look dirty, can we recycle them or not?

Baring this in mind, Cascais City Council, with the support of Sociedade Ponto Verde, launched the "De Casa para o Ecoponto" initiative: the municipality distributes sets of waste separation bags, so that it is easier to separate garbage at home. They are sets of 3 ecobags that are offered to residents of Cascais, wrapped in a cardboard case with information on how to correctly separate the materials. The kit also includes a detachable guide with the materials that must be placed in each yellow, blue and green bag, and that must be placed in plain view in the citizens' kitchen. Thus, the packages follow “From Casa to Ecoponto”(From home to the waste container), without contamination. In this campaign, the municipality of Cascais intends to deliver 10,500 sets of waste separation bags.[33]

Denmark

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. As a result of an administrative reform beginning of 2007, five regions replaced the counties and the number of municipalities was reduced to 98. Regions are not entitled to levy their own taxes, but rely on central state funding (around 70%) and funding from the municipalities (around 30%). 90% of the budgets of the regions is allocated to the national health service. The primary task of municipalities is local administration of welfare and social needs. This encompasses social services, primary schooling and childcare, infrastructure, transportation, and tasks defined as integration of refugees and immigrants. Other municipal areas include employment (such as running job centres), culture and leisure, setting up businesses, initiatives for children and young people, and city and rural fixtures and fittings.[34]

In Denmark, the use of resources in a sustainable, efficient, and responsible manner has been at the centre of Danish regulations and business models for decades. Denmark’s recycling targets aim to ensure 60 per cent of Danish household waste and 70 per cent of packaging waste are recycled by 2030. Denmark has a strong tradition for collaboration and partnerships between the public and the private sector, as well as cross-sectoral partnerships. In collaboration with the private sector in 2019, the Danish government established 13 climate partnerships. The partnerships were created to strengthen public and private sector collaboration in order to realise climate objectives by 2030. The partnerships span across all sectors and industries. The climate partnership on waste, water and circular economy presented recommendations regarding how Denmark could become a world leading circular economy by 2030, highlighting measures to be taken both politically and within industry. Several of the partnership’s recommendations on waste, have now been adopted into the latest political agreement on the area. Innovation and research are a key drivers in the future development of circular economy business models. The Danish Government promotes the development and use of new technologies and modes of production from research stages through demonstration and pilot experiments, to full-scale commercial plants as well as the transition to new circular business models.[35] This analysis has been made by a non-profit organisation -State of Green- that has been founded in 2008, as public-private partnership between the Danish Government and Denmark’s four leading business associations: Confederation of Danish Industry, the Danish Energy Association, the Danish Agriculture & Food Council and Wind Denmark.

It is clear that Denmark is quite centralised when it comes to environmental initiatives. However, a new proposal presented by the government gave local authorities the ability to designate zero-emissions zones in cities. The zones would only allow access to vehicles without combustion engines, such as electric cars.[36]              Examples make it clear on the other hand, that committed municipalities start their own initiatives for introducing circular economy inside their borders.

The City of Aalborg in Denmark is home to around 207,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in Denmark. Aalborg has been committed to improving the sustainability of their municipality for over two decades, and for the past three years (2018-2021), Aalborg has been developing its use of procurement as a tool for developing innovative circular solutions which meet the city’s needs.

Two pilot public procurements conducted by the City of Aalborg have each challenged current working practices, and led to new understandings of how to meet workers’ and citizens’ needs, in ways which are both cost effective and sustainable in the long-term. The first explored options to create a service for buying back used ICT equipment from the Municipality (including, for example, mobiles, tablets, computers, laptops, wires, storage and servers). The ultimate goal is to prolong the lifetime of ICT equipment. The second pilot tender conducted in Circular Public Procurement was for a playground / outdoor learning area, which places emphasis on greater use of landscaping to achieve both circular and creative play goals.[37] 

A very peculiar case in Denmark, a country that is an combination a peninsula that is part of the European continent, and islands, is the aspiration of one of the smaller islands to become fully circular. In 1997, the island of Samsø set the goal to be 100% self-sufficient in energy within 10 years and reached this ahead of time in 2004. After achieving full self-sufficiency in energy early on, the island is now aspiring to have not just circular energy flows, but be a ‘Bio-circular island’ including other natural material flows.[38]

The next goal is for the island to be free of fossil fuels and in balance on broader parameters than ‘just’ energy by 2030, i.e. towards a circular island economy. Although this is regarded as more complicated, it’s deemed highly relevant for inspiring the next generation of progress. An Island bio-resource plan will be prepared and politically discussed, defining the next steps towards circular agriculture, peak-shaving of power (smart energy systems, batteries), water consumption and production, waste recycling etc.

Finland

Finland is divided into 19 counties (Finnish: maakunta). The counties are governed by county councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the counties are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of counties.

The capital region of Helsinki is growing rapidly and expected to house an additional 490,000 people in the next 35 years. To boost new sustainable urban solutions, in 2013 Helsinki City Council decided to make one of the new neighbourhoods under construction, Kalasatama, a model of smart city development. A former harbour and industrial zone on the waterfront east of the city centre, will be home to 25,000 people, and the site of 10,000 jobs by 2035. Smart Kalasatama project is coordinated by Forum Virium Helsinki, the City of Helsinki innovation unit. It develops new digital services and urban innovations in cooperation with companies, universities, other public sector organizations and Helsinki residents.[39]

The Smart Kalasatama pilot procures prototype technologies for rapid testing in an urban environment, many of which adopt circular principles. Through the process of co-creation, solutions to urban challenges are trialled for up to 6 months in the Kalasatama development district, to learn by doing and help accelerate innovation.

Austria

Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states (mostly referred to as : Bundesländer)..Austrian states can pass laws that stay within the limits of the constitution, and each state has representatives in the main Austrian parliament. The states have authority about the following matters: planning and zoning codes, nature protection, hunting, fishing, farming, youth protection, certain issues of public health and welfare and the right to levy certain taxes. In the Republic of Austria, the municipality is the administrative division encompassing a single village, town, or city. Austria is currently (January 1, 2020) partitioned into 2,095 municipalities. Municipalities are in charge of public water supply, sewage disposal, garbage disposal, development planning, fire prevention, and general building code enforcement as well as public lighting, cemetery construction and maintenance.

In the circular economy context, Austria ranks as an international trailblazer. Austrian households generate approx. 4.3 million tons of waste each year, of which 90% is recycled. The Austrian Waste Consulting Association (VABÖ) has worked together with its 365 municipal environmental and waste consultants to raise awareness of the need for resource-saving consumption. The company Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA) also makes an important contribution, serving as a driving force in the Austrian circular economy. But the country has to expand its efforts towards a sustainable industrial production.

Greece

Greece is a unitary parliamentary republic. It consists since shortly (2011) of 13 regions subdivided into a total of 232 municipalities. Seven decentralised administrations group one to three regions for administrative purposes on a regional basis.

The small percentages of recycling and waste recovery in Greece indicate the limited use of the principles of the circular economy in waste treatment. Indicative of the critical situation is that in Greece, waste disposal represents 85% of their total management and recovery, part of which is recycling, backfilling and energy recovery, only 15%. Recycling, although increased after 2016, represents only 11% of waste treatment, well behind the EU-27 average (38%). There are still more than 50 illegal landfills operating in the country, produced by mines and quarries (56%), manufacturing (12%) and households (10%), for which an annual fine is imposed by the EU. Greece has the highest rate of food waste (142 kg / inhabitant) among 21 European countries, with food waste being associated with 5.3% of greenhouse gas emissions. Greece recently introduced the New Action Plan for the Circular Economy 2021-2025, adopting other relevant regulations, such as the Life - Circular Economy Program, but also policies to reduce waste through the National Waste Management Plan. [40] Despite these poor results, interesting examples can be presented. The Mayor of Astypalea participated in the UN World Conference on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow, where he presented the vision of the municipality for the green and sustainable development of the island of Astypalea.

This is vision for the balanced development of island areas, such as Astypalea, effectively connecting tourism with the local agricultural economy. It is based upon regional planning of the municipality for the implementation of modernisation projects in energy infrastructure, waste, water and transport, based on the principles of sustainability and the circular economy.[41]

Closing remarks

Countries do not have the same needs everywhere. Rural and urban areas require different types of organizations to meet different needs. Cities and urban environments have a much higher density of population that purchases in a much more concentrated way in shops and via e-commerce and therefore collects much more packaging that will necessarily have to be recycled in the future. The countryside, especially in larger countries such as France, Germany and Italy, has many more economic activities related to agriculture. Due to extensive agriculture they are confronted less with packaging but more with CO2 emissions of animal origin and because of large-scale transport. On the other hand, they see their agricultural population becoming scarcer because of the unequal distribution of agricultural income between producers and distributors and therefore also need to attract employment. With all the resulting consequences for increased emissions from transport, energy and also from residents who do their purchases in department stores.

There are privileged regions and cities because of their location and/or because of their status. Port cities often attract investment and employment. If they have a dynamic political and administrative environment with considerable financial resources and that strives for cooperation between all stakeholders of the region, they can be a major attraction for employment, also for rural areas in the wider area. When they also encourage their companies to think and work with future-oriented perspectives, they can be much more efficient and influential than central governments.

Capital areas often gather both central administrations and headquarters of large companies who want to be present in the country. In centralized countries they then form a hydrocephalus, such as Paris, London, Randstad Holland (the Hague-Amsterdam axis) or Athens, where too large a part of the population is concentrated. With all the resulting consequences for waste mountains, CO2 emissions, crime and too much attention from national governments that do not know enough about their country's behaviour.

It is therefore clear that economy and ecology go hand in hand best and achieve the most far-reaching results in countries with highly decentralized governance, such as the German-speaking countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, but also the Netherlands and Sweden.

Louis Delcart, member of the board European Academy of the Regions, www.ear-aer.eu

  [1] Bart De bruyn, BlueChem verwelkomt nieuwe start-ups én extra geld (BlueChem welcomes new start-ups and extra money), in: Made in Antwerpen, 16-12-2021; https://www.nswcircular.org/key-sectors-that-will-catalyse-the-australian-circular-economy/, article published on 1-2-2021, retrieved 15-01-2022

[2] Bart De bruyn, BlueChem verwelkomt nieuwe start-ups én extra geld,( BlueChem welcomes new start-ups and extra money), in: Made in Antwerpen, 16-12-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/671172409625378816/bluechem-welcomes-new-start-ups-and-extra-money

[3] Circular chemistry can save the world. Inopsys provides mobile & modular side stream on-site solutions for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, to purify water or solvents and recover valuable components. https://inopsys.eu/en

[4]  Peace Of Meat is a B2B supplier of cultured fat as a tasty and texturing ingredient. Adding 10-25% of its cultured fat to a plant based meat results in 100% meatiness. To accelerate R&D, the company collaborates with leading experts in cell culturing, upscaling and food tech. https://peace-of-meat.com/

[5] From start-up to scale-up, from established industrial value to newcomer, NextGen District offers space tailored to your needs. This multimodally accessible site, located near the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe, is the new hub for the circular economy. https://www.portofantwerp.com/nl/nextgen-district.

[6] Frank Niedercorn, CO2, compost, mégots, capsules de café… A Bordeaux le recyclage est de plus en plus porteur pour les start-up,( CO2, compost, cigarette butts, coffee capsules… In Bordeaux, recycling is more and more promising for start-ups), in : Les Echos, 1-12-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/670841260684263424/co2-compost-cigarette-butts-coffee-capsules-in

[7] Global Hygiène reprend la Papèterie de Bègles pour produire de la ouate (Global Hygiène takes over the Bègles Paper Mill to produce cotton wool) in Les Echos, https://www.lesechos.fr/pme-regions/nouvelle-aquitaine/global-hygiene-reprend-la-papeterie-de-begles-pour-produire-de-la-ouate-1382072

[8] Carina Seeburg, Wohin mit dem Müll?,( What to do with garbage?) in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23-12-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/671806064425140224/what-to-do-with-the-garbage

[9] https://nordic.climate-kic.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2018/05/Municipality-led-circular-economy-case-studies.pdf

  [10] Rianne Lachmeijer, Econoom Kate Raworth over donutstad Amsterdam,( Economist Kate Raworth about donut city Amsterdam) in: Change Inc, 23 december 2021, https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/econoom-kate-raworth-over-donut-stad-amsterdam-37527

  [11] Sibilla di Palma, Economia circolare, l'Italia è leader per 9 su 10 il clima è un'emergenza,(Circular economy, Italy is the leader for 9 out of 10 the climate is an emergency) in: La Repubblica, 1-11-2021, https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2021/11/01/economia-circolare-litalia-e-leader-per-unemergenzaAffari_e_Finanza38.html?ref=search

  [12] The Triman logo is a mandatory, unified signage for end-of-life products created from the French Decree. This symbol was introduced to provide a more readily understandable symbol for citizens and consumers in France to ensure recyclable products are separated at end of life.

[13] Muryel Jacque: Plastique, vêtements, recyclage : tout ce qui change en 2022 pour lutter contre le gaspillage,  (Plastic, clothing, recycling: everything that will change in 2022 in France in the framework of the fight against waste), in: Les Echos, 30-12-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/672117412171218944/plastic-clothing-recycling-everything-that-will?is_related_post=1

[14] André Thomas: Le recyclage des plastiques progresse en France,(Plastic recycling is progressing in France), in: France-Ouest 27-01-2022, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/674737700235034624/plastic-recycling-is-progressing-in-france

  [15] Solucir brings together the structures of the territory that develop local solutions, gives voice to inspiring experts, and weaves the network of companies and entrepreneurs who want to build solutions for the Economy of Tomorrow. https://solucir.org/

[16] Annecy is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometres south of Geneva, Switzerland.. Due to a lack of available building land between the lake and the protected Semnoz mountain, its population has remained stagnant, around 50,000 inhabitants, since 1950. However, the 2017 merger with several ex-communes extended the city population to 126,924 inhabitants and 170,753 for its urban area.

[17] Gabrielle Serraz, A Annecy, le salon SoluCir veut développer l'économie circulaire,( In Annecy, the SoluCir trade fair wants to contribute to the development of the circular economy) in: Les Echos ,7-01-2022? https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/673160946542428160/in-annecy-the-solucir-trade-fair-wants-to

  [18] Redacción: Gipuzkoa impulsa la Economía Circular como factor diferencial para las empresas del sector bio-sanitario,( Gipuzkoa promotes the Circular Economy as a differentiating factor for companies in the bio-sanitary sector), in Eco-circular, Actualidad, 12 -10-2021  https://eco-circular.com/2021/10/12/gipuzkoa-impulsa-la-economia-circular-como-factor-diferencial-para-las-empresas-del-sector-bio-sanitario/

[19] The Wuppertal Movement e.V.( Wuppertal Bewegung e.V.) is a non-profit association founded on February 6, 2006 in Wuppertal, the purpose of which is private civic engagement for the urban development of Wuppertal. The association has almost 2000 members. The chairman is Carsten Gerhardt. https://wuppertalbewegung.de/Startseite

  [20] Carina Seeburg, Wohin mit dem Müll?,(What to do with garbage?) in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23-12-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/671806064425140224/what-to-do-with-the-garbage

[21] Återbruksby = Recycling village. Norremark is a district of Växjö municipality.

[22] Willemijn van Benthem, Black Bear Carbon gaat fabriek bouwen op chemiecomplex Chemelot,( Black Bear Carbon plans to build factory at Chemelot chemical complex), in: Change Inc, 17-03-2021, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/668310648430723073/black-bear-carbon-plans-to-build-factory-at

[23] Black Bear brings the circular economy to tires. It harvests and upcycles the carbon black from end-of-life tires to a quality level that exceeds the original product – in a way that preserves the planet.. https://blackbearcarbon.com/

[24] https://www.chemelot.nl/

[25] Valentine Van Vyve, Et si vous optiez pour le vêtement écoresponsable? “Le secteur textile rassemble ce qu'il y a de pire en termes de production dans la société capitaliste actuelle”,(    What if you opted for eco-responsible clothing?) in : La Libre Belgique, 31-05-21, https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/655220563405586432/what-if-you-opted-for-eco-responsible-clothing

[26] The Adapted Work Company C.A.R.P., located in Philippeville, is one of the fifty-two ETAs identified in the Walloon region and employs 130 of the approximately 8,228 disabled workers active in production in a multitude of sectors in the south of the country. Adapted Work Enterprises (ETA) are social economy enterprises whose priority mission is the professional integration of people with disabilities. Their sector federation Eweta claims, on behalf of the ETAs it represents, funding resources from regional, federal and European public authorities in order to allow these companies to sustain and "subsidize the difference", that is to say , to compensate for the loss of productivity experienced by the workers of the company while offering them a personally adapted supervision, taking into account their particular situation.

[27] From start-up to scale-up, from established industrial value to newcomer, NextGen District offers space tailored to your needs. This multimodally accessible site, located near the largest integrated chemical cluster in Europe, is the new hub for the circular economy. https://www.portofantwerp.com/nl/nextgen-district.

