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Circular Economy

Circular countries

Geschreven samen met: Sandra Kolodzinsky Adviseur Circulaire Economie, Energie en Klimaat bij de RVO
Circularity offers many benefits to countries, but it requires facilitating policies. Many countries recognize this and are implementing a national circular strategy. These strategies vary significantly in terms of size and structure. To illustrate the diversity, here are examples from four countries on different continents: Chile, Japan, Nigeria, and Finland.

You can explore more international examples on the website Spotlight Countries from Holland Circular Hotspot.

Chile

In 2019, Chile became the first Latin American country to launch a circular economy roadmap with the program ‘Circular Chile.’ The plan included support for progressive companies and the creation of a step-by-step policy and a technological center for the circular economy. One of the program’s key objectives is to reduce the landfill disposal of household waste to less than 10% by 2040, compared to the current 96%.

In addition to the circular economy roadmap, Chile has also initiated a campaign against single-use plastics with the goal of achieving 100% reusable plastic packaging. In 2015, Chile adopted a policy for producer responsibility and waste management. More information about this Latin American leader’s circular strategies can be found here

Japan

Japan is known for its extensive production of automobiles and electronics, but the country is entirely dependent on imports for raw materials. For Japan, it is crucial to keep materials in the chain for as long as possible, offering many opportunities for circular strategies. The country has implemented various roadmaps and policies to reduce resource use and minimize waste.

In 2020, Japan launched the renewed vision ‘Japan 2020 Circular Economy Vision,’ focusing on plastics, textiles, fiber-reinforced plastics, batteries, and solar panels. The vision can be read here

Nigeria

With the largest economy in Africa and the fastest-growing population globally, Nigeria has significant opportunities for implementing circular strategies. The attention to the circular economy is growing in Nigeria, and the vast informal waste sector presents immense potential for the transition to a circular economy. Formalizing the sector and implementing waste policies can enable the country to take significant steps quickly. With a waste problem, especially in Lagos, the country recognizes this urgency.

The Nigerian government is working on a circular economy roadmap with a strong emphasis on waste management and processing, remanufacturing, recycling, and upcycling. More information about CE policy in Nigeria can be found on the website of RVO and Holland Circular Hotspot

Finland

In 2016, Finland was the first to create a roadmap for the circular economy in collaboration with the innovation fund Sitra. In 2019, the Finnish government, along with Sitra, updated the roadmap to stay on course, facilitate acceleration, and align the roadmap with climate goals. Based on all experiences since then, Sitra published a report in 2020 titled “How to create a national circular economy roadmap”.

This document describes 9 phases and provides advice on important milestones for each phase and which coordinating organization to involve. Additionally, the document outlines tools and exercises to use in the process. Based on their own experiences, they have added an estimate of a timeline and workload per phase. The roadmap is written for the national level but can also be applied regionally.