The Dutch economy can be made more circular than it is now. This is the conclusion of a study by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL). Consumer willingness to make different choices is relatively high on paper, according to the PBL. Many people want to live smaller, buy second hand clothes or go on holiday less far.
To make the economy more circular, various things can be done that need to be organized before 2050. “What is particularly striking is the behavior surrounding the purchase of more sustainable alternatives,” says PBL researcher Julia Koch. “You can think about buying hemp clothes instead of cotton.” According to her, people are also looking to buy higher quality products and are more often repairing items instead of replacing them.
To address this problem, a large group of consumers is now being stimulated, because willpower is not yet present among those consumers. The choice for the simpler alternative is made more often, says climate and energy journalist Mark Beekhuis. He also explains that people should “consume less”, for example by eating less dairy and meat, driving less or downsizing.
The will is there, but the action is not
“On the one hand you save energy because you don’t have to heat a smaller house and on the other hand you need less material to build the house,” says Koch. More than half of the people taking the survey indicate they want to live smaller. While less than half actually do.
‘Approximately 35 million square meters of real estate was vacant in 2020’
According to Jan Willem van de Groep, entrepreneur and promoter of sustainable building, the most sustainable way to build is simply not to build at all. Instead, he advocates using empty buildings. ‘In 2020, around 35 million square meters of real estate were vacant. Also, there are many houses that are only occupied by one person.’ According to him, these houses are suitable to be divided by renting out rooms in the house.
Source: BNR
Andrew Dwight is an author and economy journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of financial markets and a passion for analyzing economic trends and news. With a talent for breaking down complex economic concepts into easily understandable terms, Andrew has become a respected voice in the field of economics journalism.
