Written by Willard Bouwmeester for the Netherlands Circular
The three frontrunners in the field of waste and raw materials management (Milgro, SUEZ and Renewi) led a workshop during the New Year's event of MVO Nederland. The central question was how we accelerate the transition to a circular economy. This provided interesting insights.
Participants voted
The participants in the workshop voted on how this transition should take place. This produced interesting results and a striking amount of consensus. To accelerate the transition:
- Do companies need to organize raw materials management just as professionally as HRM or financial management.
- Is innovation required in terms of the use and reuse of raw materials? This only works if companies can create a sustainable and profitable business model.
- Recycling companies are not at the end of a linear chain, but are part of a (circular) raw material chain.
- Shareholder value should be less unilaterally central and social and ecological value creation should be given a structural place.
- Collaboration between producers, retailers, government and recycling companies is highly desirable, but coordination is indispensable.
There are plenty of opportunities
In short, there are plenty of opportunities. Fortunately, the urgency is becoming increasingly clear in a wide circle and the above-mentioned parties are also increasingly finding each other. “We have to organize the return trip for raw materials,” said Laurens Groen, CEO of Milgro. “By steering from data and insight (in used and wasted) raw materials, performance can be improved and the recycling and reuse of raw materials can be optimized. As a result, the costs for waste management can also be reduced. ”
Awareness
Serge Flantua, Director Sales (SUEZ): “More scarcity of raw materials is needed to create awareness and allow us to handle raw materials more carefully”. Taxes on the use of raw materials can also help. Gijs Derks, Commercial Director of Renewi Netherlands, rounds off the meeting with a suggestion to achieve more innovation: "Why don't we have a circular campus yet, where we work together on waste and raw material innovations?"
Photo (from left to right): Serge Flantua (SUEZ), Laurens Groen (Milgro), Gijs Derks (Renewi) and facilitator Michiel Schuurman (CSR NL).
