Fons Claessen is project manager Eurregional Sustainability Center (ESC). Its task is to put circular economy on the map as a theme in education, research and business in Venlo and its surroundings. In doing so, the educational institute explicitly seeks cooperation with companies in both the Netherlands and Germany.
A difficult task, the project manager frankly admits. "In certain industries, such as construction, this development is happening faster than in others. Within the manufacturing industry, the step from linear to circular business is a lot harder. There are several reasons for this. For many entrepreneurs, the risk of investing is still too great. Especially in the long term. The government and politics will have to accommodate companies much more in this."
'Our aim is to train students who can advise and guide companies on circular economy'
Career
His choice to be involved in this development is partly conscious, on the other hand a consequence of the steps he took in his career. As a student, themes such as sustainable energy and human behaviour had always interested him. The goal was to study biology, it became cultural anthropology combined with environmental science and economic anthropology. "As a student, I visited Ghent and was shocked at how much the canals were polluted," he says. He decided to investigate that cause. After his studies, Claessen worked at the municipality of Nijmegen. There, he dealt with topics such as water policy and energy transition. Since 2017, he has been active within Fontys. As project leader Impulse Team Circular Economy, it became clear to him that students were increasingly concerned with the topic of circularity. "Various courses were coming up; also, there was more and more research focused on developments in the business world. From there, however, interest was still minimal. Even at a hotspot like Brainport Eindhoven, where technical innovation is of great importance, sustainability still appeared to receive little attention."
What is circular economy?
What exactly does circular economy mean? In this approach, all raw materials used in products remain in the material cycle for as long as possible. Companies develop their products in such a way that they know exactly what happens to them. "The producer therefore remains responsible for the product throughout the entire process. That requires a different way of thinking," says Claessen. And the latter still happens too little, according to him. "The construction industry, for example, is further ahead in this than the manufacturing industry. There are also specialised companies that make sure components are reused. Think of materials disappearing on the scrap heap." Incidentally, according to Claessen, circularity does not care about borders. "That's why crossborder is an interesting and important phenomenon. It's about working together. Also because of the footprint."
Knowledge hub
Claessen and his colleagues set themselves the goal of setting up a knowledge hub for circular economy within the Eindhoven region. In short, crossborder where companies from both countries work together. The Fontys board saw it as a great initiative, but felt that the scope should go further and include cities such as Tilburg and Venlo. That development to set up a Centre of Expertise was initiated. Also, Claessen decided to start teaching and, together with some colleagues, he wrote a book on circularity. "Our aim is to train students who can advise and guide companies in the field of circular economy. We make that possible by providing the right teaching materials."
A partnership, then, between educational institutions and their students. And for companies on both sides of the border. When the plans to get ESC off the ground in concrete terms were worked out, Claessen says it was first important to know what was going on in Venlo and the surrounding area in terms of circular economy and sustainability. "I knew that Vincent Pijnenburg, lecturer in Cross-border Business Development at Fontys in Venlo, had a lot of knowledge and connections in this area. He was the first person I sat down with."
'The new generation wants to make a positive contribution to this planet'
Collaboration
To enthuse even more parties for this initiative, Claessen entered into talks with several companies and schools in the border region. In the end, three German colleges are participating. And that is essential for gathering sufficient knowledge in this field. "Companies can present cases to students. They will work on them through an internship or graduation project. In this way, both parties learn what it is like to work together. We are currently optimising this approach. After all, you have to deal with different cultures plus different laws and rules. These challenges are also explored within Vincent's CBBD lectureship to come up with ways to deal with this."
More cohesion
Moreover, at the ESC, they made a conscious decision not to cooperate in the fields of logistics and horticulture, but to focus on manufacturing and metal industry plus healthy spaces; a healthy living and working environment. When asked what the ESC has achieved since its launch in November 2022, Claessen has to honestly admit that the circular economy remains a tricky topic for many companies. "Entrepreneurs face many issues and challenges. Think of rapidly rising procurement prices, labour market tightness et cetera. Some want to do everything themselves, others opt for cooperation. The group that is really intense and serious about it remains limited. As a centre, our goal remains to develop more cohesion in the border region and we hope that more talents will develop. The new generation is hugely interested in everything to do with sustainability. They want to make a positive contribution to this planet. For their part, companies must dare to invest in this. Schools also have an important role to play."
Changing mindset
So companies face several challenges. These include changing the mindset among staff. "They have to overcome a psychological barrier. Some say, 'what do you want with this old junk?' That process takes time. That applies to furniture, mattresses, sanitary ware and more. We have noticed in recent years that more and more companies are showing interest. Organisations like Rabobank and LIOF also play an important role in this, as does the role of the end user, the consumer. Hopefully, more and more forms of cooperation will emerge in the coming years; not only within the euregio rhine-maas-north. Venlo has the advantage of being located at an interesting linking point and logistics hub in the euregio rhine-maas-north. Both the municipality and organisations should benefit from this."
Claessen stresses that in all this, the role of politics is essential. "The Green Deal story is poured over us by one government. A subsequent government withdraws certain ideas. Moreover, counter-movements arise. This causes many companies to remain wait-and-see. They ask themselves: whatʼs in it for me? They know: the risk lies with me and ask themselves: am I not too early? Politics (national and European) must ensure that the circular economy can be implemented step by step and provide the right long-term frameworks and resources for this, so that not all the risk lies with the entrepreneur Companies must start feeling the need. As Fontys and the ESC, together with our partners, we are getting more and more involved and trying to support companies in the right way."
Text: Rob Buchholz - Photography: Bram Becks