[28] Aquafin is a Belgium company, based in Aartselaar. The company was established in 1990 by the Government of Flanders. Its mission is to design, pre-finance, build and operate all supra-municipal infrastructure needed to treat domestic wastewater. Nowadays, Aquafin manages 311 wastewater treatment plants, over 6.000 km of supra-municipal collectors and 1.390 pumping stations and detention basins. Aquafin also offers its services for the expansion and management of the local municipal system. A municipality may choose to have a long-term partnership by means of a concession or award contracts to Aquafin on an ad hoc basis. In addition, they can join the joint ventures that Aquafin has with the water companies water-link, De Watergroep (RioAct and Rio-P) and Vivaqua.

[29] Bart De bruyn, 20 miljard liter circulair koelwater per jaar voor Antwerpse havenbedrijven,( 20 billion litres of circular cooling water per year for Antwerp port companies), in: Made in Antwerpen, 28-01-2022; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/674650906765164544/20-billion-litres-of-circular-cooling-water-per

[30] Ekopak is a fairly young company from Tielt that specializes in industrial water purification and ways to save water.; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/658022108792832000/the-ban-on-washing-cars-with-tap-water-was-just-a

[31] The Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV) Ltd. is an independent investment company established by the government of Flanders, the North region of Belgium.

[32] Water-link is the name of the water company for the Antwerp region. It supplies the city of Antwerp and some of the surrounding municipalities with drinking water. Water-link provides the water supply and wastewater treatment (rio-link) for approximately 500,000 people in the Belgian province of Antwerp. In 2018, it produced 139,778,974 m³ of water for 193,029 subscribers, over a pipeline network of 2,488 km, and also supplies water to industry through its subsidiary INDUSS.

[33] Se desconfia que sabe reciclar, nós damos uma ajuda, para ficar com a Certeza (If you suspect that you know how to recycle, we can help you, to be sure), in: Publico, 14-12-2022; https://www.publico.pt/2021/12/14/estudiop/noticia/desconfia-sabe-reciclar-damos-ajuda-ficar-certeza-1988174

[34] The Local: What’s the difference between a municipality and a region in Denmark? In: thelocaldenmark, 16-11-2022, https://www.thelocal.dk/20211116/whats-the-difference-between-a-municipality-and-a-region-in-denmark/

[35] Malene Bering Beitzel,: The business of a circular future, State of Green, Denmark, July 2021,https://stateofgreen.com/en/uploads/2016/11/SoG_WP_CircularEconomy_2021_210x297_V07_Web.pdf?time=1643102313

[36] Ritzau/The Local: Denmark signals support for zero-emissions zones in cities, in: thelocal.dk, 26-05-2021, https://www.thelocal.dk/20210526/denmark-signals-support-for-zero-emissions-zones-in-cities/

[37] Ashleigh McLennan and Birgitte Krebs Schleemann, The power of public procurement in the transition to a circular economy, in: The Journal of Field Actions, nr. 23, 2021;  https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/6614

[38] https://nordic.climate-kic.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2018/05/Municipality-led-circular-economy-case-studies.pdf

[39] https://nordic.climate-kic.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2018/05/Municipality-led-circular-economy-case-studies.pdf

[40] ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ: Mελέτη Alpha Bank: Πού βρίσκεται σήμερα η κυκλική οικονομία στην Ελλάδα και οι εφαρμογές της,( Where is the circular economy in Greece today and its applications?) in: Hellenic News of America, 23-12-2021; https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/post/676384678922665984/where-is-the-circular-economy-in-greece-today-and

The digitization of the economy, in all its aspects, including the internet of things and artificial intelligence, is promoted around the world and is the subject of debates at academic level and on the level of the World Economic Forum, of business and country strategies, and of financial and content support for cities, countries and organizations such as the EU, and the UN. It is recognized as an industry that can be deployed in places where there is no tradition of heavy industry and thus offers a solution for countries and regions in development or in reconstruction.

The industry that is the subject of this article, i.e. the circular economy, is also recognized as a generator of employment, but its focus is on countries and regions that have traditionally already had an industrial tissue or have built up a new tissue, and that are constraint to a shift in order to literally survive in an era with hellish consequences from climate change. The majority of serious studies teach us that the biggest shift has to be made by the manufacturers themselves, who have to redevelop the entire design of their products in such a way that the spare parts they have produced for already existing products can be quickly re-used when assembling new products. The principal motive for this way of acting is that virgin raw materials are becoming scarce in the earth, are often monopolised by protectionist countries such as China and therefore unaffordable. Moreover, reusing existing raw materials is much less energy-wasting and therefore closer to CO2 neutrality than continuously mining and producing virgin raw materials. Starting from our large database of articles treating circular economy developments, we will try to find out how both trends - digitization and circular economy - interact and to what extent they reinforce each other.

1.     Waste management

When one speaks about the circular economy, one refers in the first place to the reuse of objects or machines that are considered to be obsolete, due to being out of fashion, no longer functioning or worn out. In the current context, these end up in the garbage bag for separate waste collection or at the waste container park, where waste is also separated and recovered by specialized collectors.

But the separate waste collection also mixes many types of waste. In Belgium and the Netherlands, people speak of PMD bags, where plastic bottles and flasks, metal packaging and drinking cartons are collected and recycled after sorting. In Northern Europe, computer science often comes in handy for this sorting. The first waste sorting machines that came on the market were often still mechanical. They sorted metal magnetically, and sorted of waste by rotary screening machines. The next step was then optical sorting, whereby the various materials were optically recognized by cameras and mechanically separated. Nowadays, companies can be found that combine mechanical and optical means with artificial intelligence and robots to do separate waste sorting for: plastic[1], packaging[2], scrap metal[3], construction and demolition waste[4], wood.

The optical recognition of raw material also plays a role in the construction business. A Dutch invention to separate concrete into raw materials reduces material use and saves containers of CO2.

The “urban miners” of the Dutch company “New Horizon” now want to find more places to set up the concrete machines and are looking for municipalities and regions that can help. Ultimately, the goal is to make the invention big worldwide[5].

The same applies to separate waste collection. From 2025 on, the first thirty large cities in the Netherlands must have emission-free zones. This creates a number of challenges for carriers who frequently visit these zones. This also applies to waste collectors and recycling companies. But with the development of new collection models and digital technologies, the clean city centre is getting closer and closer.

PreZero, the waste collection company of German origin and active in the Netherlands, works with containers equipped with sensors in some places. These sensors send a signal when the bin is almost full, letting the company know that it can pick up the container. This prevents vehicles from turning out to pick up a half-empty container, which can happen unforeseen during holiday periods, for example. In the Dutch city of Arnhem the first results are positive and the number of kilometres driven has been reduced considerably.[6]

The world’s first automatic textile recycling facility is built in Malmö. The facility, that uses optic sensors to identify different textile types, has been opened in summer 2020. The project marks the third phase of the Swedish Innovation Platform for Textile Sorting (Siptex)[7], and comes after a successful pilot project in Avesta[8].

Automatic sorting processes are required to be able to efficiently sort the large amounts of textile rubbish which cannot be recycled and which is not suitable for fibre to fibre recycling. The aim is to use the recycled textiles to make padding, insulation, and cloth for industrial cleaning, slowly increasing the amount of textiles recycled from 3,000 to 16,000 tonnes over five years.[9] The facility will be operated by Sysav [10], the recycling company owned by 14 municipalities in Skåne[11], which today operates the site.

2.     Digital incentives for waste collection

A second series of waste applications where ICT comes in handy is to encourage citizens to deposit waste that can be collected separately. This is often -but not necessarily- accompanied by some type of incentive that is given to the citizen in the form of a digital voucher or bill, with which discounts are negotiated from local merchants.

In Belgium, the city of Antwerp is encouraging in this way its residents and the tourists who visit the town to keep the streets clean by using outdoors waste cans.

Click, a new application in the Belgian port-city of Antwerp, encourages residents and visitors to throw their waste in the dust bin outdoors as well. By scanning the packaging, one can save digital coins that one can redeem at local merchants.[12]

Spain has installed small container parks with containers (or “puntos limpios”, “clean spots”) of various colours in various places in the cities. It encourages its citizens to drop their waste over there in a separated way. Here also, some encouragement is needed, especially in order to present the correct waste at the correct container.

Sant Boi de Llobregat, a town of 84,500 inhabitants  located in the Barcelona province, has recently received yellow containers capable of recognizing the waste that should be thrown in them and warning the citizen if he/she/they is doing it incorrectly. What differentiates them from the rest of the containers is an electronic ring located in their opening that collects the information of the products through their bar codes. And it can also process data on habits (frequency of use, type of waste, neighbourhood …) to help improve the process. These smart containers will be part of the container network of the Reciclos project, the first Return and Reward System promoted in 2019 in Spain by Ecoembes that rewards residents who recycle with virtual points (baptized as recycles), exchangeable for shares in product giveaways, public transport vouchers or donations to collaborative environmental and social projects. About 24 hours after the citizen has used the technological ring, they will receive the points and can spend them. In Sant Boi, for example, residents can exchange them for donations to the ‘Tots som Santboians’ Association, dedicated to helping people with disabilities and which will use these grants to launch an initiative to preserve green spaces in the area.[13]

Romania, and soon also Moldova, is focusing on the toxicity of e-Waste and wants to recover this. Shops who sell the devices, agreed also to take them back and to work on the recovery. This is not different from other EU countries. The difference lies within the incentive in order to stimulate citizen to bring in their old appliances.

In Romania a program “Scrap for appliances” (Rabla pentru electrocasnice) has been implemented. Romanians receive vouchers, which can be used in stores, in exchange for old appliances (TV, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.).The same program could be launched in Moldova.[14]  The value of the ticket is up to two thousand lei, depending on the energy class of the product. The “scrap for appliances” aims to encourage Romanians and Moldovans to replace their used appliances with energy-efficient, less polluting ones.

3.     Creating digital market places

Creating digital marketplaces is one of the most frequent and lucrative initiatives of start-ups, because of the interest of many investors. Although, in the eyes of green boys and girls, Amazon is the example of how things should not be organised, the developers of these initiatives within the recycling sector, often consider the Palo-Alto company as their shining example. They occur in just about all sectors: construction, textiles, perfumes, reusable waste in general, repaired smartphones, but especially plastics. After all, that is the most difficult market with its 60 to 80,000 species where big data can be useful. We give a few examples below. We will not discuss the digital agricultural markets, the so-called short food supply circuit, in this article, because it is not directly linked to the recycling subject that we tend to treat. If the reader is interested in this subject anyway, I propose to refer him to my article “Selling Agricultural Products through the Short Food Supply Chain: It is Becoming Increasingly Popular”.[15]

First the generalist. A Dutch company that created a platform in order to bring producers of waste together with users of waste for new applications. Moreover, they also organise the transport between the two.

Saving more waste streams from the incinerator, that is the mission of the Dutch company Seenons. The start-up, founded in 2019, uses technology and smart logistics to help companies recycle residual flows such as coffee grounds, oranges and oil. Seenons developed a platform for fine-grained waste flows. This allows them to ‘match’ companies that have to get rid of their waste with parties that want to do something with this waste. The parties themselves choose the location and time. A kind of Tinder, but for waste. A collection of logistics partners then transports the waste from a to b. “Ideally, they use return logistics: one’s truck is already in the city centre and one will return empty, that space can be used to collect a residual flow somewhere. The company itself uses electric cargo bikes for small volumes and for large volumes electric boats or a press truck.[16] For example, Seenons already collects orange peels and coffee grounds from the Amsterdam catering   and delivers the load to liqueur maker Dik & Schil. But coffee grounds can also be used very well to make soap or as a breeding ground for oyster mushrooms. The platform raised another 6 million euros in an investment round recently, bringing the foreign plans and the goals of zero-waste one step closer.

The market place that grew most in the past two years is the one of second-hand clothing. For years they were like cat and dog: luxury brands did not want to know anything about the second-hand sale of their clothing and accessories. Too little control, too little exclusive, too much mothball smell. But that time is over now. The Lithuanian platform Vinted has been the driving force behind a change in purchasing behaviour, which has now reached such proportions that more second-hand clothes are sold over the virtual counter than new ones and that the big brands have to adapt.[17] A Boston Consulting study[18] estimates the second-hand clothing industry’s annual growth rate at 12 percent. In that context, the 3 percent growth of the ‘normal’ luxury segment appears to be small.

Vinted – the largest second-hand fashion platform in Europe, raised recently 250 million euros in a capital increase round. Via the originally Lithuanian platform, members can buy and sell second-hand clothing. The investment was made by ETQ Growth. This means that Vinted now has a value of 350 million euros. With the new investment, the second-hand fashion platform Vinted is expanding to regions within and outside Europe. In addition, the company invests in user experience, security, payments, shipping, infrastructure and in new product tools and functions. With this, the company wants to make second-hand clothing the norm and enable more people to participate in the circular economy.

The Realreal[19], Depop[20], Grailed[21], Vestiaire Collective[22] are also online platforms for second-hand luxury goods. These have sprung up like mushrooms in recent years.

And then there are three different start-ups, all three of which mirror the Amazon e-commerce platform and whose ambition is to become the Amazon of their sector. Circular in Motion aims to become the Amazon of the Recycled materials.

Circular in Motion®, a European start-up, based in Amsterdam with founders from various nationalities has created a revolutionary e-commerce platform where their professional expertise and their environmental values are combined in one system. Trading recycled materials safely and reliably online, that is the promise of Circular in Motion. Using blockchain technology and the expertise of credit insurer Coface, the platform aims to enable the purchase and sale of certified plastics. The company aims to become the Amazon of renewable materials. The company’s CEO got the idea for the trading platform after working in the petrochemical industry for 22 years. Due to the abundance of links in the supply chain of plastic producers, he noticed that communication was sometimes difficult. As a result, companies have little flexibility in choosing partners to do business with. With changing European regulations on their way, whereby producers are obliged to use a proportion of recycled material, it is becoming increasingly relevant that buying and selling parties find each other. In the blockchain application the selling party can only offer renewable materials that are certified as such. This means that the specifications have been checked. Blockchain makes it possible to record information about transactions with the impossibility to be changed in the meantime. The buying party then checks in the real world whether the raw materials received are really certified renewable, in accordance with the characteristics and claims of the seller. If this turns out not to be the case, then one will fall through the cracks as a seller and he will be kicked off the platform. About 100 companies have now joined the beta version of the platform, from waste processors and recyclers to polymer producers and processors, as well as some prominent brand owners. Circular in Motion has entered the commercial stage in the third quarter of 2021.[23]

The German company Cirplus wants to be a kind of Amazon for recycled plastics. Its aim is to create the first global internet exchange for plastic material.

Under the company name Cirplus, which is made up of circular (circular) and surplus (added value), the two founders reached the second round of Entrepreneur First. That brought them an initial start-up capital of 80,000 British pounds in 2019. Two years later, more venture capitalists from Sweden and Germany joined the company. In addition, Cirplus is supported with state subsidies. Cirplus currently has 10 employees and around 1000 users are registered on the platform. The number is increasing all the time, not least because the platform is still free of charge. The company is currently still living on investor and subsidy funds. Investors firmly believe in Cirplus. They aim to be a professional procurement platform for plastic and all recycled plastic materials.[24]

In Belgium, two graduated from the well-known Solvay School of Economics also launched a Green Amazon. They started up Waio in 2018. The idea of it was to create a platform that brings together all the sellers of eco-responsible products. A kind of green Amazon.

They started with toys, fair trade clothing, articles for the garden, decoration, etc. Afterwards they started to focus on the categories that were doing very well: zero waste products and cosmetics in the broad sense: care and hygiene products, such as solid soaps and shampoos. The project now continues under another name, Slow-cosmetique.com . In the midst of the health crisis, in September 2020, Waio purchased the French market place with that name located in Roubaix. Both starters have merged Waio and Slow-cosmetique.com under that last name. The platform, that generates 85% of its turnover in France, brings together more than 200 sellers. “Local artisans and producers, mainly in Belgium and France, and a few in Spain and Italy.”[25]

The disadvantage of this type of marketplace is that many are called but few are chosen, since we see initiatives emerging all over Europe to create digital marketplaces.

A market is also beginning to emerge in e-Waste. Smartphones are being refurbished, especially as new materials become scarce.

The repair platform Refurbed is the fastest growing online marketplace for refurbished electronics in the German-speaking region. Its office is located in Vienna/Austria, but most of its software development team is spread over Europe and working remotely. They operate an e-commerce platform with sites in over a dozen different European countries through which we sell completely renewed electronics like phones, laptops and tablets. Products sold via its marketplace are like new, come with at least 12 months of warranty, and are up to 40% cheaper and much more sustainable. The shortage of chips and the general shortage of raw materials has contributed to the fact that people are buying fewer new goods and using more remanufactured products can help to deal better with limited resources.[26]

And then new types of government markets are also emerging. Environmentally conscious (local) governments that try to link discarded utensils with companies that want to keep these materials in the cycle. The parties just need to know how to find each other. Hence the importance of ICT and the internet.

The municipality of Apeldoorn recently launched a link between its database with all existing building materials in public space and a digital marketplace. This makes it possible to trade released materials so that they can be reused elsewhere. Apeldoorn is the first municipality in the Netherlands to take steps towards the circular economy at local and regional level in this way. Financially supported by an innovation subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of the Interior, the municipality innovated by making up a raw materials accounting scheme for all materials in public space and connected it to a trading platform. It works like this: Special cars – comparable to Google cars – scan the public space using different techniques. In this way they collect information about the material over and alongside which they drive, such as the type of stone, thickness of the stone layer or height of the sidewalk and colour. This information is combined with data from the Dutch municipal basic information (GBI). The GBI is a database available to every municipality and where information can be found about purchased materials. It then links these data to an online marketplace. Basically a kind of dating site for materials. Based on the offer on the trading platform, the municipality is looking for a match with another party, such as a municipality or contractor, who can make use of these secondary materials. This is how we facilitate circular construction.[27]

 4.     Data collection for waste recycling or reuse

A very big trend is the one that makes the switch from purchasing a device to renting the device and the service that is provided together with it. This tendency is high on the list of recommendations put forward by significant institutions to achieve a truly circular economy. The philosophy behind it is that the supplier will then do everything he can to keep its device ready for operation for as long as possible and therefore make it repairable. And if the device is replaced by a newer one, the parts will be designed in such a way that they can be reused fairly quickly with new versions from the supplier. However, this requires very good database management of all devices in circulation. Also paying attention to its consumption, performance, life cycle, etc. This therefore requires quite a bit of remote data collection and particularly up-to-date big data management.

In the coming years, instead of the traditional sale of light sources, the Belgian lighting company Etap wants to focus more and more on concluding agreements with companies, schools and hospitals, whereby Etap will take over the management of the lighting. This means not only cost savings for customers, but in addition, customers can reduce their carbon footprint by combining reduced energy consumption with the reuse of lighting materials. Etaps’ strong asset is that it has both the development and production in its own hands and can therefore focus on circularity in a controlled manner. An example? The CEO of Etap can already boast of a striking circular project. The lighting from the WTC towers in the North District of Brussels, which have been completely stripped and renovated, has been reused in classrooms of a Brussels school after maintenance. But that light management can only run optimally if the life cycle of luminaires and lamps is monitored. Then replacements can be made in time and the customer is satisfied. The Internet of Things plays an important role here. [28]

Pallets to transport goods on a truck or train are also subject to an owner shift. An environmentally conscious Dutch company that both made and sold pallets and rented them out, has sold its manufacturing department and has only focused on the rental and thus the reuse of pallets, called Faber Group’s circular pooling system. They only want to be able to keep those pallets in service for as long as possible, so they need data about their lifespan.

That is why the company recently started with a partner for Internet of Things solutions: Connected Load Carrier. The aim is to provide pallets with a tag that allows one to measure, for example, how much weight rests on them, how often they get a blow and what temperature they are in. The awareness is growing more and more how valuable all these data are. The company uses this information itself to prevent loss and thus ultimately increase the reuse rate. Everything contributes to more circular movements and more frequent rotation, which means fewer new pallets are needed. Moreover can now feedback a lot more information about pallet usage to the customer[29].

Since there are 60 to 80,000 types of plastic in circulation, many of which are virtually non-recyclable, a database of all plastic types, and especially the recyclable ones, is urgently needed. Since such standardization is parallel to what the Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. has done for other industrial products, such as paper, for example, it was almost appropriate that this institute was thought of to create some order in the plastic chaos. Please note: the US – as the only country in the world – uses different standards.

Together with industry giants such as the Dual System Deutschland[30] (the Yellow Bag), the disposal company Remondis[31] or the plant manufacturer Krauss Maffei[32] as well as the German Institute for Standardization[33], the two founders of the plastic material market platform Cirplus we talked about before, have initiated the urgently needed new DIN standard for plastic waste. As early as October 2021, it has created dedicated framework standards for the classification of plastic recycled materials, for example according to origin, quality or quantity, and so far all market participants recognize and encourage them.[34]

5.     Using recycled material in innovations

And then there is the whole technology of 3-D printing, which will focus fully on the reuse of plastic and even building materials. This allows new objects to be printed. There is still a hick, of course, since the energy that the printers consume should be CO2 neutral, but the printing materials to be used are circular anyway.

Friesland College students in the North of the Netherlands designed a windmill made of recycled plastic that can be delivered all over the world as a kit. The small mill supplies enough power for one room. This makes it a solution for the energy needs of people in countries where electricity is limited. The windmill consists of four hemispheres, an axle, a number of gears and dynamos. All parts are made from recycled plastic in a 3D printer. The innovative and sustainable design of the windmill earned the students an award from the national Energy Design Challenge of SMARTcircular; an energy competition that challenges young people of all educational lines – from primary school to university – to develop sustainable solutions.[35]

And then we arrive at the combination of designers and software to design things. This provides opportunities for designers willing to make standard screws and nuts that can be reused, standard metal supports designed for modular applications which can be rearranged to create different configurations and variants. This is also for designers wanting to do product design innovation from existing products or even waste, wanting to manufacture and produce products on a limited volume.

Closing remarks

The digitization of processes or design is often so evident that start-up initiators no longer mention it. It is therefore very possible that we have overlooked themes in which computer science in all its aspects is one of the key factors in the breakthrough of circular economy initiatives. However, this article offers many avenues for thinking that can offer young graduates ideas for further development in their own environment. After all, that is the advantage of digitization: it requires expertise and software programs, sometimes a high-performance printer. No factory halls. And if there is one thing that corona has taught us, it is that projects can be worked on anywhere in the world. They are just those who manually control or produce things that have to be on site.

Louis Delcart, board member European Academy of the Regions, www.ear-aer.eu

[1] the robots sort plastics by polymer, shape and/or color or they can sort specific objects, such as garden furniture, pipes, crates etc

[2] high purity in recyclables such as Plastics (PET bottles/trays, HDPE, PVC etc.),Foils (LDPE), Lightweight packages, Paper, OCC, Aseptic carton packages, vUBC, is maintained

[3] the robots can sort positively several metals in one pass or do negative sorting of residue and contaminants, Metals by shape/colour: brass, aluminium, zinc, copper, stainless steel etc., Metals by type: Iron scrap, copper wires, “meatballs”, Contaminants

[4] the pre-processing of waste can be heavily reduced and simultaneously sort many fractions such as: Metals, Wood by grade (A/B/C/D-wood), Inert mixed and by type: bricks, concrete, stones etc., Rigid plastics mixed or by polymer

[5] Marc Seijlhouwer, Beton recyclen maakt grote sprong vooruit: bedrijf zoekt naar locaties voor recyclemachine (Recycling concrete makes a big leap forward: company is looking for locations for recycling machine), in: ChangeInc, 3-02-2021; Circular economy and regional development — Recycling concrete makes a big leap forward:... (tumblr.com)

[6] Teun Schröder, Schone en veilige binnenstad door slimme afvalinzameling en digitale innovatie,( Clean and safe city center through smart waste collection and digital innovation) in: Change Inc., 15-07-2021, Circular economy and regional development — Clean and safe city center through smart waste... (tumblr.com)

[7] SIPTex is a Swedish research project that will test and evaluate automated textile sorting by building and operating a pilot facility for 12 months (in Sweden). The recognition and sorting equipment is based on near-infrared (NIR) technology. The project contributes to resource efficiency and closing textile loops by matching customers’ quality requirements with fast and highly accurate sorting technology.

[8] Avesta is a locality and the seat of Avesta Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 11,949 inhabitants in 2015.

[9] The Local: Malmö to host groundbreaking textile recycling plant,in: thelocal.se, 11-7-2019; Circular economy and regional development — Malmö to host groundbreaking textile recycling... (tumblr.com)

[10] Sysav, South Scania Waste Company, recycles and treats waste from households and industries in southern Skåne. The company is owned by 14 municipalities with a joint population of slightly more than 710,000, and Sysav is commissioned to manage the household waste in all owner municipalities. The subsidiary Sysav Industri AB has approximately 6,000 corporate customers. https://www.sysav.se/en/siptex/

[11] Skåne County, sometimes referred to as Scania County in English, is the southernmost county – län in Swedish-, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the traditional province Skåne. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge and connects to Capital Region, Denmark by the Öresund Bridge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the city of Malmö. The headquarters of Skåne Regional Council are located in both Kristianstad and Malmö.

[12] Jan Stassijns, Antwerpse actie om afval ook buitenshuis in vuilnisbak te gooien,( Antwerp organises action to throw waste in the garbage can outdoors as well) in: De Standaard, 2-7-2021; Circular economy and regional development — Antwerp organises action to throw waste in the... (tumblr.com)

[13] JN : Un contenedor intelligente que te recompensa por reciclar,( A smart container that rewards you for recycling), in: El País, 28-10-2021, Circular economy and regional development — A smart container that rewards you for recycling (tumblr.com)

[14] Ruslan Nercaș, E-deșeurile, o bombă ecologică… Cum scăpăm de aparatele electronice vechi,( E-waste, an ecological bomb … How to get rid of old electronic devices?) in: Moldcontrol, 22.12.2020, Circular economy and regional development — E-waste, an ecological bomb ... How to get rid of... (tumblr.com)

[15] Louis Delcart, Selling Agricultural Products through the Short Food Supply Chain: It is Becoming Increasingly Popular, International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies Volume 8, Issue 8, 2021, pp. 7-13 ISSN 2694-6296 ; https://www.ijrhss.org/papers/v8-i8/2.pdf

[16] TEUN SCHRÖDER, Nederlandse start-up haalt miljoeneninvestering op om Europese afvalmarkt te veroveren (Dutch start-up raises millions in investment to conquer European waste market) in: Change Inc, 08-10-2021, Circular economy and regional development — Dutch start-up raises millions in investment to... (tumblr.com)

[17] Karlien Beckers, Van ‘vies’ naar ‘vintage’: luxe omarmt tweedehands,(From ‘dirty’ to 'vintage’: luxury embraces second-hand) in: De Standaard, 28-09-2021; Circular economy and regional development — From 'dirty' to 'vintage': luxury embraces... (tumblr.com)

[18]  “The secondary market for luxury goods has always existed in the shadow of the primary market,” according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group, but that is beginning to change as demand for discounted pre-owned goods is giving rise to “one of the fastest-growing areas of luxury.” The management consulting firm estimates that luxury resale will grow at an average rate of 12 percent per year through 2021 to a whopping $36 billion market with a 9 percent share of the personal luxury goods segment. That is quite a bit larger than the 3 percent growth rate for the primary luxury market for that same period of time. The Luxury Resale Market is Growing Faster than the Primary Luxury Goods Segment, Per BCG - The Fashion Law

[19] The RealReal, Inc. is an online and brick-and-mortar marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment. Based on the circular economy, The RealReal sells consigned clothing, fine jewelry, watches, fine art and home decor. It employs an in-house staff of experts including horologists, gemologists, art curators and luxury fashion authenticators who inspect items for authenticity and value. https://www.therealreal.com/

[20] https://www.depop.com/

[21] At its core, Grailed is a simple concept: It’s a website and app for buying and selling high-end, second hand menswear and streetwear. The major investor is the luxury group Kering , that is owned by the Pinault family. Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Gucci, among others, fall under the umbrella of the group. Grailed: Largest Online Marketplace to Buy & Sell Menswear

[22] https://fr.vestiairecollective.com/

[23] Teun Schröder, Dit platform wil 'de Amazon van gerecyclede materialen' worden met hulp van de blockchain, (This platform aims to become 'the Amazon of recycled materials' with the help of blockchain), in: ChangeInc, 18-06-2021 https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/marktplaats-blockchain-gerecyclede-materialen-circulaire-econ

[24] Steffen Uhlmann, Ein Markplatz für den Müll, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 19-10-2021; Circular economy and regional development — A market place for garbage (tumblr.com)

[25] Anne Masset, "L'Amazon vert" lancé par deux Belges : "Être un entrepreneur ‘à impact’, c’est encore plus difficile" ("Green Amazon" launched by two Belgians) in : La Libre Belgique, 8-08-2021 https://www.lalibre.be/economie/entreprises-startup/2021/08/08/etre-un-entrepreneur-a-impact-cest-encore-plus-difficile-QOUFTLCTNFB2ZDTCVV2N2D5XDU/

[26] Dpa, Gebrauchte Technik in Chipkrise gefragt,( Used technology in demand during the chip crisis), in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23-11-2021; Circular economy and regional development — Used technology in demand during the chip crisis (tumblr.com)

[27] Teun Schröder, Gemeente Apeldoorn lanceert database en marktplaats voor circulaire materialen,( Dutch Municipality launches database and marketplace for circular materials), in: Change Inc, 7-07-2021, Circular economy and regional development — Dutch Municipality launches database and... (tumblr.com)

[28] Pascal Sertyn, Etap countert led-revolutie met verhuur van verlichting,( Etap counters LED revolution with lighting rental) in: De Standaard, 1-02-2021, https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20210131_98106025?

[29] TEUN SCHRÖDER, CEO Ingrid Faber: “Hergebruik van pallets is beter voor de klant, het milieu en voor ons een goed businessmodel”,( Reuse of pallets is better for the customer, the environment and a good business model for us in: Change Inc, 30-11-2021, Circular economy and regional development — Reuse of pallets is better for the customer, the... (tumblr.com)

[30] Der Grüne Punkt (The Green Dot) - Duales System Deutschland GmbH (DSD) is an operator of a dual system for waste separation in Germany. Home | Der Grüne Punkt (gruener-punkt.de)

[31] REMONDIS is one of the world’s largest recycling, service and water companies. With over 30,000 employees and around 900 business locations on 4 continents, the group serves more than 30 million people and many thousands of companies. Welcome // REMONDIS Global Website // Germany

[32] KraussMaffei is a German manufacturer of injection molding machines, machines for plastics extrusion technology, and reaction process machinery. It was acquired by ChemChina in 2016. Home - KraussMaffei

[33] Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (DIN; in English, the German Institute for Standardisation) is the German national organization for standardization and is the German ISO member body. DIN is a German Registered Association (e.V.) headquartered in Berlin. There are currently around thirty thousand DIN Standards, covering nearly every field of technology.

[34] Steffen Uhlmann, Ein Markplatz für den Müll, (A market place for garbage) Süddeutsche Zeitung, 19-10-2021; Circular economy and regional development — A market place for garbage (tumblr.com)

Back to the main points of the climate agreement adopted by the 200 countries of the COP26.

The urgent need to increase reductions in greenhouse gas emissions appears in the text, even with a little more emphasis than in previous versions, referring in particular to the most recent and alarming warnings issued by the scientific community.

Governments - particularly those that have yet to do so or with insignificant commitments - are called upon to review and significantly step up their reduction targets for 2030 to be align with the general  goal, that consists of  preventing global warming from exceeding the threshold of + 1.5 ° C. A duty for everybody to be carried out by 2022, this is three years ahead of the initial schedule of the Paris Agreement.

Even weakened, the call to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels is in the text, which is a first. It will still take time on a global scale, but the hours of coal - in particular - are numbered.

In the more technical debates devoted to the rules intended to regulate the purchase by States or companies of “licences to pollute” allowing them to offset their own carbon footprint, an agreement has emerged to prevent these “carbon markets” from being biased and negating the emission reduction efforts made elsewhere.

By 2024, moreover, all countries will have to report detailed data on their national emissions. This information will constitute the benchmark against which their future progress can be assessed. Along with the agreement itself, a whole series of announcements of voluntary actions have also been made by states or groups of states, as well as by businesses and financial institutions. They relate to the reduction of methane emissions, the fight against deforestation and the phasing out of vehicles with gasoline and diesel engines.

The call for help from the poorest countries insufficiently taken into account

The text also further supports the recognition of the increased support that rich countries have to provide to poor countries to help them cope with the impacts of climate change. The document limits itself to "note with deep regret" that the promise of 100 billion dollars annually by 2020 has not been kept by the developed countries, but that it will be met within two years.

This question represents a major stake for the countries of the South. As time passes and the effects of global warming amplify, these countries must indeed devote enormous resources (up to 10% of GDP in some African states) to cope with these consequences. Increasing their debt further, even though they only produce a tiny fraction of the pollutants that are the source of the climate crisis.

Rich countries are urged to reach this emergency target and at least double by 2025, compared to 2019, the amount of funding devoted to adaptation to the consequences of climate change. But it is still sorely lacking in solid commitments.

Climate finance currently specifically favours mitigation (i.e. efforts to reduce emissions), to the frustration of countries in the South, which are also demanding multi-year plans and greater predictability of funding.

Loss and damage

The 1992 United Nations Convention on Climate Change is based on two pillars: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing adaptation, in particular, of the most vulnerable to future impacts. But, since that date, the devastating consequences of global warming have become a reality in the present and the damage can be counted in the billions of dollars. Faced with this reality, the concept of "loss and damage" has emerged, referring to disasters that can no longer be avoided.

The biggest disappointment therefore came from the lack of a satisfactory response to the demands of the most vulnerable countries for redress for irreversible "loss and damage". For them, in fact, adaptation measures are no longer sufficient. They want to see a specific funding channel implemented to finance their reconstruction. But this demand is considered too hard to stage by the United States and the European Union, haunted by the prospect of the legal actions which could result from what they associate with a form of recognition of responsibility.

The question is complex, it is true. How do you assess the moral prejudice represented by the obligation for the population of a small island to be relocated? How can we be sure that the devastation caused by a violent cyclone is the consequence of warming more than of the natural variability of the climate?… The amounts involved could quickly reach stratospheric levels. Vulnerable countries will therefore have to be content at this stage with the creation of a "technical assistance" mechanism and the promise that an in-depth discussion will open on this issue on which they have been battling for ten years.

Small consolation, imitating the example of Scotland, the Walloon Region in Belgium announced on Saturday that it would dedicate one million euros to this aspect of assistance to the victims of these "losses and damages". Other European countries, including Germany, also seemed poised to follow suit.

Sources

Gilles Toussaint, Quels sont les éléments clefs du "Pacte climatique de Glasgow" ?in: La Libre Belgique, 14-11-2021 https://www.lalibre.be/planete/environnement/2021/11/14/quels-sont-les-elements-clefs-du-pacte-climatique-de-glasgow-SA7QZCCP2FCXTESSCVBNBNGTJU/

The Belgian agency IntoTheMinds analyzed 842 fundraising events carried out over twelve months by European start-ups. The United Kingdom remains the country which attracts the most investors. Belgium occupies a  sixth place. Three sectors stand out.

A vigorous rebound in economic activity (after the cold snap of the COVID19 pandemic), interest rates being still very low, investors looking for profitable investments… There is no shortage of factors to explain the attention of venture capitalists for start-ups in recent months. But what exactly is the extent of the turnaround? Which countries and sectors benefit the most? Without having sufficiently comprehensive databases, it is not always easy to see things clearly.

Pierre-Nicolas Schwab, founder and director of the Belgian agency IntoTheMinds, publishes a study[1] which sheds light on the dynamics followed by the European venture capital market in recent months. This expert in data analysis and marketing researcher at the ULB reviewed 842 fundraising activities carried out for the benefit of European start-ups for a total investment of 25.6 billion euros. “These are all the surveys made public between September 1, 2020 and July 14, 2021,” he explains. “We have manually collected all the data available on specialized sites and we have completed the list with a search on LinkedIn” . For each of the 842 fundraising operations, IntoTheMinds experts enriched the data with the date, the country, the founders’ identity and gender (totalling 1,433 cases), as well as the geographic location and sector of activity.

A Swedish “big deal”

After the Covid-19 crisis which hit many sectors in 2020 and led to a general slowdown in the economy, the time for a rebound has arrived, summarizes Pierre-Nicolas Schwab on his blog. "Supported by accommodating financial policies, most sectors saw their activity pick up sharply in 2021. European start-ups took advantage of this financial windfall and 2021 is shaping up to be an exceptional year." The rebound began in May 2021 to reach a peak, in terms of the number of deals closed and amounts raised in Europe, during the month of June. It was during this month that the largest operation was carried out (period September 2020 to July 2021): it concerns the raising of 2.3 billion euros by Northvolt, a Swedish manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles. An operation carried out by several Swedish pension funds, Goldman Sachs and Volkswagen. If Sweden stood out during the period studied (September 2020 to July 2021), it is the United Kingdom which leads European countries in terms of fundraising with around 6.66 billion euros that have been invested. The attractiveness of British start-ups for private capital has therefore not wavered despite Brexit.

The effect of e-commerce on retail

The UK is, however, followed by Germany (5.133 billion) and… Sweden (4.386 billion). IntoTheMinds has identified no less than 45 fundraisers for Swedish start-ups over the period, including that of Northvolt. France comes in fourth place, with amounts raised that are almost four times higher than those of Spain. Belgium occupies a fine sixth place with 573 million euros. The funds invested were, up to 28% of the total amount, in the sales sector. “The Covid crisis has been an upheaval for food and non-food retail, giving rise to delivery needs and anchoring e-commerce in mores. A real race has begun to shorten delivery times; a very capital-intensive race, the effect of which can be seen here” comments Pierre-Nicolas Schwab. The second sector for the amounts invested is that of banking and insurance (22%), a sector marked by the wave of “FinTech” and other “AssurTech”. Next comes the IT / telecom sector (18%). Last but not least, the study of the profile of the 1,433 founders of companies that have raised funds shows, if need be, the enormous gender inequality within the European start-up ecosystem since there are only 8, 3% of women.

Source

Pierre-François Lovens : Levées de fonds pour les start-up européennes : voici le classement des pays qui attirent le plus d’investisseurs, in La Libre Belgique ,25-19-2021 https://www.lalibre.be/economie/entreprises-startup/2021/10/25/levees-de-fonds-pour-les-start-up-europeennes-voici-le-classement-des-pays-qui-attirent-le-plus-dinvestisseurs-R4ZN3LCYOVFZXGOWAHBWKE3S74/ 

The “la Caixa” Foundation presents the award-winning projects in the EduCaixa Challenge 2021, which proposes that young people become the new agents of social change. The concerns of digital natives are translated into benefits.

Confinement, teleworking and abuse of sugar and flour in home baking. Who would not feel  related? With this starting point, Cayetana, Candela and Sara, three students from the El Burgo de Las Rozas institute (Madrid), present in a video their Kasha project, an online platform that could put nutritionists and experts in healthy cooking in contact with those people who abuse hyper caloric homemade recipes.

This is one of the 19 projects awarded in the EduCaixa Challenge 2021 call of the “la Caixa” Foundation, which aims to promote educational values among young people, develop their skills through meaningful learning and approach the real professional context. The challenge is divided into four categories: Young Entrepreneurs, BigData, BeCritical and STEAMxChange, and has awarded the proposals that put greater social awareness at the service of the new post-pandemic reality.

“EduCaixa Challenge aims to encourage critical thinking, active and constructive observation of reality, empathy, the value of collaborative and team work, and the importance of developing one's own competences”, explains Rosa María Martínez , the main person in charge of the EduCaixa Challenge. “And in this edition we wanted to give a special value to the action, empowering the participants to be agents of social change. We believe that the objective has been fully met in the different phases ”, she concludes.

Creative and empathetic generation

985 teams of secundary compulsory education (ESO), Baccalaureate and professional educaction (FP) students from Spain and Portugal participated in the EduCaixa Challenge 2021 call. Of them, 95 teams with 355 students and 78 teachers were selected to participate in a Virtual Campus for three days, with inspirational talks and workshops that would help them design their final project.

It could be said that each of these videos represents the first post-pandemic adolescent proposals, where they reflect their concerns and solutions. For them, the intuitive thing would be to use new technologies as a way to connect isolated people, develop applications on biodegradation or analyze the contagion curve based on poverty by territory, which are some of the proposals put forward.

The CardGallery project, for example, designed by students Ángel, Luis, Telmo and Jorge, from the Alcaste de Nalda school (La Rioja), consisted of “coming to the rescue of artists and museums” in crisis after restrictions due to the pandemic. The mobile application designed by these students would connect art lovers, collectors and patrons with artists who could upload their available works to a virtual space.

Skills for the future

“What has surprised us the most about the videos presented is the interest shown by all the participants in being agents of social change. They all focused on how to improve, in some way, some aspect of society, either with innovative proposals or by analyzing and researching to find solutions ”, describes Martínez. And he adds: “Based on the projects presented, I would say that this is a very empathetic generation, which has deeply rooted values such as environmental sustainability, which is mostly committed to equity and that caring for others is very present. I think this is a generation in which technology and, therefore, digital is already part of their DNA. It is surprising how in such a short time they have been able to generate videos that technologically do not have much to envy of professional results ”.

To achieve these objectives, the EduCaixa platform makes available to students a wide repertoire of digital resources that allow them to develop their ideas, based on the Project-Based Learning methodology and cooperative work, with the Sustainable Development Goals set by Nations. United as a cornerstone. All this contributes to developing the necessary skills and competencies not only in the educational field, but also in the social and occupational fields, such as the ability to work in a team, critical thinking, effective communication and creativity.

In previous editions of the EduCaixa Challenge pre-pandemic, the award consisted of a training trip to Boston, New York or Silicon Valley, except in 2020, when it was not possible to travel. The award for the 2021 edition will consist of a training bootcamp in Mallorca -which will be held in July following all the necessary security measures-, in which students and teachers will be able to live and exchange learning experiences with other teams for six days.

“As adults, the lesson we can draw from this edition would be to trust these adolescents, consider their abilities and criteria, because they are aware that the future is in their hands. Although there are adolescents of all kinds, as in all generations, I believe that we must give visibility to young people who, like these participants, are involved with the society in which they live and try to provide solutions. And they are a sample ”, concludes the person in charge of the program.

Source

This article has been written on the occasion of  a participation in a European project in Albania: Support to Social Entrepreneurship and re-use of Confiscated Assets . The intention of it is primarily to use properties and land confiscated from the mafia for employment and regular business operations. We therefore submitted the “Release” project in which existing agricultural companies are supported by a short food chain located in confiscated premises to market their products.

There is a Dutch translation of this article on https://earaernl.tumblr.com/post/660878741644378112/landbouwproducten-aan-de-man-brengen-in-de-korte

Agriculture, sustainability and profitability: a difficult exercise

One can hardly argue that agriculture is the ideal sector for a circular economy. Farmers till their land year after year, growing new seasonal crops or cultivating perennial bushes and trees harvesting them annually. In livestock farming, animals are raised for milk (cows, goats, sheep), for wool (sheep) or for slaughter (cattle, sheep, pigs). Horse breeding is a specialty for a specific trade.

Nevertheless, this aspect of agriculture already reveals elements of sustainability that are difficult to reconcile with profitability, but about which the minds have matured and the advancing insight is evolving in the right direction. Fertilizers have to be used when growing crops and in the past there has been a shift from natural fertilizers to chemical fertilizers, especially when it comes to extensive farming. The consequence of this was that the ground deteriorated and that the groundwater was polluted and that it also ended up in the creeks and rivers to end in the sea. Extensive farming is therefore increasingly regarded as a problem. A recent article in the Financial Times about cultivating hazelnuts in the same region in Italy at the request of chocolate spread producer Nutella appears to pose a problem of depletion and impoverishment of the available agricultural land. [1]  Agriculture – and especially extensive farming – is a major consumer of land area (40 percent of the earth's land), water (70 percent of the total demand for freshwater), fertilizer (with harmful substances such as ammonia, nitrous oxide and nitrate) and the finite but essential resource phosphate. [2] And then there is the spraying of crop protection products against insect pests. This too appears to be rather short-sighed and not future-oriented. Research by researcher Paul van Rijn of the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) at the University of Amsterdam and by associate professor Arne Janssen, also working at IBED, raises doubts about the usefulness of insecticides in agriculture. In addition to concerns about environmental damage and the resistance that pest species develop, which means that new toxins are constantly required, the new Amsterdam study questions the effectiveness of spraying. Studies show that on average the pests do not decrease after spraying, if natural enemies of the pests are present, because they too are killed. [3]

Natural fertilizers are also a problem because they also end up in the groundwater. This poses a serious problem for the environment, especially when extensive livestock farming is carried out. The recent fierce riots surrounding the new Dutch fertilizer law applicable from 20-2-2021 has shown how sensitive this is in agricultural circles. [4]  Flanders, the northern region of Belgium, has 42 million chickens and 5.7 million pigs. The densely populated area has the largest livestock concentration in Europe. Yet farmers are building ever larger stables. After all, extensive livestock farming is still used because it is claimed that this is the only economically viable method. [5] A chicken farmer testifies: “Anyone who is against mega-stables should ask themselves whether they choose the most expensive chicken in the supermarket. We produce what the consumer demands: cheap meat. I would like to keep fewer but more expensive chickens, which grow more slowly and have more space. But nobody wants to pay for that. Then it stops. Most people are not aware of what goes on behind the production of their food. It is the world market that pushes us towards cheap mass production. And we are all a part of that.” [6]

In addition to the problem of manure surpluses caused by extensive livestock farming, there is also the problem of methane emissions caused by farmed animals. Agriculture is now responsible for about 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions; two-thirds of this comes from livestock farming. Large-scale farms such as in France are looking for solutions by mixing what is called biomass (animal waste water, plant material and agro-food residues) in a fermentation tank, making it possible to recover biomethane, which can be used for heating, industrial use or even as fuel. The process is on the rise for French farmers: the amount of renewable gas injected into the networks amounted to 1,023 anaerobic digestion units at the end of 2020, of which 214 in injection. However, this solution is not enough to decarbonise agriculture. [7] Extensive livestock farming in densely populated areas also causes nuisance in the community. : the trailers that transport and transport chicks, feed, manure and chickens must cross the village centre. The catching crew comes to take the chickens out at night. They load the cages into the truck with a lot of noise. The community often suffers from stench. In addition, there is the particulate matter and nitrogen that comes from those stables. And water scarcity. [8]

Not all agricultural crops are geared to food or nutrition. There are numerous crops grown for industrial purposes. Once again, extensive farming of those crops is being denounced as one of the most polluting products: cotton, for example, needs an enormous amount of water, causing water scarcity in other parts of the area through which a river flows. For example, cotton cultivation dried up the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, into a small lake within decades. [9]

Yet it is not all doom and gloom: there is hemp, which can also be used for textiles. It is a plant that grows at lightning speed, even without fertilizers and even on poor soils. Because it grows meters high so quickly, it also stores a relatively large amount of CO2 in the short term. As a result, the same plant can first remediate polluted soils - this process is known in science as phytoremediation - and then be processed to make sustainable insulation material or fashion accessories.[10]  Elephant grass has the same property. The plant captures four times as much CO2 as trees and can be used as a filler in all kinds of products. Paper and cardboard are still an important market for elephant grass fibres. But now it is also in (bio) plastic, and in concrete. [11]  Both plants should not necessarily be planted on fertile farmland. Empty land of old industrial estates is also eligible.

Agricultural products made on an industrial basis create packaging

Extensive agriculture and vegetable cultivation and its sale through supermarkets have created a tidal wave of packaging, mostly plastic packaging. In Europe alone, 200 million tons of plastic are currently produced every year. [12] When plastic ends up in the environment, it poses a danger to people and nature. And that's not even talking about the plastic that ends up in the sea afterwards.[13]  The goal should therefore be to reduce the number of plastics. The smaller the range of plastics and also bioplastics, the easier recycling will be.

As a result, bulk stores [14] have emerged. A bulk store is a retail store that differs from other stores in that the entire range is offered separately, i.e. without boxes and therefore without packaging. The focus of packaging-free stores is on offering unpackaged foods and products. You can fill these in any desired quantity in your own container. Usually, biodegradable packaging or reusable boxes are also offered for sale or deposited in the store. The aim is on the one hand to combat the overproduction of food and on the other hand to consistently avoid packaging and plastic waste. There is a demand for packaging-free shopping, especially in western euiropean countries; since about 2010, packaging-free stores have been opened in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Portugal and the UK. [15] In addition to shops, there are also: online packaging-free groceries, mobile packaging-free groceries, and even – apart from agricultural products – online DIY ingredients. However, that phenomenon is mainly established in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The same philosophy is applied in the farm shops. Sometimes there is no real store at all. For example, many farmers sell straight from their barn. Products such as apples, pears, potatoes… are offered from large bins in a corner of the sorting area.

The short food chain: another way to connect the consumer and the farm

It has already been said: the world market is pushing agriculture towards cheap production. Everyone wants cheap quality meat, quality grain and quality vegetables. On the other hand, we notice that it is mainly the intermediaries who force farmers to produce cheaply: the supermarkets impose the price and they are usually listed and therefore driven by the pursuit of profit.

So there are more and more options from the base to achieve this quality objective. A growing number of French inhabitants demand local, natural, fresh, seasonal products, grown or handmade, as close to their home as possible. However, locavorism, a movement that advocates the consumption of food produced within 100 to 250 km of home, is nothing new. This is evident from the retail markets that are deeply rooted in the region. The change mainly comes from new supply channels. Farm sales and collective outlets, basket sales (with or without subscription) and mail order sales, the short food chain has become popular in France[16], Belgium[17], the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Greece[18]. In France, the short food chain currently represents 8 to 10% of the food market. It also contributes to a sustainable and diversified diet of unprocessed products and to food sovereignty. In Italy has the world’s largest network  of farmers’ markets. Nowadays the EU is even giving incentives to producers wishing to involve themselves in local food systems -or as it is called: short food supply chains (SFSC) - can benefit from several measures co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.[19]

A farm shop is usually a sales area on the farm itself.It can be located on the farm, but in some cases also in the village centre. Usually the farmer only sells his own products (primary or processed), sometimes he supplements his range with farm products from fellow farmers. The range in the short food chain is sometimes even more extensive than in the supermarket. You will find more exclusive vegetables, meat preparations, potato varieties… [20] De Buurderij (Farm meets neighbours) is a specific and international phenomenon. It is an on-line platform where customers can order their vegetables, meat and dairy products, and where a truck brings them weekly to a meeting point in the village. At Boeren & Buren (“Farmers and neighbours”), the products in Belgium travel an average of 28 km to reach the consumer’s plate. There are already about 140 Buurderijen in Belgium & the Netherlands. But the movement also has branches in France (La Ruche), Switzerland (Marktschwärmer, La Ruche), Italy (l'Alveare), Germany(Marktschwärmer), Spain (la Colmena) [21].

