A go-to place for circular ports
Circular Ports is part of Circular Flanders. Ports play a crucial role in the transition to a circular economy, and therefore were granted a dedicated unit within Circular Flanders. They are the hubs par excellence for the import and export of materials, but at the same time also for industrial clusters, waste processing companies and logistics areas where materials are processed and stored.
We aim to be a go-to place for the circular economy enthusiasts in ports. Building the circular ports community together, on the great foundations of the work of circular doers in the field.
Our aim is to inspire and connect stakeholders and practitioners internationally, tackle bottlenecks and create opportunities through policy advice and support circular economy research that benefits our Flemish ports.
Doing the doable
In the true Circular Flanders spirit, we encourage people to not wait for the ideal conditions to present themselves. Yet, look for smaller opportunities and what is feasible, start acting and learn along the way. Find like-minded partners and join forces. It is the cumulation of all these actions that will fuel the transition to a circular economy.
We are Circular Flanders
As a successor to Plan C (2006-2012, 2012-2016) and the Flemish Materials Program (2011-2016), Circular Flanders was appointed by the Flemish Government in 2017 to continue and support the circular economy as a region-wide transition priority. TIn 2019 the Flemish Government confirmed this mandate and expressed its ambition to make Flanders a circular frontrunner by decoupling the material footprint of our consumption from economic growth and reducing it by 30% by 2030.
Circular Flanders is the hub, the inspiration and the matchmaker for the Flemish circular economy. It is a partnership of governments, business and industry, civil society, and the knowledge community taking action together.
How we think
Adapting to changes, creating context for change
At Circular Flanders we recognise that ‘the one thing that never changes is that everything changes’. A premise of collective impact for change is that not all problems are created in the same way – some are simple, some are more complicated and some are really complex. Each type requires a different approach to solving them.
All these years we have focused on system innovation rather than making unsustainable systems more efficient. So we don’t need to keep reinventing ourselves. Moving forward and participating in change ourselves, (re)positioning our support and complementary activities in innovation, and being a bit stubborn, that’s our way forward.
We also find that collective impact is most effective when it builds on what already exists, i.e. recognising current efforts and engaging people and networks, rather than pretending to create a completely new solution from scratch.
What we do
Dedicated to circularity
Circular Flanders is dedicated to promoting the circular economy and how it contributes to solving sustainability challenges – from local to global – such as available and accessible resources, reducing environmental impact, tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, and ensuring a just transition.
There is always the temptation to tackle everything at once and comprehensively. It is therefore important to make choices.
Circular Flanders focuses on sectors that use the most resources and have a high potential for circularity, such as: construction and buildings, chemicals and plastics, manufacturing, bio-economy, food, water and nutrients. This is in line with the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), one of the main pillars of the European Green Deal. It is also important to make circularity work for people, regions and cities.
