Circularity: restructuring the current model
Circularity is an essential pillar of a future-proof sustainability strategy. In a world where raw materials are becoming increasingly scarce and pressure on supply chains is mounting, circularity offers a powerful solution. Not as an abstract concept, but as a concrete path to impact. At 2BHonest, we help organisations turn their circular ambitions into tangible results: strategic, measurable and widely supported. We do this across the following themes:
Circular economy: One pillar, four themes
Circularity strategy
Develop a strategy that focuses on circularity within your organisation.
Measuring Circularity
Determine the circularity of your organisation or product and make it truly tangible and measurable.
Critical raw materials Stress Test
Identify which raw materials in your supply chain are vulnerable and formulate a strategy.
Packaging strategy and the PPWR
Anticipate and prepare for obligations arising from legislation such as the PPWR.
Circularity: from linear to circular
The current economy is ‘linear’, based on a ‘take-make-use-dispose’ model: we extract raw materials, manufacture products, use them and throw them away. Demand for raw materials is also on the rise, leading to the depletion and scarcity of raw material reserves. The problem is clear: this linear economy is unsustainable – the environmental impact is enormous and we are running out of resources. This is already happening in our generation, but the needs of future generations are certainly at stake. As are those of the planet. Geopolitical dependencies and other developments on the world stage therefore force us to think further: how and where do we source raw materials? How do we use them? And how can we reuse them in the future?
Commitment to sustainable development
Something must therefore be done, and that is this: a transition to a circular economy, in which we extend the life cycle of raw materials, materials and products. The Dutch government has also embraced this transition and drawn up an ambitious vision with clear targets:
- By 2030: a halving of the use of primary raw materials
- By 2050: a fully circular economy
The European Union is also stepping up the pressure to take action. From legislation on packaging to strategic agendas concerning critical raw materials that dominate the global news every day.
Making progress
To achieve this, significant progress needs to be made. Because although the Netherlands is currently seen as a global frontrunner (fantastic!), only 24.5% of current national raw material use is circular. And that is not yet sufficient. This proportion needs to increase significantly, and it is precisely here that businesses play a key role by thinking and acting in a circular way.
Projects
We have already helped many companies and organisations get off the ground, and we are proud of that. Read, for example, how we supported Royal Swinkels Family Brewers – one of the largest breweries in the Netherlands – with the integration and implementation of circular and sustainable business practices. Or how we conducted research for SSI into the key role of shipping in the circular economy. For Gemeente Tilburg we developed the CIOR: Circularity Index for Public Space, which integrates circular procurement, management and processing into the approach to managing public spaces.
From ambition to action!