The cooperative is often a form of cooperation in which several smaller players join forces to increase the offer and attractiveness or to jointly perform certain services for the benefit of all participants. In the southern Belgian province of Namur, for example, there is the producer and consumer cooperative Paysans-Artisans who organize their sales circuit together. Subsequently, a series of activities was added, in accordance with the demands and needs raised by the producers from the field, to form the Fabrique Circuit Court, a cluster of companies focused on the short chain in food. In a hangar of about 3,600 m2, located in the industrial park of Suarlée-Namur, cooperative processing workshops, independent workshops and logistics areas are grouped together. All dedicated to the short chain. The objective is clear: “to give primary producers (horticulture, dairy products, livestock) that are part of an artisanal dynamic, specific and adapted processing tools”, as opposed to those developed for industrial production and where there is no place for small producers. [22]

Some initiatives go even further."L'atelier de Bossimé" is an online sales platform for local products. Here the bread is made with Hollange flour, the young pigeon from Domaine de Sohan in Pepinster is baked in hay, while the strawberries from La Bruyère are available as ice cream for dessert... The initiators want to offer something more than just sailing on the locavore wave. The producer must be able to earn a decent income. In addition, the initiators have also started horticultural production themselves. The idea of ​​"Artisans de Bossimé" was created in 2019, when the initiator who runs a restaurant started working with a young gardener for his restaurant. He lent him a piece of land and bought the vegetables from him. This way the horticulturist did not have to waste time on marketing his products. He was able to concentrate on horticulture. Today a second gardener has joined this huge vegetable garden, which now extends over 6 ha . It is bordered by beehives that provide Bossimé honey, which you can find for dessert at "L'atelier".[23]

Other forms of agriculture that belong to the short food chain are urban farming projects. [24]  In the Ferme Abattoir city farm of Building Integrated GreenHouses (BIGH) on the rooftop of the former Butchery of Anderlecht (Brussels), fish and plant cultivation are linked through a biological filter that continuously purifies the water of the fish. They produce eggplants, spicy peppers and all kinds of tomatoes. In 2019 it was about 10 to 15 tons. It also produces herbs and fish. This urban farm sells practically integrally to the catering sector downtown, which therefore always receives fresh products in bulk.

And it is not without reason that urban agriculture is growing in places like New York, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore and Tel Aviv. A 2018 study suggested that urban farming could reduce some environmental problems in cities by increasing vegetation cover, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and providing a habitat for bees and other pollinators. It can also help increase food security and reduce food waste. Take Lufa Farms in Montreal, Canada, for example. Since it opened a commercial rooftop farm in 2011, the amount of food it produces has doubled every two years. It now grows about 50 varieties of vegetables in three rooftop hydroponic farms that produce "virtually zero waste." Lufa turned his greenhouses into high-tech living ecosystems that house dozens of insect species, including "good bugs" such as parasitic wasps, ladybugs and predatory mites to control pests. [25]

New chains offer solutions for food waste

Food waste is one of the major problems of our time. According to the German Federal Ministry of Food & Agriculture[26], around twelve million tons of food end up in the garbage every year in Germany alone. Worldwide, more than a third of all food produced is thrown away.

In France, a number of chains and platforms have emerged that offer an answer to distributing healthy food, offering farmers fair compensation and food waste. Names such as écomiam, Zéro Gachis (Smartway) and Shopopop are until now less known than Carrefour, E.Leclerc or Système U but are visibly gaining notoriety. Smartway offers the super and hypermarkets solutions to reduce their unsold food products by offering them with discounts or giving them away to associations. For example, they recover 50,000 products per day that are not thrown away. Shopopop currently has 700,000 customers and shopers in 95 French departments who supply and buy lunch boxes. écomiam, on the other hand, is an ethical chain of frozen products that are 100% French and offer a fair remuneration to the producers at the same time with constant prices for the consumers.[27]

A nowadays app that is popular in many Western European cities is “Too Good To Go” app[28] .  This application of a Danish start-up connects people in major European cities with shops that provide unsold food. With the help of the app one can buy surplus fruit and vegetables, bread and cakes as well as leftover food from restaurants, bakeries, hotels, supermarkets and similar businesses at reduced prices. The app shows all participating shops in the area and lists them according to their distance from your own location.[29]

Final remarks

Agricultural organizations still proclaim that large farms or livestock farms are the only ones with a future in Western Europe. They see cheaper products coming onto the market through trade agreements with Mercosur and Canada (CETA) that will be used as bait by retail discounters. Like fast fashion, there is also fast food, not only prepared but also promoted as "fresh" and "healthy".

More and more consumers are starting to revolt against discounter promotions for food products that everyone knows are being marketed at dumped prices in order to force cheaper prices from local producers. Once again, I regard this form of disruption as irresponsible and even criminal. Farmers should not depend on the market and thus grow potatoes on all their lands when demand is high, or sunflowers for bioethanol because it provides a safe income. One also no longer can explain why we have to cut forests in Brazil to grow soy for Dutch or Belgian pigs whose meat goes to China. Now this is considered the most economically efficient system, because many costs are not taken into account.

On the other hand, there is a tendency among younger consumers to consume more seasonal fruit and vegetables that are produced at a much shorter distance from home. Some retailers are jumping on that bandwagon. But their offer still focuses on the possibility of creating as much margin as possible and thus forcing producers to reduce or even cancel their margins. Alternative circuits are better because they are created by the producers themselves or organized by a cooperative that seeks a balance between a fair price for the producers and an affordable price for the consumers. And therefore not based on double digit EBITDAs.

On the other hand, such an approach stimulates the creativity of the agricultural sector and its will to collaborate with other sectors such as catering and hospitality enables profitability to be boosted again. And while also taking care of fundamental environmental standards, such as the diversification of agricultural products to prevent depletion of the land and nature by monoculture, the use of alternatives to insecticides, the use and processing of natural fertilizers, the drastic reduction of plastic packaging, not destroying too many agricultural products produced, etc. What we mainly advocate is that an agricultural sector can continue to exist in Western Europe and that we do not become dependent on producers in other continents with less ethical principles.

Louis Delcart, Member of the Board of Directors European Academy of the Regions, www.ear-aer.eu

[1] Romy de Weert, Honger naar Nutella: hoe meer lokale productie zorgt voor monocultuur (Craving for Nutella: how more local production attracts monoculture), in: Change Inc, 25-08-2021, https://www.change.inc/agri-food/honger-naar-de-hazelnoot-hoe-de-monocultuur-plaats-moet-maken-voor-diversiteit-37026

[2] Teun Schröder, True price:  de oplossing voor de te lage prijs van voeding,( True price: the solution for food prices that are too low) in: Change Inc, 2-07-2021, https://www.change.inc/agri-food/true-price-oplossing-lage-prijs-voeding-36695

[3] Onno Havermans,  Landbouwgif is vaak overbodig, zolang er natuurlijke vijanden van de plaagsoort zijn (Agricultural poisons are often unnecessary, as long as there are natural enemies of the pest species),  in Trouw, 27-06-2021, https://www.trouw.nl/duurzaamheid-natuur/landbouwgif-is-vaak-overbodig-zolang-er-natuurlijke-vijanden-van-de-plaagsoort-zijn~b03fe482/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210627%7Cdaily&utm_content=Landbouwgif%20is%20vaak%20overbodig%2C%20zolang%20er%20natuurlijke%20vijanden%20van%20de%20plaagsoort%20zijn&utm_term=174395&ctm_ctid=05fe42c1f7ae088fb078fe7a6472d8ae

[4] https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/agrarisch-ondernemen/mest/gebruiken-en-uitrijden Crops need fertilizer to grow. But too much manure on the soil is not good for surface water and groundwater. This is mainly due to the substances nitrogen and phosphate. Do you want to spread animal manure or other manure? Then you have to deal with rules. How much and when you are allowed to use and spread fertilizer depends on your soil type, soil use and fertilizer type.

[5] Ine Renson, De boer die niet vergroot, gaat dood. Waarom megastallen het Vlaamse platteland veroveren (The farmer who doesn't increase dies. Why mega stables are conquering the Flemish countryside), in: De Standaard, 28/10/2020, https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20201127_05006958

[6] Ine Renson, Die megastallen maken alles kapot wat ons dierbaar is (Those mega stables destroy everything we hold dear), in: De Standaard, 1-12-2020 , https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20201130_05007015

[7] Marine Godelier, La méthanisation ne suffira pas à décarboner l’agriculture (Methanization will not be enough to decarbonize agriculture), in : La Tribune 18-08-2021, https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/transitions-ecologiques/la-methanisation-ne-suffira-pas-a-decarboner-l-agriculture-890780.html

[8] Ine Renson, Die megastallen maken alles kapot wat ons dierbaar is is (Those mega stables destroy everything we hold dear), in: De Standaard, 1-12-2020 , https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20201130_05007015

[9] Eline Teunissen, Duurzaamheid in de kledingindustrie: ‘Fast fashion is de grote burn-out’ (Sustainability in the clothing industry: 'Fast fashion is the great burnout'), Change Inc, 14 juni 2021, https://www.change.inc/retail/duurzaamheid-kledingindustrie-fast-fashion-burn-out-36537

[10] Pieter Van Maele, Halen planten binnenkort ook PFOS uit de grond?( Will plants soon also remove PFOS from the soil?), In: De Standaard, 31-07-2021 https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20210730_97690163?

[11] Marc Seijlhouwer, Olifantsgras slaat vier keer zoveel CO2 op als een bos. Dit bedrijf wil het daarom op alle braakliggende stukken land planten (Elephant grass stores four times as much CO2 as a forest. This company therefore wants to plant it on all fallow pieces of land), in: ChangeInc, 8-7-2021, https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/olifantsgras-vier-keer-zoveel-co2-als-bos-36737

[12] Hildegard Suntinger, We moeten nu toch echt een keer van dat plastic af (We really need to get rid of that plastic now), in: Change Inc, 16-07-2021, https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/we-moeten-nu-toch-echt-een-keer-van-dat-plastic-af-36797

[13] In the world's oceans, this represents a waste share of 80 to 85 percent. In 1999 the ratio between plastic and plankton was still 6:1. By 2009 this ratio had increased tenfold to 60:1. If we do not deal with plastic differently, according to the predictions, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish. Plastics eventually break down into smaller and smaller fragments. However, the actual mass remains unchanged. These microplastics migrate to the bottom of the sea and eventually end up in the human body via food. Microplastics are already found in almost everyone's blood and urine. In: Change Inc, 16-07-2021, https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/we-moeten-nu-toch-echt-een-keer-van-dat-plastic-af-36797

[14] Vivien Timmler, Es läuft noch nicht rund (It's not running smoothly yet), in: Süd-Deutsche Zeitung, 20/8/2021. https://sz.de/1.5387806

[15] https://www.hetzerowasteproject.nl/p/bulk-boodschappenadressen.html

[16] Conférence Good : Vous avez dit locavore ? (Conference Good: Did you say locavore? )- Le Progrès - 29-8-2021 - https://www.leprogres.fr/economie/2021/08/29/conference-good-vous-avez-dit-locavore

[17] Hubert Heyrendt,  Les Artisans de Bossimé repensent le commerce de proximité (Les Artisans de Bossimé rethink local commerce), in La LibreBelgique, 11-02-21, https://stories.lalibre.be/inspire/numero9/index.html

[18] EurActiv : Short food supply chains in Europe’s South: Special report, 419-27/12/2018, https://en.euractiv.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/special-report/EURACTIV-Special-Report-Short-food-supply-chains-in-Europe%E2%80%99s-south.pdf

[19] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_BRI(2016)586650

[20] https://www.rechtvanbijdeboer.be/verkooppunten/hoevewinkel

[21] https://boerenenburen.nl/nl; https://boerenenburen.be/nl-BE

[22] Valentine Van Vyve, La Fabrique Circuit Court, le chaînon manquant pour les petits producteurs (La Fabrique Circuit Court, the missing link for small producers), in : La Libre Belgique, 02-08-2021, https://www.lalibre.be/planete/inspire/2021/08/02/la-fabrique-circuit-court-le-chainon-manquant-pour-les-petits-producteurs-VQGQHRUR75HJTPJKJJMID5JBUY/?fbclid=IwAR3mC2ETAq8VpcJKTheh-x2iqsl1QPsg18HVOdfDMYVXHpl6vEz7O7VwbHk

[23] Hubert Heyrendt,  Les Artisans de Bossimé repensent le commerce de proximité (Les Artisans de Bossimé rethink local commerce), in : La LibreBelgique, 11-02-21, https://stories.lalibre.be/inspire/numero9/index.html

[24] Amaury Michaux, ‘Stadslandbouw is belangrijk voor economisch herstel”( Urban agriculture is important for economic recovery), in: De Standaard, 11-05- 2020 - https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20200510_04953363

[25] Eduardo Garcia, Where’s the Waste? A ‘Circular’ Food Economy Could Combat Climate Change, in: New York Times 23.09.2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/21/climate/circular-food-economy-sustainable.html?referringSource=articleShare

[26] https://www.bmel.de/EN/Home/home_node.html Food and agriculture are issues that directly affect all citizens. A balanced, healthy diet, safe food, clear consumer information when buying food and a strong and sustainable agricultural, forestry and fisheries sector are among the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) most important goals.

[27] E&Y, Agroalimentaire. L’émergence de nouveaux distributeurs, Ouest France, 2/9/2021, https://www.ouest-france.fr/economie/consommation/agroalimentaire-l-emergence-de-nouveaux-distributeurs-7403049

[28] https://toogoodtogo.de/de Our mission is to inspire and move everyone to do something about food waste. In order to translate our words into action, we have big plans: to build a global movement against food waste. We can only really make a difference if we all work together to combat food waste. For this reason we have decided to work intensively on four pillars: budget, economy, education and politics.

This article was written as a possible introductory lesson to the EIT Western Balkan HEI Capacity Building on Circular Economy program. https://eitrawmaterials.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EIT-Western-Balkan-HEI-Capacity-Building-on-Circular-Economy-program_Call-Text.pdf

There is a Dutch translation of this article on: https://earaernl.tumblr.com/post/660521751248338944/circulaire-economie-laat-zich-niet-van-bovenaf

Although many OECD countries are working on it, the economy is only slowly developing from linear to circular. However, many economists are convinced that this is the only viable path if we want to prevent a climate catastrophe by 2050 and thereby leave a habitable and developable world for the next generations. Numerous articles in the press point out that many companies are only at the beginning of a gigantic effort to make their production CO2 neutral but also sustainable and that a lot of innovation will be needed before that happens. So what are the reasons why the transition towards a circular economy is so difficult to make? This article attempts to provide an overview of the causes.

The 3 R's

Not every country is as far along when it comes to introducing a circular economy. Prof. dr. Herminio Sastre, director of the Chair of Circular Economy at the University of Oviedo (Spain) and professor of Environmental Technology, sums up the three principles again in an article published this year in El País: Reducir, Reutilizar y Reciclar[1] or Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. And although the same professor points out in the same article that this is a principle already successfully used by our grandparents to minimize the waste they produced, there are big differences between the period of those grandparents and the present one. Our grandparents lived close to the land on which food was harvested, bought utensils and furniture that were often still produced in workshops no more than two hundred kilometers from their home, and spent most of their income in shops situated within 1 kilometer of their home.  They could also call on repairmen such as electricians, mechanics or plumbers who gave the best of their capacities to get the appliances working again. One of the indictments of the students in May 68 was a cry against the emerging consumption society. Multiple were already  the closures of factories in textiles, mechanics, metallurgy throughout Europe and America. Many utensils, products, food, etc. that we currently consume as families were now produced on an industrial scale, often even far from home, or with parts that have completed a 4 month sea voyage. The post-industrial consumption society has also become a throwaway society, with concepts such as fast food, fast fashion and even fast furniture.

It is only from the second decade of the twenty-first century that the multinationals that had hitherto been geared to a type of hyper-consumption and also stimulated this behaviour, were confronted with a call for change. Their first reaction has been one of greenwashing: pretending. Poignant examples are H&M and Ikea that supposedly greened their production, but only did this with words. And after a while the other – smaller – companies looked down on this fake behaviour. Because studies from independent research institutes such as the British Eco-Age were published that denounce such practices. [2]

And here we come to the core of our argument: the evolution from linear economy to circular economy cannot be imposed from above and must also be developed from an economically sound model. An example is packaging: in Europe there has been a trend for twenty years - and later laid down in European directives - to make the polluter pay for the processing of his waste. Organizations have therefore arisen in every country, in which the business sectors are the shareholders, to recover the packaging of their goods and even recover the entire discarded goods. And they have to do something with that: so a thinking about recycling has arisen based on the principles mentioned above: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. A recycling industry has thus emerged that is achieving great first successes. This process has not yet started in the US: the companies left the recovery of packaging to the local government, which sold it to China. It was a non-profit operation that should cost the municipalities and counties nothing. Until at the end of 2018, China closed the door to American packaging and municipalities were saddled with a recycling hangover. It is only now, 2021, that a number of states (New York, California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine and Oregon) are starting to take steps to copy the European – and also Canadian – “polluter pays” [3] model.[4]

Circular economy: what is it really about?

