PATHWAYS TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY - Port of Rotterdam

Leading companies are ready to take actionDeveloping a circular economy, and circular value chainsat the company level, is an exciting concept for business.However, the urgent need for business and other humanactivities to operate within planetary boundaries presentsa case for immediate action, not just contemplation.The good news is that action is already underway. Manycompanies are open to the concept of building a circulareconomy and some are already redesigning their businessmodels to do so. The biggest challenge for most has beengetting started (i.e. what to do first, and how, where andwith whom to do it). Unfortunately, these simple questionsare not yet easy to answer.What action could look like – four models of the circulareconomyWithin four specific areas – gas and carbon in the energysector, copper in the metals sector, plastic packaging inthe chemicals sector and aquaculture in the food andagribusiness sector, we attempt to answer the questions ofwhat, how, where and with whom. For these four sectors,we have constructed models of what we believe can beachieved within the next three to five years. These modelsare pathways to the circular economy in the Rotterdam/Delta region.These models are new, although some specificcomponents are in place already. However, arrangingeach component to embrace the principles of thecircular economy and identify gaps that need to be filledrepresents new thinking, which has been formed by:– Many companiesare open to the conceptof building a circulareconomy... they areasking what to do first,and how, where, andwith whom.31/73PORT OF ROTTERDAM / RABOBANKPATHWAYS TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY