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Resource efficiency and
circular economy on the
agenda in Flanders
Putting resource efficiency back on the agenda – FoEE – 24 november 2014
Mieke De SchoenmakereBelgian coordinator Resource efficiency/Circular economy
Mieke De SchoenmakereGovernment of Flanders – International Environmental Policy
Division
Is resource efficiency slipping off the agenda?
It shouldn’t be!
Roadmap Resource efficiency = covering a wide range of areas
Confronted with many problems
But also a lot of opportunities at environmental and at economic level
Through resource efficiency and circular economy
Is resource efficiency slipping off the agenda? Who is responsible for it?
EU?MS?Business?NGO’s?Consumers?…
Shared responsibility!Complicated issues ask for a mix of solutions at different levels
Circular economy in Belgium
The Belgian Presidency of the EU•Second half 2010•Council conclusions on ‘Sustainable materials management and sustainable production and consumption: key contribution to a resource-efficient Europe’
all key stakeholders, including business, trade unions, scientists/academia, NGOs, as well as national and regional governments and local authorities, with a view to creating an EU platform for the transition to resource-efficient economy
cross sectoral approach
Roadmap to a Resource efficient EuropeSeptember 2011One of the objectives: national strategy on resource efficiency
• Including actions on Circular economy•Belgium
• Competences spread• Federal level• Regional level: Brussel Capital Region, Flanders, Walloon Region
Circular economy in Flanders
Action at different levels
Legislation: transposition of the Waste Framework Directive (2010)
from ‘Waste decree’ to ‘Materials decree’from ‘Waste hierarachy to ‘Materials
hierarchy’= result of transition that started years befor
Action Plan: Flemish Materials Programmehttp://www.vlaamsmaterialenprogramma.be/ (English version of the brochure is available)
Circular economy in Flanders(2)
•People, profit, planet approach - economic, ecological and the social dimension.
•Focus on cooperation and sharing responsibility: • Government as facilitator• industry • science and knowledge institutes • civil society.
•Experience in Flanders so far: RE/CE has helped to create an understanding between societal actors that we are tackling the same challenge.
The Flemish Materials Programme
• Business world, authorities, knowledge institutions and civil society • join forces • and combine ambitious long-term development, policy-
relevant research and concrete actions.• respectively done within
• Plan C (a transition network) • SUMMA (a policy research centre) and • an operational plan with 9 levers and 45 priority and
concrete actions.
The Flemish Materials Programme: 9 levers
Flemish Materials Programme: specific sectorExample: Critical metalsContent
•End-of-life vehicles:• 500 000 cars exported / year from Port of Antwerp for
second or third life in developing countries• Are we responsible for ESM end-of-life in developing
countries?• What about loss of critical metals due to
substandard recycling techniques in developing countries?
•WorldLoop for cars:• setting up local collection and recycling facilities
based on Flemish know-how• shipping hazardous elements + parts needing high-tech
treatment (e.g. printed circuit boards) back to Flanders
Flemish Materials Programme: specific sector (2)
Example: Critical metals
Bottom-up / Top-down: available high-end recycling technology / safeguarding environmentally sound management & critical materials stocks
Transition steps towards a circular economy:•Emerging business by combining beginning & end value chain•Public-private participation•North-South win-win
The Flemish Materials Programme: examples
•Better cooperation• Symbiosis project
•Smart investments• Materialsscan
•Sustainable design• Eco-design in higher
education• SIS toolkit• Ecolizer
Materialsscan – How does it work?
•Overview material use: kg and € •Lost costs become visible > waste costs•Simulations on cost savings•Scan is for free
More information (only in dutch): www.materialenscan.be
•Materialbalance in permit ‘omgevingsvergunning ‘ from 2016 onwards
Materialsscan – Successes and barriers
Successes:•30 scans executed, 35 scans in progress•Broad range: Building-, wood-, plastic-, textile-, metal- and foodsector•New insights at companies•Opportunities working together with other companies
Barriers:•Finding the right person•The right scope of scan•Difficult transfer of information from company to scanner (kg and €)•SMEs often don’t see added value > too much time•Other priorities •No interest > we don’t have waste
Symbiosis
Exchange of materials, energy, water, infrastructure, … , between companies
Need of cooperation knowledge- and research institutes (better coordination design and end of life phase)
Strong link with materialsscan
What is (im)possible when it comes to high qualitative exchange of secundary materials and resources?
EHE Kit – SIS Toolkit – Ecolizer 2.0
Thank you for your attention!
