PATHWAYS TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY - Port of Rotterdam

WHY PATHWAYS to a circular economy SHOULD BE BUILT INTHE ROTTERDAM/DELTA REGION –There are five compelling reasons to establish pathwaysto a circular economy in the Rotterdam/Delta region:The first reason is that the Rotterdam/Delta region,covering the area from Greenport to Antwerp, is aneconomic powerhouse; a diverse cluster of industrialactivity and a source of economic development and jobs.A distinct aspect of this region is the combination of astrong maritime cluster with extensive agricultural andfishery industries.Second, the Delta has considerable flows of resources,thanks to its role as a gateway for bulk cargo and finishedgoods as well as the processing undertaken in theindustrial complex. Whatever material is required, likelyflows through or is produced in the port area. Resourceavailability is becoming a competitive advantage givenresource scarcity concerns; the optimal deployment andreuse of resources are increasingly critical to businessoperations.Third, infrastructure and finance are key building blocksfor the circular economy, and both are features of theRotterdam/Delta region. The ports themselves are keypieces of infrastructure in terms of transport, storage andprocessing, and by virtue of the transport and logisticsconnections the ports have within and outside of Europe.There is also a mature infrastructure of knowledge andinformation. The level of economic activity within the portcomplex and the wider Rotterdam/Delta region meansbusinesses have access to the financing required tooperate and grow.27/73PORT OF ROTTERDAM / RABOBANKPATHWAYS TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY