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DUTCHAM MAGAZINE
Institute are outspoken in their support for the Circular Economy. The strong examples of
collaboration between Universities, companies and government partly explains why Circular
economy falls into fertile grounds in the Netherlands.
Which ideas could be applied to Brazil today according to you?
Could this work in Brazil? For sure! First of all; there is plenty of room to increase the
effectiveness of the old economy. Just look at the agricultural productivity potential or decreasing
cost by being smarter with material, water and energy resources or by tackling pollution now
instead of dealing with the far costly societal effects later. Consider waste a resource and with
those eyes improve the waste management system combining proven technology and manual
labor. As for water management: the cost of not acting will be far higher than the costs of building
resilience into the system. Acting now ensures continuity for business and improves the quality of
life for Brazilians.
It is even better to take advantage of the circular economy. Biobased solutions are a significant
part of a circular economy and one where Brazil might take a lead. It is a way to add value to its
agricultural richness and create a global green chemistry hub that exports product from
renewable materials to the world. Couldn’t Brazil be the main supplier to the plant bottles of
companies like Coca Cola and Danone? Wouldn’t such a hub be an ideal environment for
industrial symbiosis where waste (energy, water and resources) for one company is a resource
for another?
It might be interesting for Brazilian ports and Industrial Area’s to study the Rotterdam Port
example where there are plug-and-play heat neworks and where CO 2 is captured and
transported to nearby green houses.
In any large city of Brazil the concept of “shared economy” can have benefits. Companies like
AirBNB (room sharing) and Uber (alternative for taxi’s) have shown that the market potential can
be huge but there are far more examples that benefit the local environment in a much stronger
way. There comes a moment that access to mobility (joining a sharing car concept or public
transportation) outweighs the pleasure of having your own car and spending your time in a traffic
jam. Not convinced? An average car is only used 10% of its time and standing idle in a parking
place 90% of its time! In Curitiba the Dutch help to increase the conditions for cycling. Good for
fighting traffic congestion and improving health.
What’s next?
“Moving towards a truly circular economy will not be achieved in one step. A real entrepreneur
does not wait for the government but determines its own future and starts acting. It often starts
with phasing out waste (energy, water, materials) in the whole product chain. By reuse,
upgrading or recycling or changing to bio-based input the level of circularity can be increased.
Even better is to work on value-chain efficiency, easiness of use and reliability of the product. By
going down this road new collaborative insights are being obtained that lay at the basis for new
business models aimed at usage instead of ownership or fully digital services.
Could you tell me more about the Circular Economy seminar in the Holland Heineken on
August 12 organized by the Consulate general of the Netherlands in Rio de Janeiro?
The Dutch offer themselves as a sparring and business partner for Brazil. In June they co-hosted
a thematic conference on Circular Economy with FIRJAN and during the Olympics, on August 12
during a seminar and thematic lunch with Dutch companies in the Holland Heineken House in
Rio de Janeiro, they will show that Circular Economy is top sport too. Circular Economy will be a
promising and recurring theme for the Dutch in Brazil. My company Acceleratio will be helping
them together with ICE Amsterdam and E4CB from Brazil.
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