Staatssecretaris Van Veldhoven opent Holland Circular Economy Week

Toespraak | 12-06-2018

Ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to this inspiring location. It was once a hive of aviation activity, with budding engineers working on planes right here. Now, it plays host to festivals and conferences, like this one. The same building, but with a different purpose and a new revenue model: the perfect starting point for Holland Circular Economy Week!

It’s great to see you all here – experts from 15 different countries. Some of you have just landed. While some of you have already attended your first workshops. But you all came here with the same goal:

To move towards a circular economy, with more reuse and less waste of raw materials.
And to scale up and speed up wherever we can.

That’s exactly what we’ll be working on this week. And we’ll have been successful if you go home with a better idea of how to shift up a gear. By learning from each other, hearing inspiring examples and – hopefully – forging new partnerships. Because we need each other! Climate and environment issues can only be solved through international cooperation.

That’s why I’m proud you’re in the Netherlands this week. Our country has big ambitions. And there’s already a lot happening here when it comes to the circular economy. We’re keen to share our knowledge and work with other countries to make great strides and seize opportunities.
After all, there’s a lot at stake – the future of the next generations. For me, that’s is a major incentive. It’s the reason I went into politics, in fact. My background no doubt plays a role here.

This is where I grew up. A small village in the Betuwe region on the banks of the River Waal, surrounded by lots of farmland. I grew up in a farmhouse with a kitchen garden. And we ate vegetables we’d grown ourselves and the leftovers went to the chickens! So, for me, the circular economy was simple: don’t waste!
When the river burst its banks in the 1990s it made a big impression on me. Many of our neighbours and friends were evacuated. I witnessed and felt what climate change can do. They were experiences I’ve never forgotten.
Later came the big facts about climate change.

Over the next 35 years, the world’s population will grow by a third. In 2050 there’ll be 10 billion of us. All these people will need food, energy, water and fertile land. And like every other generation before them, they’ll hope to live healthy, safe and prosperous lives.
I’m an optimist. I believe we can live on this globe with 10 billion people. But only if we seriously cut back our use of scarce raw materials. Over the past century, we’ve used 34 times more materials and 12 times more fossil fuels. If we go on like this, we’ll need three planets!
It’s an interesting idea, but unfortunately the other two planets haven’t been found yet…
But we can make it work! We know how to generate sustainable energy. We have lots of new knowledge about using raw materials sparingly. And there’s broad political support worldwide.
Here we see the signing of the climate agreement in Paris. I was there in person: a magical and unforgettable moment! And an enormously powerful signal from all the world’s political leaders. It gives me great inspiration to be able to take these efforts further as state secretary.

Why am I telling you all this?
Because a circular economy will really help us to achieve our climate goals. For instance, if the Dutch government engages in circular procurement, we can reduce our carbon emissions by 1 megatonne in four years. That’s roughly the amount of energy it takes to power the whole of Rotterdam.
And I’ve seen lots of examples that show that an economy without waste is possible. It really is.
-We can make new telephones from old ones.
-And we can now even make new concrete from old concrete.

There is a lot of new knowledge available. And the Dutch government is ambitious. The Netherlands is working hard to achieve an economy without waste, an economy that reuses raw materials. We want to have a completely circular economy by 2050.
And we’re tackling this challenge the Dutch way: through close cooperation between government, the private sector, science and research.
We’ve now got a national Raw Materials Agreement. Five sectors – plastics, biomass and food, consumer goods, manufacturing, and construction – have already drawn up their own roadmaps for going circular. In fact, I received these roadmaps at the beginning of this year, right here in this very spot!
These plans translate words into action. They’re full of practical measures to do things differently. The Netherlands is learning by doing.

We’re going to stop burning plastics – and make plastics that aren’t fossil-based.
We’re making new jeans from old jeans.
We’re creating new technology to fully recycle rugs and carpets. We’re talking about 4.5 billion square metres worldwide. My whole ministry has such a carpet!
We’re making new furniture from plastic fished from Amsterdam’s canals. You can see the result right here. And my office will soon have a desk made of the same plastic.

Our successes are interesting. But so are our mistakes.
For instance, we’ve invested too much in our waste-to-energy capacity. Now we have to import waste to keep our incinerators profitable.
In the past we largely delegated responsibility for collecting waste to municipalities. It led to many great initiatives. But the different rules in different cities are confusing people.

We’re learning from our own mistakes. And we’re also learning from other countries.
Think of the capacity and scale that China needs to tackle the e-commerce waste produced by the nine million parcels delivered every day.
Or the way France has incorporated ecodesign into its laws. Or Luxembourg’s circular construction efforts.

This month, the Dutch government will announce the steps we’re taking towards a circular economy. How are we going to scale up and speed up?
Let me give you a sneak preview.

The Netherlands wants to make manufacturers more responsible for the waste their products create. This is already the norm for vehicles. So why not for clothing, furniture and disposables?
And another good example: the Green Deal for festival waste. Why use disposable cups when you could have reusable ones instead? We’re going to make the same agreement with large hospitality chains too.
The Netherlands recycles 81% of its waste, making it a leader in the field. The next step is ecodesigning. Saying no to products that can’t be reused. Reuse will become the standard. A new economy. A new design!
I’m pleased with the EU’s proposal to tackle single-use plastics. Plastic does not belong in the natural environment! Plastic soup should soon be added to the list of acid rain and ozone hole!
That’s why the Netherlands has banned free plastic bags. And it’s proved a success, halving the number of bags littering our streets or natural environment in a short space of time.

I’m determined to step up to the EU’s challenge of reducing plastic products like fast-food packaging, cutlery, drinking straws, balloons and sanitary products.
In fact, I’m not going to wait for the EU proposals to be finalised. I want a Dutch plastic pact.
I’m going to start right now by talking to the retail, events and hospitality sectors to get rid of plastic cutlery, straws and cups as soon as possible. There are plenty of sustainable alternatives.
In the meantime, I call on the EU to make rapid progress with the new directives.

My approach is to set goals, bring partners together and create optimum conditions for growing the new economy.
This calls for knowledge sharing and cooperation, especially at international level. I want waste regulations to promote − not obstruct − recycling.
That’s why my country has set up an initiative called the North Sea Resources Roundabout. A deal with other countries along the North Sea to facilitate cross-border trade in secondary raw materials like PVC, compost and bottom ash.
We’ve collectively set new quality standards and redefined waste.
This is good news for the environment, but also for the economy. Since it’s a boost for the recycling industry.
By partnering with other countries in this way we can reinforce each other’s efforts.

To close.

I’m very proud of the Holland Circular Hotspot initiative, which led to this event.
The hotspot offers a platform for building international partnerships between businesses, governments and knowledge institutions aimed at promoting the circular economy.
And if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the Netherlands, it’s that a circular economy can only be achieved by working together.

So my key message to you, at the beginning of Holland Circular Economy Week, is this:
Let’s inspire each other. Let’s share our examples, learn from our mistakes and work together to create a more sustainable economy, step by step.
I wish you all a wonderful and inspiring week.
Thank you.