Québec Circulaire, a group of French-Canadian organizations focused on the transition to this new mode, defines the circular economy as follows: "New economic model aimed at decoupling economic growth from natural resource depletion and environmental impact through two main mechanisms: 1) Rethinking our production-consumption methods to consume fewer resources and protect the ecosystems that generate them 2) Optimize the use of resources already circulating in our societies.” [5]

Our organisation, European Academy of the Regions, which advocates the regionalisation of a number of economic and socio-cultural sectors, closely follows the development of the circular economy. The reader will notice later that the most successful initiatives are taken by regions and/or cities. Since the beginning of May 2021, we have therefore set-up a blog in which newspaper articles are translated from various countries to English with examples of successful circular economy initiatives or of critical studies: earaercircular.tumblr.com.

To date, we have made a statistical study on the 91 articles published between 3/5/2021 and 25/08/2021 that will give the reader an idea of the themes that are most frequently discussed and of the remedies that are created. The articles come from newspapers and magazines from Belgium (Dutch and French), the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and the US and to a lesser extent from Switzerland, Canada and France. Here is an overview of the topics covered:

 As a Dutch article[6] from the very useful electronic newsletter Change Inc already points out: there is a lot of good will, but a lot still needs to be achieved, especially when it comes to circular techniques such as the reuse of materials: plastics in the first place, since there are 80,000 different types that are often used in combination and the result of which becomes difficult to recycle, batteries in the second place, which in turn gives electric cars an Achilles heel, concrete in the third place because breaking down and clearing sorted rubble is a perilous and therefore expensive undertaking. Textiles, on the other hand, are going in the right direction, especially when it comes to natural yarns, jeans are a headache because they are run through by chemicals, among other things to stretch them.[7] It is very striking that so few articles are devoted to innovations, not because universities do not work on them, but mainly because it is the large companies that do not want to invest in completely new production processes. Small-scale agriculture is regularly brought to the attention, but does not appeal to the general public so much: it is difficult and an important effort to make time for varied shopping. We feel that especially avoiding plastic packaging has become a hype that consumers are starting to pay attention to. But here too, according to Rogers' innovation theory[8], we are still only in the stage of the innovators and early adapters and it is the first hesitant early majority that should start to act. Circular business models such as leasing[9]  sofas or electrical appliances instead of buying them, allowing manufacturers to take them back and rearrange them, has so far been a theory that has been implemented only very modestly. The share economy is gradually getting underway, especially with bicycles and steps in cities. But is it sustainable in view of the multiple abandoned pieces alongside the road.

Technology as an accelerator of processes and business models?

Large companies that are serious about their transition to a circular economy are using technological innovation as an ally to accelerate. The strategy often is based on four axes. Ecodesign: The products are based on approaches that meet sustainability criteria from birth, allowing them to extend their service life and increase the subsequent recycling of their components. Efficiency and innovation of processes: it is about optimizing resources and processes so that waste is given a new destination. Renewable energy and alternative raw materials: Renewable energy sources and raw materials of residual origin are used in the manufacture of the products. New consumption patterns: Initiatives are promoted that prioritize renting over product purchases, promoting more responsible consumption. [10]

Pressured by public opinion that has reacted scandalously to the news that returns from e-commerce for fashion brands have been incinerated, major brands have turned to technology that allows a customer to better see how a garment would fit on his/her body. . Zalando wants to integrate that technology on its platform. Clothing chain H&M is also developing such a virtual fitting room. It is not yet known when these developments will be ready for use. [11]

Circular economy: the triple helix once again

In our study, we also pay attention to indications of how initiatives are created, who is the influencer:

These are very striking results. Many initiatives have arisen from companies whose top management is aware of the bend that urgently needs to be made and who also see commercial opportunities to start early. They are often supported by their trade association, especially when the industry has a large number of financially strong players, who allocate sufficient resources to their trade association to carry out R&D or have it done. They also influence legislative initiatives by speaking out for or against them. In the discussion about levying a deposit for beverage cans in France, a large number of industry associations spoke out in favor of introducing this. [12]  The industry associations of professionals in the recycling industry[13], on the other hand, expressed their reluctance. In the US, the lobby group Ameripen, a group of stakeholders from the packaging industry, has recently suggested that they are open to the idea of ​​EPR, extended producer responsibility (see above).

There are also a number of cooperative initiatives, mainly in southern Europe, that still succeed in creating successful initiatives from a small-scale approach. The large Basque cooperative bus builder Irizan is collaborating with the Spanish public transport company Iberdrola in a plan for city buses, battery recycling and smart charging network[14]. La Fabrique Circuit Court in the province of Namur in Belgium brings together cooperative processing workshops, independent workshops and logistics spaces. All committed to the short food chain. An indispensable link for small artisan producers. [15] In Antwerp, a cooperative association Warmte Verzilverd has persuaded the multinational Agfa-Gevaert to use its residual heat in a new residential area a few kilometers away[16].

A second important player in this conversion is the academic world, especially faculties or even entire universities that have been conducting research into new materials or new applications for a long time, such as Wageningen and Saxion in the Netherlands, BOKU in Vienna, Hochschule München, Universities of Ghent and Antwerp, Aalto in Finland, Oviedo in Spain, etc. Large NGOs also contribute by commissioning studies: WWF, Greenpeace, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, etc. The initiatives sometimes come from the university itself, sometimes on behalf of companies or industry associations, sometimes from regional authorities with sufficient funds, but they are stimulating.

The traditional third player are the authorities, but very often regional governments or large cities. They stimulate by doing seed financing. The Walloon and Brussels governments have thus set up and provided means for several public agencies to link circular economy projects to social projects[17].[18] But also by enacting local regulations. For example, the government of Flanders imposes through its public tenders[19] that new public construction initiatives are to be realised on the principles of the circular economy. As a result, contractors are forced to organize themselves in a certain direction. The city of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, on the other hand, put out a tender[20] to realize a link between its database with all existing building materials in public space and a digital marketplace. This makes it possible to trade released materials so that they can be reused elsewhere.

Circular economy: what contributions can regions make?

As already mentioned, there are numerous puzzle pieces that all need to fit together. The first part concerns the collection and processing of waste. Although separate waste collection is promoted in the EU, this is often still very rudimentary in many member states. Composting is one of the basic activities that a family with a house can do themselves. There are also towns such as Vitoria in the Spanish Basque Country that offer communal composting services, for those who live in an apartment and don't have space to compost. The municipality installs these devices in certain parts of the city and users only have to go there to deposit organic waste. Disused clothing or electrical/electronic equipment should also be taken care of by the local authorities. [21]  Electronic components and clothing go to the container parks[22]  that the municipalities have build in different parts of each city. Separate collection is being implemented even more thoroughly in thirty Dutch cities. Where in the past they mainly collected residual waste, paper and organic waste, there will soon be a line for orange peels, coffee grounds and foil. Smart collection is concerned with the issue of how we can collect waste separately at the source in an efficient and sustainable way, without the inner city environment silting up with trucks. [23] Antwerp in Belgium encourages residents and visitors to throw their waste in the trash can outside the home as well. By scanning the packaging, they can save digital coins that they can cash in at local merchants. [24]

Another puzzle piece consists of stimulating initiatives. For example, the municipality of Haarlemmermeer is the first municipality in the Netherlands to use circular asphalt in a motorway. The supplier of the asphalt, construction company Dura Vermeer, only uses residual waste for the asphalt mixture, and does not add any new products to it. [25] Another example of stimulation can be found in the Walloon Region in Belgium. Use the waste of one SME as raw material for another SME. Promote reuse or recycling instead of incineration. Reducing unnecessary transport ... These are the objectives of a circular economy pilot project that is being carried out in a zoning plan in the Liège region. This project, initiated by the Walloon Minister for Sustainable Development, aimed to make SMEs network in order to bundle their waste management and promote their recycling or reuse. [26]

Ultimately, legislation is a final piece, at whatever level. The public sector is by far the largest customer of the construction sector in Switzerland, accounting for about half of the order volume. It has an important role model function by ordering more recycling material. With the new procurement law that came into effect on January 1, 2021, quality and sustainability should become more important. By also introducing the construction with recycled material in the tender conditions, builders make an effective and concrete contribution. [27]

Final remarks

Circular economy can only be successful if companies see a profit model in it, or are forced to change their course by public opinion because of negative perception. We are not yet there: Southern Europe has not yet really developed a recycling economy that can develop profitable activities and therefore act in stand-alone modus. This is the case in Northern Europe. The US, in particular, is lagging. This is mainly due to a lack of legislation. Yet it is striking that quality newspapers such as the New York Times regularly refer to the European legislative framework, which has grown from a consensus. The large non-profit organizations also take the European directives as a starting point and example. The stubborn refusal of American multinationals to release funds for research to develop business models in that direction made them build an advantage over European companies. This attitude has disrupted the level playing field. We argue that this aspect should also be raised at G-7 and G-20 meetings. This kind of disruptive economy is one that is based on greed and not innovation. It is a dangerous precedent in a world where climate change is the main jammer of the century.

[1] Julio Núñez, Cuando lo que hacían tus abuelos era la base de la economía circular, in El Pais, 18-03-2021 , https://elpais.com/sociedad/ecoembes-espacio-eco/2021-03-18/cuando-lo-que-hacian-tus-abuelos-era-la-base-de-la-economia-circular-da-tu-el-siguiente-paso.html

[2] Ruben Mooijman, Duurzame mode of volksverlakkerij? , in: De Standaard, 30-06-2021, https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20210629_97579521

[3] In the US it is referred to as EPR, extended producer responsibility.

[4] Michael Kimmelman, Recycling in America Is a Mess. A New Bill Could Clean It Up, in New York Times, Jan. 27, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/arts/design/recycling-packaging-new-york.html?referringSource=articleShare

[5] Vincent Ayotte, « Quatre entreprises qui tirent profit de l’économie circulaire » in : PME Montréal blog, 25 juin 2019, https://pmemtl.com/blogue/quatre-entreprises-qui-tirent-profit-de-l-economie-circulaire

[6] Marc Seijlhouwer, Circulaire economie is nog lang geen realiteit in Nederland, Change Inc, 21 januari 2021, https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/circulaire-economie-nederland-35467

[7] TOM MICHIELSEN , Textielonderneemster Julie Lietaer: ‘Met bosjes planten alleen gaan we het niet halen’, in: De Tijd, 01 juni 2021, Textielonderneemster Julie Lietaer: ‘Met bosjes planten alleen gaan we het niet halen’ | De Tijd

[8] https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovatietheorie_van_Rogers  Rogers's Theory of Innovation (as described in his book Diffusion of Innovations) is a theory that tells something about the diffusion of an innovation (a new product or idea) within a group. The original theory was conceived by Frenchman Gabriel Tarde, but made popular by Everett Rogers.

[9] Sarah-Mie Luyckx, Machteld Rijnten (53) vindt het tijd dat u leert over de nare gevolgen van fast furniture. ‘Weg met de Ikeabank!’, in: Trouw, 21 augustus 2021, https://www.trouw.nl/duurzaamheid-natuur/machteld-rijnten-53-vindt-het-tijd-dat-u-leert-over-de-nare-gevolgen-van-fast-furniture-weg-met-de-ikeabank~babede58/

[10] Mariano Ahijado, Un nuevo modelo productivo para llegar a 2030 en buena forma, in: El Pais, 17 dic 2020, https://elpais.com/economia/el-futuro-no-se-detiene/2020-12-17/un-nuevo-modelo-productivo-para-llegar-a-2030-en-buena-forma.html?utm_source=Facebook&ssm=FB_CM&fbclid=IwAR2rQwGtED5cfUduJZjPFwk8_o29TWz5o21qWsQ7QSjyatPpl7KrtE4GtCU#Echobox=1608222521

[11] Heleen Bastiaanse: Ja, retourneren is gratis, maar die trui die toch niet paste gaat misschien wel de verbrandingsoven in, in: Trouw, 16 August 2021 https://www.trouw.nl/economie/ja-retourneren-is-gratis-maar-die-trui-die-toch-niet-paste-gaat-misschien-wel-de-verbrandingsoven-in~bcd678f4/

[12] AFP, Les industriels de la boisson favorables à la consigne in : Ouest-France, 07/07/2019, https://www.ouest-france.fr/economie/industries/les-industriels-de-la-boisson-favorables-la-consigne-6434050 "The deposit for the recycling of beverage packaging is necessary for a truly circular economy," say the signatories to the forum. The signatories represent Boissons énergisantes France (BEF), Boissons rafraîchissantes de France (BRF), la Maison des eaux minérales naturelles (MEMN), la Fédération du commerce et de la distribution (FCD), la Fédération nationale des boissons (FNB), la Confédération nationale du commerce de gros et international (CGI), du Syndicat des eaux de sources (SES), le Syndicat national du lait de consommation, l'Union nationale interprofessionnelle des jus de fruit, et enfin Citeo.

[13] Fnade, la fédération des entreprises du recyclage et du traitement des déchets & Fédération Federec

[14] Javier Vadrillo, Iberdrola e Irizar se alían en la movilidad eléctrica, in: El PAÍS, 20-7-2021 https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2021/07/20/companias/1626778110_839044.html

[15] Valentine Van Vyve, La Fabrique Circuit Court, le chaînon manquant pour les petits producteurs, in : La Libre Belgique, 02-08-2021, https://www.lalibre.be/planete/inspire/2021/08/02/la-fabrique-circuit-court-le-chainon-manquant-pour-les-petits-producteurs-VQGQHRUR75HJTPJKJJMID5JBUY/?fbclid=IwAR3mC2ETAq8VpcJKTheh-x2iqsl1QPsg18HVOdfDMYVXHpl6vEz7O7VwbHk

[16] Celine Bruyndonckx , Nieuwe woonwijk in Edegem zal verwarmd worden met restwarmte van Agfa-Gevaert, in: VRT News, do 02 jul 2020, https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/07/02/woonwijk-edegem-verwarmd-door-restwarmte-bedrijf-agfa-gevaert/

[17] Anne Masset, "L'Amazon vert" lancé par deux Belges : "Être un entrepreneur ‘à impact’, c’est encore plus difficile" in : La Libre Belgique, 8-08-2021 https://www.lalibre.be/economie/entreprises-startup/2021/08/08/etre-un-entrepreneur-a-impact-cest-encore-plus-difficile-QOUFTLCTNFB2ZDTCVV2N2D5XDU/

[18] Pierre-François Lovens, Cette start-up qui veut responsabiliser le business des GSM et tablettes reconditionnés, in : La Libre Belgique 27-7-2021 https://www.lalibre.be/economie/entreprises-startup/2021/07/28/la-start-up-belge-qui-veut-responsabiliser-le-business-des-gsm-reconditionnes-ZVVW34PNIRFDDHNFESON3NE4SE/#:~:text=Le%20march%C3%A9%20du%20reconditionnement%20des,carte%20de%20la%20fili%C3%A8re%20locale.&text=Son%20business%20concerne%20la%20collecte,de%20GSM%20et%20de%20tablettes

[19] Antonin Marsac, Du "béton circulaire" pour réduire les émissions de CO2 du secteur de la construction (et oublier un fiasco du passé à Bruxelles), in La Libre Belgique, 12-06-21, https://www.lalibre.be/economie/entreprises-startup/projet-zin-de-befimmo-du-beton-circulaire-pour-reduire-les-emissions-de-co2-du-secteur-de-la-construction-et-oublier-un-fiasco-du-passe-a-bruxelles-60c378a37b50a6318dca2a2d

[20] Teun Schröder, Gemeente Apeldoorn lanceert database en marktplaats voor circulaire materialen, in: Change Inc, 7 juli 2021, https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/gemeente-apeldoorn-database-marktplaats-circulaire-materialen-36725

[21] Julio Núñez, Cuando lo que hacían tus abuelos era la base de la economía circular, in El Pais, 18-03-2021 , https://elpais.com/sociedad/ecoembes-espacio-eco/2021-03-18/cuando-lo-que-hacian-tus-abuelos-era-la-base-de-la-economia-circular-da-tu-el-siguiente-paso.html

[22] In Spain they are referred to as puntos limpios.

[23] Teun Schröder, Schone en veilige binnenstad door slimme afvalinzameling en digitale innovatie, in: Change Inc., 15 juli 2021, https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/schone-veilige-binnenstad-slimme-afvalinzameling-digitale-innovatie-36783

[24] Jan Stassijns, Antwerpse actie om afval ook buitenshuis in vuilnisbak te gooien,  in: De Standaard, vrijdag 2 juli 2021, https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20210701_97614170

[25] Romy de Weert: Van afval naar asfalt: gemeente Haarlemmermeer legt circulaire autoweg aan, in: Change Inc, 15-12-2020 https://www.change.inc/circulaire-economie/van-afval-naar-asfalt-gemeente-haarlemmermeer-legt-circulaire-autoweg-aan-35275

[26] Gilles Toussaint, Ton déchet, ma ressource, in : La Libre Belgique, 1-3-2021 https://stories.lalibre.be/inspire/numero24/index.html

La Fabrique Circuit Court brings together cooperative processing workshops, independent workshops and logistics spaces. All dedicated to the short food chain. An essential link for small artisan producers.

