Circular Economy

A circular economy is an economy that minimizes waste production and environmental impact by design and in which materials flow in harmony with biogeochemical cycles of nature, by means of R-strategies such as reuse, repair and recycle.

The Dutch government aims to achieve a circular economy by 2050 and it’s the aim of our group to positively contribute to that goal through focusing on several activities.

1. Developing transdisciplinary research on the transition from a linear to a circular economic system, investigating possibilities, barriers, circular business models and innovative ways of organizing system transformation.

2. Supporting ecosystem circularity by advancing cross-sectoral collaboration within and beyond value chains thereby engaging with a variety of (quadruple) stakeholders to jointly conduct research that leads to societal impact.

3. Collaborate on developing education for sustainability and circular economy, fostering sustainability awareness and empowering learners to drive change to a circular economy.

4. Communicating our results to a wider audience by way of (media) exposure, organizing events and citizen science.

Academic Lead:

• Kim Poldner

email: k.a.poldner rug.nl

• Emma Folmer

email: e.c.folmer rug.nl

• Franco Ruzzenenti

email: f.ruzzenenti rug.nl

Further reading

Working towards a closed cycle. | Frans J. Sijtsma on the circular economy.