Dutch and Nordic Circular Hotspots join forces
Trondheim, Norway, November 11, 2021
As part of the three-day state visit of the Dutch royal couple to Norway, the Holland Circular Hotspot and Nordic Circular Hotspot formally signed a Partnership Agreement. “Signing a partnership with the Nordic Circular Hotspot comes at a moment that the world realises that it needs circularity more than ever,” said Freek van Eijk, Director, Holland Circular Hotspot.
The signing ceremony took place on November 11, 2021, in Trondheim in the presence of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima as well as His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
This new collaboration aims to accelerate the market transition for circular solutions and businesses in and between The Netherlands and the Nordics. Since the Nordic Circular Hotspot was launched during the World Circular Economy Forum in Helsinki in June 2019, the two Hotspots have worked closely together. The formation of the Nordic Circular Hotspot was inspired by the Holland Circular Hotspot and now the time has come to formalise this partnership.
“Signing a partnership with the Nordic Circular Hotspot comes at a moment that the world realises that it needs circularity more than ever,” said Freek van Eijk, Director, Holland Circular Hotspot, at the signing ceremony. “This is the century for circular entrepreneurs and frontrunners to have the biggest market potential.”
Leapfrogging circular barriers
The Nordic economies combined make up the 12th-largest economy in the world. Accelerating the circular and sustainable transformation in this region has great potential and can have a significant ripple effect. The Netherlands is leading the transition to a circular economy, with a Circularity Metric of 24.5 per cent, according to the Amsterdam-based Circle Economy, which is a Nordic Circular Hotspot partner and was represented in Trondheim by Marc de Wit. By comparison, the Norwegian economy is only 2.4 per cent circular according to the Circularity Gap Report Norway. Through this collaboration, the Nordics could leapfrog some of the early barriers The Netherlands has gone through, and utiliseinnovation, resources and knowledge sharing in order to make the circular economy the new normal.
“Circular value creation is key to sustainability in our markets for the time ahead,” said Einar Kleppe Holthe, Managing Partner, Nordic Circular Hotspot. “Nothing is better than formalising the partnership between our two Hotspots, connecting The Netherlands and Nordics in a more close and collaborative way.”
“Together we aim at leaving the wasteful, consumption-based and resource-intensive economy of the previous century,” said Cathrine Barth, Founder and Managing Partner, Nordic Circular Hotspot. “As partners we seek to evolve the circular economy and collaborate in view of establishing a healthier, safer and cleaner economy.”
Kick off with a roundtable with circularity-focused companies
To kick off their collaboration, the two Hotspots will this afternoon host a roundtable on circularity with 15 Norwegian and Dutch companies and organisations from different sectors. The roundtable will be held in collaboration with the Trondheim Centre for Sustainable Development and Nordic Innovation. Its purpose is to find ways to learn from each other, workcross-sectorally and holistically, and to germinate collaborative projects and initiatives.
State visit to Norway
The signing ceremony was part of the state visit, held from November 9-11 and accompanied by Dutch foreign minister Ben Knapen, affirming the outstanding relations between Norway and The Netherlands. Both countries share common values and jointly seek solutions to major international challenges. The main themes of the visit include bilateral and international co-operation, climate change, the energy transition and sustainability, with the circular economy being in the spotlight through the Partnership Agreement.
About the Nordic Circular Hotspot
The Nordic Circular Hotspot is the leading resource on the circular economy in the Nordics. With partners in all the five Nordic countries plus The Netherlands, supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and Nordic Innovation, its mission is to accelerate the transition to an inclusive, resource-efficient, regenerative and circular market in the Nordic region. The Hotspot aims to contribute in a meaningful way to reinvent how the Nordics design, produce and market products. It also wants to rethink how the Nordics use and consume goods and services, and redefine growth in the Nordics and what is possible through reuse, reduction, repairing, regeneration and, most importantly, systems change. The Hotspot’s goal is to achieve critical mass of circular and sustainable dynamics and transactions in all value chains, to reach transitional tipping points faster in all segments and sectors of the Nordic market. https://nordiccircularhotspot.org
About Holland Circular Hotspot
The Holland Circular Hotspot Foundation aims to create and strengthen circular economy export and investment opportunities for the Dutch business community, and stimulate international exchange of circular economy knowledge and innovation. This is done in close collaboration with the Dutch national government and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. By doing so, Dutch knowledge and expertise will contribute to the implementation of a circular economy in an international context, create mutually-interesting business opportunities and help to accelerate the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to the climate objectives. https://hollandcircularhotspot.nl