“The start was a bit slow, it took the time for everyone to find their marks, but in the end it went well”, comments, satisfied, Julian Kinard, boots on, apron tied at the waist and cap pulled down on his head. For the launch of the Small Cooperative Abattoir, fifty heads were slaughtered. “The capacity should go up to 500,” continues the organic chicken farmer.

Tools adapted to small producers

Julian Kinard is one of the fourteen poultry farmers who now operate this slaughterhouse, which has just emerged from the ground in a business park in Suarlée-Namur[1]. “This is the starting point of the Fabrique Circuit Court,” recalls Benoît Dave. “After the closure of the Andenne slaughterhouse, small breeders in the region were looking for an alternative to the large slaughterhouse located in Bertrix[2], that could be suitable for small-scale and open-air farms”, continues the co-director of the Cooperative of producers and consumers Farmers-Artisans[3]. "It's not in our genes ... but we’ve got started!", Benoît Dave seeing in it a new way for Farmers-Artisans to support the development of sectors and producers.

 A series of activities were then added to it, depending on the demands and needs raised from the field by the producers, to form the Fabrique Circuit Court[4], a cluster of businesses focused on the short food supply chain.[5]

In this hangar of some 3,600 m2, cooperative processing workshops, independent workshops and logistics spaces will be grouped together. All dedicated to the short circuit. The objective is clear: “To give dynamic, specific and adapted processing tools  to primary producers (market gardening, dairy products, livestock) who advocate the artisan approach”, as opposed to those developed for industrial production and in which small producers do not find their place.

A grouped habitat of companies

La Fabrique Circuit Court thus brings together nine poles of activity in a single place: three cooperative workshops (a poultry slaughterhouse[6], a vegetable plant and a glass packing and canning workshop, all set up in cooperatives and managed by the actors who are directly concerned), five independent workshops (a honey factory, a fruit juice presser, a producer of artisanal ice cream, a meat cutting workshop[7] and a caterer) and Ethiquable[8], a distributor of organic fair trade products. In total, around thirty actor-partners will be active on the site by the end of the year.

“The Circuit Court factory operates on the model of a grouped housing company,” explains Benoît Dave. “The occupants of the site - grouped together in a cooperative - manage the the common parts and are responsible for the continuity of the project; they pool the investmenst and tools and create synergies between them ”. New products could thus be entirely designed here. This is particularly the case with vol-au-vent [9]: slaughtering, cutting poultry, cleaning and cutting mushrooms and celery, packaging in a glass bowl. The production chain is thus completed by the essential link in the transformation, which has hitherto been missing. In doing so, the objective is also to ensure new outlets for producers.

“To bring out a new agricultural and food model in a short circuit, marketing is a first step”, thinks Thérèse-Marie Bouchat, co-director of the Peasants-Artisans cooperative, which directly markets the producers' products. “We must also build complete sectors with producers, processors and logistics distribution tools”, adds Benoît Dave. In this sense, the Circuit Court factory is the missing link since it allows producers and artisan-processors to process primary products themselves. “I have a look at the work from day 1 of the chick that hatches from the egg to the packaging and am thus certain that the final product is of quality, that it respects standards of hygiene and animal welfare”, motivates Julian Kinard.

A tipping point

“For the past ten years, we have witnessed a tipping point,” observes Benoît Dave. One that shows an urgent consumer demand for more transparency on the origin of the products they consume and for more quality. Concerns addressed by the actors of the Circuit Court Factory. Citizens have also been asked to finance the Fabrique, to supplement the partners' capital and public subsidies (Hall Relais[10], W. Alter[11], the Walloon Ministry of Employment as well as that of the Environment and Animal welfare[12]).

Everything will be operational in early 2022. "We will then integrate a chocolate factory, a roaster and a logistics hub for the distribution of a short-circuit wholesaler," anticipates Benoît Dave. “And there are still plenty of other tools to imagine!”

Multiple actors for more inclusion.

As a regional hub, the Fabrique Circuit Court is a player in employment. It is notably in this sense that the Fabrique Circuit Court Cooperative has created an “employers' group” allowing the companies present on the site to share the working time of four salaried workers and their skills according to the needs submitted by the various actors present on the site. "The tasks will be varied: they will participate in the slaughter of poultry, washing jars, cleaning warehouses, preparing orders ...", explains Benoît Dave, co-director of Paysans-Artisans and member of the cooperative. Their flexibility is an undeniable asset, making “the business model more agile”.

Women in training at the Légumerie

These workers will travel between the different poles of activity and will meet, at the Légumerie[13], the workers of the work integration enterprise Forma[14], which is the main operator. These women currently trained in cleaning and catering - a canning industry could emerge from this new partnership - will be responsible for cleaning, peeling and cutting vegetables, both to meet the needs of the non-profit organization and for community kitchens.

Indeed, “we aim to provide one meal per week to all the communities of Namur”, ambitions Thérèse-Marie Bouchat, co-director of Paysans-Artisans. “This is a way of getting your foot in the door: upstream, we develop the offer of artisanal products and we support producers - mainly market gardeners - by opening outlets for their products. Downstream, providing community kitchens broadens the social base of those who consume these products, since not everyone is pushing the door of our stores”.

Hearing impaired staff at the Bocalerie

Finally, people with disabilities from three Namur institutions will work at the Bocalerie[15], sharing the workshop with workers from the employers' group and the artisan-processors who make their canned vegetables. “La Bocalerie is an activity suitable for hearing impaired people,” explains Thérèse-Marie Bouchat. “The work rhythm can also be adapted to it ”. Finally, this concern for inclusion "helps to give back meaning to work," says Benoît Dave. An objective that Paysans-Artisans pursues in each of its initiatives.

Source

Valentine Van Vyve, La Fabrique Circuit Court, le chaînon manquant pour les petits producteurs, in : La Libre Belgique, 02-08-2021, https://www.lalibre.be/planete/inspire/2021/08/02/la-fabrique-circuit-court-le-chainon-manquant-pour-les-petits-producteurs-VQGQHRUR75HJTPJKJJMID5JBUY/?fbclid=IwAR3mC2ETAq8VpcJKTheh-x2iqsl1QPsg18HVOdfDMYVXHpl6vEz7O7VwbHk 

[1] Province of Namur, in the south of Belgium.

[2] Province of Luxembourg, in the south of Belgium

[3] https://paysans-artisans.be/ Paysans-Artisans is a cooperative of producers and consumers whose ambition is to offer a new model of production, marketing and consumption. It supports the small peasantry and small crafts by marketing the production of more than 100 small producers.

[4] https://www.triodos.be/nl/projecten/la-fabrique-circuit-court/20210126111807223107000000 La Fabrique Circuit Court is a project of "Paysans-Artisans", a cooperative that brings together about 100 producers and 700 members. Located in Rhisnes / Suarlée in the province of Namur, La Fabrique Circuit Court covers an area of 2,760 m² intended for workshops, warehouses and a logistics center. The aim is to provide outlets for small producers without having to negotiate with wholesalers and to bundle the costs of storage, transport and distribution through common logistics and manpower. Triodos Bank financed the construction of the common areas, as well as the construction and furnishing of Ethiquable's warehouse and offices on the Fabrique Circuit Court site.

[5]  https://www.invest-in-namur.be/en/actualites/la-fabrique-circuit-court-by-paysans-artisans/ Nowadays, the Paysans-Artisans cooperative employs 38 people and brings together around a hundred producers and 700 cooperators. In order to meet its growing needs, Paysans-Artisans decided to set up a real estate project in Ecolys® under the name "Fabrique Circuit Court", a space of 2,760 m² for workshops, storage areas and a logistics center. 

[6] Poultry, rabbits, lean ducks and guinea fowl can be slaughtered and cut there, both by the producers of the cooperative and by breeders who can rent the spaces and receive guidance from specialized workers of the 'Groupement d'employeurs', the employers' association, of the Factory Circuit Court.

[7] The premises are shared with caterers, butchers, for the cutting of meat from farmers of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and for the production of all kinds of meat products.

[8] http://www.ethiquable.be/en/who-are-we Ethiquable is a cooperative company in which the employees hold the capital. Since 2003, Ethiquable has pursued a demanding fair trade policy (decent prices, direct and sustainable relationships, support at the local level) which is based exclusively on small-scale farming. It has links with 70 partner small farmer cooperatives in the countries in the South.Seven agronomists provide the farmers with support at the local level to implement these fair trade projects. Its products are sold in 5,000 sales points.

[9] In Belgium, it is a common main dish that can be found on the menus of most restaurants, and is nearly always a combination of chicken, mushrooms, and small meatballs, filled in a small hollow case of puff pastry

[10] https://agriculture.wallonie.be/halls-relais-agricoles By developing local agricultural relay hall projects since 2011, the Walloon Regional Government is encouraging and facilitating the deployment throughout its territory of a network of players and infrastructures making it possible to bring together the offer, possibly ensuring a first transformation of the products. products and market them.

[11] W. Alter is a Limited Company of Public Interest that supports the creation of cooperative businesses by helping project leaders during the feasibility study. https://www.w-alter.be/

[12] http://bienetreanimal.wallonie.be/home.html The mission of the Walloon Council for Animal Welfare is to study problems relating to the protection and welfare of animals.

[13] In the Vegetable Processing plant (Légumerie) Excess, oversized or damaged fruits and vegetables are washed, peeled, cut for customers such as restaurants, community kitchens, processors, … and also for the preparation of hot dishes, soups and sauces, jams, compotes, …

[14] https://www.asblforma.be/ Forma is a Center for Socio-Professional Integration. It works according to the educational principles of the Work-Based Training Company. On a daily basis, it combines practical and theoretical training with real services for its clients in cleaning and small meals.

This article is our contribution to an online debate on the ECIPES27 Concept that took place in the European Parliament Brussels on 5/27/2021

Acknowledging the intentions of the ECIPES27 proposal [1]

At our European Academy of the Regions we have taken note of this project to set up a fund across financial structures within the European Commission that, without a very complicated call for proposals or call for tenders, would provide financial support to households that would make their home appliances greener, to young people who would like to launch a start-up around green economy, circular economy or digitization and around local authorities that want to launch or support small green economy initiatives or digitization projects in their municipality or region.

This proposal for small-scale initiatives exposes a number of weaknesses that characterize in general current EU support:

1. Both EU call for tenders and call for proposals are virtually inaccessible to small organizations and are largely attributed to "the usual suspects". These have the necessary financial strength as well as the know-how to meet all the requirements imposed by the EU, such as the horizontal objectives, the accountancy control mechanisms, the communication standards.

2. The effectiveness of European resources is often lost because resources are divided between numerous directorates-general, each of which tries to achieve its predetermined objectives, aiming at predetermined organizations and countries, which means that resources are fragmented and fundamental changes can never actually occur.

3. The time lag between the launch of a call for proposal or tender and the final project award and start-up is unpredictable and often causes eligible candidates to drop out because they cannot base their planning on it.

4. The argument of unpredictability also applies when assessing projects. In addition, no feedback is ever provided by the assessors in order to avoid future mistakes. This lack of transparency is a reproach to which Europe has still not given a conclusive answer.

Small scale and decentralization can go hand in hand

Within our organization, we strongly advocate maintaining and even expanding cohesion funds because we firmly believe in the principle of subsidiarity. During the COVID19 pandemic, all national governments sought to establish a policy that would rigorously enforce the principle of equality throughout the territory of the nation-state. Even at times with such drastic consequences that the borders of the nation-state were closed.

However, countries that have allowed a regional approach and have tended to supply local and regional businesses with oxygen as quickly as possible have not yet emerged the weakest of all countries.

Let’s be realistic

However, we must be realistic. And with this I will elaborate on the proposals of ECIPES27. We live in a globalized world, whether we like it or not. This means that we have to take into account dominant international players who, due to their financial strength, very often nip small local projects in the bud. On the other hand, the situation in countries within the EU and in the affiliated countries is not always optimal, especially with regard to corruption within the political class.

The demand to finance households directly from the European Commission is somewhat peculiar and should mainly be framed within the discontent within several countries about the corruption of national and regional administrators in their own country. This is difficult and can quickly be explained as interference in internal affairs. In addition, the proposal focuses on household appliances that are more energy efficient. However, these only represent a minimal share of a country's CO2 emissions.

At EAR-AER we have a blog about circular economy.[2] It is loaded daily with cases from various Western European countries. The two main arguments that keep coming back to make a project profitable are: the constant supply of recyclable waste as well as the cost of the end product, which is usually higher than when using new raw materials – also referred to as “virgin” -. Small-scale cases that occur are very often supported by a regional administration and must humbly admit that without that support they would not be economically viable.

Our Romanian members strongly support local initiatives to make the young population digitally strong and are also successful in this. They also try to support young start-ups, but these are almost immediately confronted with monopolistic players such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft. These do not create barriers for start-ups but impose rules. Players who try to get around these are immediately confronted with their customers' unwillingness to color outside the lines because their training process takes too long and is too exclusive.

The same goes for e-commerce. During the corona crisis, hundreds of platforms were added by SMEs who, in order to survive, have set up a web store in a hurry. They quickly came to the sober conclusion that the consumer can still discover a store in a shopping street, but that it does not pass a web store. The SME must be discovered through a lot of communication or by joining a larger platform, such as Amazon, Alibaba, Bol.com etc. And so must accept rules.

Finally, let me respond to the last target group that is put forward in the ECIPES27 proposal: small proposals from local and regional authorities. Here we have a track that offers many possibilities, provided that the regional and local authorities are well guided and provided that they work together with their citizens. The regional and local level is organized differently in each country. The fact that there are 35,000 municipalities in France, as many as in the rest of the European Union combined, is a typical example of this. This does not mean that the French municipalities cannot be decisive, on the contrary: they invented the concepts of “communauté de communes” or “communauté urbaine” in order to pool budgets and to be able to offer efficient services to their citizens.

However, I am also thinking of Romania where a mayor is elected, but not its entire city council. In which vice mayors are civil servants who have not been elected. On the one hand, they can work out a long-term strategy, but they will have to follow their mayor as much as possible because he/she wants to be re-elected. As a result, they are more likely to work on short-term results. Yet the cooperation between local and regional authorities and their citizens is the most feasible option: because these projects will be supported and promoted by a community.

The question then is: how do we assess these proposals so that the money put in by the EU should not be considered as "wasted" money? And also: how do we encourage regional and local authorities to set up creative projects that deliver sustainable results?

Within a European administration that is more and more suspicious, driven by OLAF[3] and other control bodies, it will be practically necessary to create a new body of officials who are flexible yet rigorous in their assessment.

I also propose to set up a blog that publishes stories daily, from all countries, so that mayors and governors can draw inspiration from what is happening elsewhere in Europe and try to extrapolate that to their own situation. I say clearly: extrapolate, not copy.

I would also like to encourage, from my own experience, to consider the combination of grant and loan with European guarantee. An international financial institution such as the EIB has now built up quite a strong experience in lending to companies and organizations that have certain environmental or digital focuses, especially when it comes to local and regional governments. They have also developed a mechanism whereby Europe takes over a large part (70 to 90%) of the collateral requested by local banks, so that their project can be financed more smoothly.

My apologies to the organizers for not giving a eulogy. I thought a critical note was in order here. We should not be naive either: there are many people and organizations that are not bona fide and will see an easy target in this initiative. And if we want it to be successful, if we want ordinary fellow citizens-Europeans to reap the benefits, we have to be careful in our approach.

Louis Delcart, board member European Academy of the Regions, www.ear-aer.eu

[1] https://eutoday.net/news/business-economy/2021/the-eu-could-use-an-innovative-helicopter-money-approach-by-implementing-project-ecipes27

  [2] https://earaercircular.tumblr.com/

Picture: Art Valley Gallery, Herne (B)

This article has been subject of a lecture at the DigitalNerds Conference in Romania on April 8th 2021 www.digitalnerdscontest.ro

Digitization is a trend

Every nation in the world is now taking measures to keep up with the digitization wave. I have just completed a study in Armenia, where the government already decided in 2015 to reorganize the full compulsory education cycle of 12 grades and to pay a lot of attention in this cycle to STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In parallel, it was also envisaged that the generations that had received less STEM training could be updated through vocational training. There, too, ample attention was paid to EdTech, educational training. The organization responsible for rolling out that vocational training, TUMO[1], has also acquired a franchise for the Ecole 41[2] organization, which they duplicate in Yerevan –the Armenian capital-  following the same principles. They started this program with 160 students selected from 650 candidates. It is the first cohort they are now training.

On the other hand, we read very recently that the European Commission declared itself “pleased” [3] with the agreement reached by the European Parliament and the European Council on the proposal for the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), worth € 33.7 billion, as part of the next long-term EU budget for 2021-2027. The Connecting Europe Facility program supports investments in Europe's transport, energy and digital infrastructure networks. It will support the double green and digital transition by contributing to the ambitious goals for the European Green Deal and the digital decade. The digital part of the Connecting Europe Facility Program will help develop and implement innovative, secure and sustainable cross-border digital infrastructures to allow digital networks and services to flourish and support the European vision in the digital decade by 2030, building on the gigabit society for 2025 goals. It will also equip major transport paths such as road, rail, maritime routes and ports with resilient high-speed connections. At the same time, citizens will benefit from faster and resilient connections for better online learning, access to more efficient digital services and more opportunities for remote collaboration. As cross-border digital connectivity plays a vital role in closing economic, social and territorial gaps, the new CEF digital financing instrument will enable many more European regions, including rural areas, to breathe new opportunities.

Digitization and training

We already see a first direction of this trend above: governments will do everything they can to further train their first generation of “digital natives” and on the other hand to teach non-digital natives as quickly as possible the skills needed to participate in this new era. This is also being encouraged by the European Commission, which has set up a Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) for this purpose. The Action Plan has the subtitle: Resetting education and training for the digital age. It has 2 objectives: 1. Promote the development of a high-performing digital education ecosystem and 2. Improve digital skills and competences for the digital transformation. [4]  In addition, the European Commission wants to strengthen cooperation and exchange in the field of digital education at EU level by creating a new European digital education hub to: a. Connect national and regional initiatives and actors in the field of digital education b. Support cross-sectoral cooperation and new models for the exchange of digital learning content, addressing issues such as common standards, interoperability, accessibility and quality assurance.

The directions for digitization

There is now a discussion going on in the Western world: in which direction should digitization go and what impact will it have on society? We are already seeing major directions emerging. My own country Belgium has recently drawn up a map of start-ups and scale-ups that are active in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). It was presented in March 2021 at Ernst & Young (EY), during an online session organized as part of the first Belgian week of AI (AI Belgian Week). EY and the various contributors to the exercise have listed all Belgian start-ups and scale-ups for which AI is central to their activities (or make extensive use of it). These are both service and production companies. These companies were founded less than 10 years ago and have their headquarters, or their founder, located in Belgium. Service companies come first with 77 start-ups and scale-ups. They are followed by healthcare and biotechnology (70), sales and marketing (35), industry (32), etc. [5] A.I. is integrated in various aspects of the digital economy, such as robotics, 3D-printing, database management etc. All of these can contribute directly to a reduction of carbon bioxide emission. Database management is used in the sharing economy, in the recognition of reusable waste for the circular economy and in medical applications such as specification of diagnostics and therefore less trial and error with medication. Robotics enable European companies to reshore, produce closer to the target market and therefore, reduce CO2 by reducing shipping and truck transportation. 3D printing enables to repair electric devises and construction material instead of creating waste by replacing devices by new ones.

In addition, the trend is strongest in the internet of things, which has been around for some time. It enables  distant control of locations and devises and therefore reduce energy costs and  early intervention in important machine failures, avoiding in that way future catastrophes. The internet of things represents a new technological phase in which the internet is used not only by people, but also by devices themselves, without human interference. In a possible future, human-operated computers (desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones) will be in the minority on the Internet. In this vision of the future, the majority of internet users will consist of semi-intelligent, "smart" devices. Such "smart" devices play a key role in the Internet of Things because embedded information and communication technology has the potential to revolutionize the usability of everyday objects. Using sensors, they can take in their surroundings, and through embedded network technology, they can communicate with each other, use Internet services and communicate with human beings. [6]  It is expected that by 2025 the Internet of Things will consist of no less than 150 billion connected devices worldwide. [7] This is not only important for IT companies, but also has an impact on the semiconductor industry, for example. The semiconductor industry has lobbied in the US for tens of billions of dollars to upgrade manufacturing facilities and build new ones because semiconductors are a fundamental technology - a type of mechanically engineered stem cells that power everything from 5G mobile networks to autonomous vehicles and the Internet of Things.[8] The big driver in Internet of Things is telecommunication, and especially the introduction of 5G. But telecommunication applications changed the world already for the better in other contexts. SMS banking in Africa, changed the economic odds of the continent in 10 years’ time, enabling financial transfers to very remote places and therefore create an economy.  Moreover it enabled to improve education also to remote areas and created a digital generation in several  African countries.

I have deliberately disregarded other directions such as game development or media & entertainment. I would nevertheless like to point out another direction that, also due to the COVID19 crisis, has only gained in importance: EdTech of Educational Technology. Teachers confronted with the closure of the schools have started tinkering and some of them have developed very valuable tools to provide attractive education to their students from a distance. You can no longer call this e-Learning: it goes beyond, because it must remain fascinating. All possible visual applications are often developed or adapted on site. I am sure this series of products is here to stay: it is now up to the industry to work with these creative teachers to develop the tools to provide the highest quality remote education.

Digitization of the government

The strategy used by the government to direct digitization is under severe pressure. Just because a citizen can fill out a form online doesn't make it more useful. In a digital world, governments, like society, need new projects and new practices. Not just new IT tools. That is the trend indicated by engineer Luc De Brabandere, who has been involved in the IT sector for a long time, but also looks at it philosophically and critically. [9] The "digitization" of existing procedures - he argues - is in no way a guarantee of their relevance or their fairness. And it de facto excludes part of the population. At the counter of certain administrations are now asked to pay "without contact". That says it all ... In COVID19 times, where all contact at counters was prohibited, officials managed to hide behind apps that had to be completed, forms that had to be filled in via computer, without proper explanation and, moreover, formulated in such a general way that it could cover any case of a wide range and thereby drove the citizen expecting services for his taxes to despair.

The change is such that if we want a professor to still be able to teach well, if we want a business manager to still be able to do business, if we want a doctor to be able to continue to treat, if we want that culture has its indispensable role, if we want magistrates to still be able to guarantee the rule of law, then everything must change! After all, the challenge is not to "digitize" all these essential professions, but to reinvent them in a world where new tools are available. Isn't the phrase "railway" the best example of this custom of thinking of tomorrow with the words of today or yesterday? Likewise, isn't it incredible that we still measure car power in ... horsepower?

The ones who have undoubtedly understood the new planetary digital framework best are the criminals and mafia of all kinds. They gave up kidnappings and other armed robberies and invented cybercrime. Data hacking, fake emails, viruses that paralyze computer systems, blackmail and ransom to pay, their cynicism seems limitless as they have even taken advantage of the health crisis to rip off hospitals!

Governments can play a stimulating role in this. For example, Innoviris, the regional research institute of the Brussels region, launched a first call for projects dedicated to AI in 2016. After that there were more, for a total of 45 million euros in subsidies. Many companies, including start-ups, have benefited from this. And others have developed AI projects themselves, often with support from Brussels’ universities. The region's EDIH (European Digital Innovation Hub) project was introduced recently to the European Commission for funding. It is a project where we find the two (French speaking and Dutch speaking) Brussels universities  ULB and the VUB, but also BeCentral, Sirris and Agoria. With green light from the EU, the government of the Brussels Region has committed to support 50% of the financing over a total period of 7 years, the remaining 50% will be provided by the European Commission. In total we are talking about 1.4 million euros per year. The mission of this hub is mainly to support the digitization of companies (including companies that launch or develop AI projects), facilitate innovation, and contribute to economic recovery and transition.

In addition, the region also founded the Fari Institute. This institute has been given three assignments: firstly, it is a research and innovation center in the field of AI, with more than 300 researchers. It is also a think tank on the social and ethical implications of AI. Finally, it is a laboratory where experiments are carried out which, if found to be useful and effective, can be deployed by companies and public authorities. Fari is one of the projects selected by the Brussels government within the framework of the recovery plan that Belgium has submitted to the European Union. A budget of 10 million euros is foreseen, spread over a period of four years. [10]

Regulate or Cowboy Market?

Digitization is a trend that cannot be reversed. Over the past ten years, gigantism has spread mainly in the ICT sector. Amazon has meanwhile built an empire in e-commerce. This disruptive model has forced hundreds of thousands of self-employed people into bankruptcy. It has also caused the packaging industry to produce masses of disposable packaging, the parcel services with their  cars blocking the roads and increasing CO2 emissions, deflating the cinemas by also using video distribution of films. But the owner has become the richest man in the world. They too became large employers, but for a minimum wage. [11]Uber and Tesla have invested billions on the self-driving car, have had countless companies map the world digitally, but because of their countless accidents with their samples, they have stopped their adventure and now leave the initiative to others. AirBNB has offered homeowners a lucrative alternative to real estate rental. As a result, the supply of affordable rental housing in major cities such as Paris and Lisbon has melted to such an extent that their city centers are only habitable by yups and tourists. And cities and municipalities are forced to regulate. Bitcoin has gone through the roof in value since "guru" Elon Musk started buying it for billions. Unfortunately the crypto coins consume more energy and consequently carbon emission in their mining techniques than the entire African continent combined. One is dead, the other is bread, say the disruptive program builders. Is that right? Are cowboy techniques from an American society where everything must be possible, the norm for the rest of the free world? Because clearly not for the Chinese communist party: Jack Ma, founder and owner of the e-commerce giant Alibaba has recently experienced this. Other Chinese high-tech tycoons have also recently been called back by the Chinese communist party in their drive for expansion. Colin Huang, chairman of Pinduoduo Inc, the largest agriculture-focused technology platform in China, has stepped down as Chairman and Ma Huateng (aka Pony Ma), Chairman of Tencent, one of China's largest technology companies, has recently called for stricter corporate regulation for companies like his. [12]

 In many of the countries of the EU and within the European Commission, there is also a strong demand for regulation in order not to derail the matter (further). Company leaders are of course against it. They demand that all possibilities must be explored freely and without restrictions. And if results are disruptive to existing market parties, so be it. They require to be able to become super rich as quickly as possible. However, we have seen many accidents in the twenty years that the digitization of the economy has been underway. The platform economy represented by Deliveroo and Uber eats is under severe pressure because it can only be economically beneficial if the people who work in it do not have a decent social status. In addition to corporate social responsibility reasons that have led many structural investors to abandon the recent IPO of Deliveroo, it is also the kind of food that the bicycle couriers transport. Many studies show that it is more about junk food, products from fast food or foods with a lot of salt and sugar. This can lead to nutritional problems or even obesity. This also does not make a positive contribution to society in general. [13]

Social media companies are powerful. Too powerful, critics think. In January 2021 alone, social media was used for the violent storming of the Capitol in the United States and, for example, planning the curfew riots in the Netherlands. Tech companies tried to limit the damage by banning disinformation and its disseminators. In early February 2021, Facebook announced that it had also removed 12 million false claims about corona - and tagged an additional 167 million misleading messages with warning labels - between March and October of 2020. But that stimulates the question of how far Facebook can determine freely where the boundary lies. Can online platforms offer solutions when their power is the problem? [14]

The privacy aspect is also becoming increasingly sensitive. The EU has already set a fine example of regulation with the introduction of GDPR. But the demand for privacy protection is increasingly important. In January 2021, the Norwegian consumer organization Forbrukerradet published a report that was particularly critical of Match Group. That is the parent company of Tinder and of almost all well-known dating apps and websites, including Okcupid, Match.com, Hinge, Meetic and the Belgian Twoo. Tinder and Okcupid claim in their terms of use the right to exchange user data with other Match Group apps and with a large number of third parties, the latter for advertising purposes. The user cannot simply refuse this. According to Forbrukerradet, this is a blatant violation of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), European privacy legislation.

Irish regulator DPC started an investigation into Google - which has its European headquarters in Ireland -. This relates to the way in which that company collects data about the location of smartphones with its Android operating system. Again, the question is whether Google does not use that data in ways that are not permitted under the GDPR, and whether it is sufficiently transparent about that use. [15]

Within the Belgian AI ecosystem and the people who shape it (academics, researchers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, etc.), Mieke De Ketelaere, head of the AI department of IMEC, calls one of the largest private research institutes in Europe[16] for a more collaborative and multidisciplinary approach. “It's good to have experts in different areas of AI. But if we want to build a robust ecosystem and find a common language that can be understood by as many people as possible, it is essential to involve psychologists, sociologists, lawyers, industrialists, etc. depending on the nature of the projects.  The citizens themselves, they have to have their say ”.

A stronger experience of AI will also succeed, Mieke De Ketelaere concludes, by creating a regulatory framework of trust, such as what has been introduced in Europe for the protection of private data (GDPR). “In the 1950s, she says, we started to see cars on the highways in Belgium when there was no driver's license, no traffic rules, ... People took their cars and drove on the highways as quickly as possible to get to the seaside. With AI algorithms, we are now at the same stage. There are no rules. It is up to the political authorities to provide this. With the aim of making it possible to embrace technological innovations, but also to limit their misuse ”.

Concluding remarks

We cannot ignore it: the digitization of the world is irreversible. On the other hand, digital nerds who implement these need to realize that not everyone is waiting for their fantasies. Certainly the alienating and lonely making aspect of the computer has become painfully clear in the COVID19 crisis. On the other hand, the threatening nature of computers that decide more and more things autonomously is frightening. The programmers who form the basis of the algorithms are not always citizens who value inclusion, anti-racism, democracy, respect for the rule of law, freedom, etc. And once an algorithm is launched and it is deep-learning, it learns in a certain direction. Which is not always appreciated by the majority of society. The inclusiveness of initiatives such as Ecole41 is commendable, but it should also consist of making not only great programmers, but also mature people.

Louis Delcart, director of the European Academy of the Regions, www.ear-aer.eu

There is a Dutch translation of this article on: https://earaernl.tumblr.com/post/647378475128422400/digitalisering-en-de-invloed-van-lokale-en

[1] https://tumo.org/whatistumo/

[2] In France, “Ecole 42” is the mind-child of Xavier Niel, a French entrepreneur behind, among others, the telecom brand Free and the newspaper Le Monde. Since 2013, the school has launched a thousand students every year, highly rigorously selected from a candidate pool of over  50,000. They only require an email address and a date of birth. No prior diploma, even no school fees. Eating, drinking, or T-shirts can be earned  them by scoring points while programming.  École 42 in Paris has been voted recently the best programming school in the world and a breeding ground for the brilliant whiz kids of France and its surroundings

[3] Press Release European Commission, Commission welcomes agreement on the Connecting Europe Facility to fund greener, more sustainable transport and energy networks, and digitalization, 12 March 2021,  https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/commission-welcomes-agreement-connecting-europe-facility-fund-greener-more-sustainable

[4] European Commission, Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027), https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/digital-education-action-plan_en

[5] Pierre-François Lovens : La Belgique compte 439 start-up et scale-up actives dans l’intelligence artificielle, in: La Libre Belgique, 19-03-21 https://www.lalibre.be/economie/entreprises-startup/la-belgique-compte-439-start-up-et-scale-up-actives-dans-l-intelligence-artificielle-6053a7759978e2410fbe9a96

[6] https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_der_dingen

[7] https://www.proximus.be/nl/id_b_cr_internet_of_things_iot/particulieren/blog/news/bits-and-bytes/internet-of-things-betekenis-voorbeelden.html

[8] Noam Scheiber,   The Biden Team Wants to Transform the Economy. Really.in New York Times Magazine, 11-02-2021 ,https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/magazine/biden-economy.html?referringSource=articleShare

[9] Luc De Brabandère: Arrêtons de parler de "digitalisation", in La Libre Belgique,  25-03-21, https://www.lalibre.be/debats/opinions/arretons-de-parler-de-digitalisation-605b660d7b50a60517149055

[10] Pierre-François Lovens : "L’intelligence artificielle va aider la Région bruxelloise à répondre à une série de défis",in : La Libre Belgique, 19-03-21 https://www.lalibre.be/economie/digital/l-intelligence-artificielle-va-aider-la-region-bruxelloise-a-repondre-a-une-serie-de-defis-6053a5447b50a60517d3bd51

[11] Liz Alderman, Are Amazon Jobs Worth 1,400 Loads of Traffic? French Region Is Split, in:New York Times 11/10/2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/11/business/amazon-warehouse-france.html?campaign_id=51&emc=edit_NN_p_20201012&instance_id=23048&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=141866830&section=longRead&segment_id=40646&te=1&user_id=866583fecd30716f23f05f6d735f1807

[12] China’s rulers want more control of big tech, in The Economist, 10-4-2021, https://www.economist.com/business/2021/04/08/chinas-rulers-want-more-control-of-big-tech

[13] Ariane Van Caloen, Livraison de "malbouffe", une des raisons pour certains fonds de ne pas investir dans Deliveroo, in: La Libre Belgique, 9-4-2021, https://www.lalibre.be/economie/placements/livraison-de-malbouffe-une-des-raisons-pour-certains-fonds-de-ne-pas-investir-dans-deliveroo-606f4298d8ad584fa2cec7af

[14] Rufus Kain: Sociale media zijn te machtig geworden, maar hoe tem je ze? Drie mogelijke oplossingen (Social media has become too powerful, but how do you tame them? Three possible solutions), in: Trouw, 11 februari 2021, 11:24 https://www.trouw.nl/es-b08e0caa

[15] Dominique Deckmyn: Ierland start privacy-onderzoek naar Tinder en Google, ,( Ireland starts privacy investigation into Tinder and Google),in: De Standaard, 5/02/2020