Circular Economy

CE Delft is a leading player when it comes to research on the circular economy – an economy in which materials are continually reused while retaining maximum value. This reduces resource consumption, environmental damage and dependency on raw materials that are often finite.

The circular economy is now a major policy theme at the national, regional and European level. The Dutch government’s Circular Economy programme seeks to reduce primary resource consumption by 50% by 2030 and have a fully circular economy in place by 2050. The EU’s Circular Economy action plan has similar targets.

Key fields of expertise

Built Environment (national policy)

In its work on this theme CE Delft’s core mission is to work out the most effective national policies for speeding up the transition.

The energy transition poses major challenges for the wide array of stakeholders in the built environment. To achieve climate neutrality by 2050 will require major efforts on the part of municipalities, grid operators, energy companies and others. Backed up by our extensive expertise on allied themes like Energy Supply, Raw Material Supply Chains and Financial Instruments, we provide research and consulting services on national policies for reducing the ecological footprint of the built environment.

Key fields of expertise

  • Financial measures: affordability and effectiveness
  • Voluntary agreements and mandatory measures: assignment of responsibilities and additionality
  • Roll-out of legislation
  • Institutional change (e.g. administration and regulation of heat, hydrogen and gas grids)

Raw Material Supply Chains

CE Delft analyses the environmental footprint of raw materials, products and waste streams, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to work out how best to reduce it step by step, advising government, industry and NGOs alike.

CE Delft has extensive experience in environmental comparisons of packaging. We perform LCAs of plastics and recycling. We’ve done numerous studies on chemical recycling of plastics, supporting the Dutch government on policy development. We’re closely involved in assessing the effectiveness of packaging deposits

Key fields of expertise

  • Environmental and economic analysis of raw materials and supply chains
  • Key concepts of the circular economy
  • Raw material-consuming sectors (metals, construction, concrete, plastics, chemicals, packaging), waste and recycling
  • Chemical recycling of plastics

Sustainable Procurement

Sustainable procurement is not always as straightforward as its seems in theory, but with our years of experience and expertise CE Delft can advise you on the best way forward. Our know-how on renewable energy, transport and raw materials means we can offer robust support to procurement departments as well as suppliers.

By adopting sustainable procurement practices, government and business can reduce the environmental footprint of their supply chains and promote wider corporate social responsibility. It’s an effective means of reducing the organisation’s own CO2 emissions, advancing the circular economy and supporting green innovation upstream.

We’re up-to-date on all the latest innovations and sustainable options out in the market, making us perfectly placed to advise you on the product groups or processes yielding the greatest environmental benefit.

Environmental Economy

All too often, economic activity contributes to climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution and other environmental impacts, which in turn mean a loss of economic welfare. Policies to alleviate these impacts can lead to costs for firms and citizens alike, but they can also create job opportunities and innovation. Our research and consulting services on this theme are concerned above all with doing the sums on these and similar interactions between the economy and the environment, a key element of which is putting a price on environmental damage.

By means of economic analyses and impact assessments CE Delft calculates the cost of environmental policies to companies and citizens as well as the impacts on economic growth, employment and emissions. Besides standard tools like cost-benefit analysis, we also use more advanced economic models like E3ME or GTAP, as required.

Key fields of expertise

Sustainable Industry

Industry is a key motor of the economy but often a major emitter of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Here, particularly, climate targets and the drive towards a circular economy present huge challenges. CE Delft provides research and consultancy services to meet these challenges.       

Industries are developing ever more concrete plans to reduce CO2 emissions, whether Individually or in clusters. