Netherlands must implement a circular economy or face severe shortages by 2050

If more work is not done soon to realize a circular economy, then there is a threat of a lot of wastage of raw materials, and the Netherlands will possibly suffer from "severe shortages" by 2050. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) warned about this and conducted an extended analysis of the circular economy together with other knowledge institutions.

Researchers from TNO, the health institute RIVM, and the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) from Leiden University worked on the analysis. They met at three important terrains and looked into things like how sparingly scarce raw materials are used and to what extent they are reused. This is concerning home construction, renewable energy, and packaging.

The researchers are pleading for more concrete policies and see various possibilities for doing this. "There are various government measures, but they are not enough to create a complete circular economy," they stated.

Sometimes, the rules are even an obstruction. For example, permits for wind parks are only valid for 20 years. If this term is not extended, the windmills are demolished prematurely.

Another example from the report is the design of electric cars. The batteries are currently stuck into the frame in a way that loose elements are not reparable or replaceable. This also goes for dozens of other products.

If repairs and recycling are considered during the design phase, then some raw materials could be saved. This will help the climate and the environment and lessen the Netherlands' dependency on other countries.

The researchers signaled that the urgency to build and produce is beating the urgency of circular working. They added that "not much attention is given to circularity" during significant investments. The advice from experts to politicians is to keep an eye on this when it comes to the construction of homes, the construction of wind farms, or when using large batteries, which is all expected to increase in the next few years.

Reusage is not the only way to keep raw materials usage in check. "What is at least so important is a broader stance on limiting raw materials usage: through smarter and circular product design, by extending the lifespan of products through repair and reuse and by reducing the demand for products," the PBL wrote.

Significant growth is expected in all the sectors that were researched. The researchers added that this makes circular working even more critical.