Collaboration within the circular economyThe circular economy is a restorative and regenerative economy. By maintaining the value of the products, materials and resources in the economy through smart product design, repurposing and/or shared use of products, it reduces the extraction of natural resources by using resources already present in the economy. can take many forms, from sharing knowledge and experience to jointly utilising energy, infrastructure or raw materials. Curious to find out which strategies would work for you? Let’s explore!
Exchanging Knowledge and Experience
Sharing your successes and problem areas with others helps to accelerate the transition to circularityCircularity describes the quantity of materials managed in a closed loop.. Conversely, as an entrepreneur, you can also benefit from the knowledge and experience of others. However, you obviously don’t want to share the time and resources you have invested in research and development with just anyone without proper compensation. Intellectual property rights help to protect inventions and creations while facilitating the distribution of all that useful information. Want to know more? Read all about it on Go for Circular.
Sharing Energy
Consuming less is still the best way to save energy. Nevertheless, energy remains an essential part of many processes. Companies with solar panels or wind turbines can store excess electricity or feed it back into the grid. In addition, energy can be shared within a fixed group of producers and customers, or between your own branches, a possibility that exists since 2022.
Take a look at these inspiring examples
- The Halnet Energy Cooperative in Minderhout was formed by farmers and citizens to share and store energy.
- WILMS, a coating company, uses residual heat to warm up other locations.
- Pork producer Comeco and tomato producer Tomeco are connected in an ingenious way and exchange water and electricity for reuseReuse designates all operations by which substances, materials or products that are not waste are used again in an identical way to their originally intended purpose..
Under One Roof
Space is scarce, especially in Belgium. Sharing office or production space not only cuts costs but also reduces your ecological footprintThe ecological footprint represents the productive land and sea surface area necessary to produce resources and absorb the waste of a given population.. For instance, does your staff work at home on specific days? Consider renting out your office space to other entrepreneurs. Or opt for flexible workspaces and co-working offices. In Brussels, Workero groups companies that jointly look for or offer office space.
From Waste to Resource
In addition to extending the life of your products, striving for circular raw material usage is also an impactful strategy. Start by optimising your own material usage, such as limiting cutting waste or designing with repairRepair is making a faulty product work again, allowing its use to be extended without the user parting with it, or with a view to reuse (donation, second-hand sale). in mind. Subsequently you can look at residue streams, for instance unsold bread that is processed into beer.
External waste streams also offer opportunities: coffee grounds as breeding ground or compost, for example. Online platforms such as Wanderful.Stream bring together SMESmall and medium-sized enterprisess that aim to valorise waste streams. Quite a few companies are known for their expertise in reuse, such as RotorDC or agricultural research institution Inagro. When collaborating on raw materials, ensure you have a material declaration confirming the material you are using is safe and in compliance with European and regional criteria.
En Route Together
Smarter mobility is also part of a circular economy. Choosing public transport obviously helps to reduce your environmental impact but cars also remain a key part of Belgian mobility. Electric company cars are gaining in popularity but sharing them is less common. Nevertheless, leasing companies are increasingly catering to this option. That is interesting because the average company car sits unused 95 % of the time. In other words, sharing is a win-win! For more details on the possibilities of car sharing visit the Autodelen.net website.
Electromobility requires more than just buying a different type of car. The electricity you use to charge your car and the charging behaviour of users make a huge difference. A company like STROOHM helps entrepreneurs choose the right infrastructure and sustainable charging strategies.
