Zoekresultaten

Distribution of Power and Value Crucial for a Successful Circular Economy Transition

The circular economy (CE) is heralded as reducing material use and emissions while providing more jobs and growth. We explored this narrative in a series of expert workshops, basing ourselves on theories, methods and findings from science fields such as global environmental input-output analysis, business modelling, industrial organisation, innovation sciences and transition studies. Our findings indicate that this dominant narrative suffers from at least three inconvenient truths. First, CE can lead to loss of GDP. Each doubling of product lifetimes will halve the related industrial production, while the required design changes may cost little. Second, the same mechanism can create losses of production jobs. This may not be compensated by extra maintenance, repair or refurbishing activities. Finally, ‘Product-as-a-Service’ business models supported by platform technologies are crucial for a CE transition. But by transforming consumers from owners to users, they lose independence and do not share in any value enhancement of assets (e.g., houses). As shown by Uber and AirBNB, platforms tend to concentrate power and value with providers, dramatically affecting the distribution of wealth. The real win-win potential of circularity is that the same societal welfare may be achieved with less production and fewer working hours, resulting in more leisure time. But it is perfectly possible that powerful platform providers capture most added value and channel that to their elite owners, at the expense of the purchasing power of ordinary people working fewer hours. Similar undesirable distributional effects may occur at the global scale: the service economies in the Global North may benefit from the additional repair and refurbishment activities, while economies in the Global South that are more oriented towards primary production will see these activities shrink. It is essential that CE research comes to grips with such effects. Furthermore, governance approaches mitigating unfair distribution of power and value are hence essential for a successful circularity transition.

Developing a transition agenda towards a circular economy

Over the last years, it has become clear that societies need to increase the adoptionrate of circular economy principles. Even though the number of circular products, services andbuilding projects is increasing, innovators obviously experience obstacles in their quest towardsa more circular economy. Moreover, relatively many governmental organisations still seem tostruggle how to effectively stimulate a circular economy. Governments face the challenge todevelop a playground in which a linear economy gradually is replaced by circular practices. Thispaper presents the case of the Dutch province of Overijssel. The key question Overijssel putforward is what the province can do to stimulate innovative practices specifically in the buildingsector. After a literature study, a research collective brought together highly successful and lesssuccessful local and regional examples of circularity. Document study, website analyses andinterviews, provided insights on the drivers and barriers. Our analysis shows what actions theprovince needs to take to further stimulate or at least to maintain the drivers and what to do aboutthe barriers. Our findings are relevant not only to the province of Overijssel, but also to otherregions in Europe.

Regional Circular Economy Status Quo - Utrecht, the Netherlands

This report describes the Utrecht regio with regard to sustainability and circular business models.

Transition bioeconomy

Information requirement in the transition towards a circular fashion industry

Management of fashion (related) companies need to become convinced that circularity delivers positive financial results and incentives. This research aims to provide the first information requirement insights needed to enable the transition to a circular fashion industry. Due to easy access and abundant information ‘Jeans’ were selected as example item. Using the Design Science research approach the required information within in a closed loop supply chain (CLSC) in fashion was derived. Semi-structured interviews validated the CLSC information requirements derived from literature. Next, observations and additional literature findings supported the interview results. The outcomes show that information to support integration and collaboration of both: supply and recycle chain is necessary. Independently operating recycle organizations miss ‘central loop management’, ‘information integration’ and ‘a chain-common objective’ to successfully adopt circularity. The main bottlenecks found in relation to circularity are: ‘overlooking the customer as stakeholder’ and ‘a lack of chain integration’, this applies not only to jeans items. Therefore, the indicative study outcomes contribute to the body of knowledge of circular fashion value chain information requirements in general

Facultative educational exploration circular material usage Griffiersveld Apeldoorn

This report was written for the municipality of Apeldoorn as a contribution to Cityloops. It consists of designing and planning tools and provides answers for the municipality of Apeldoorn to enable them to move towards a circular construction economy.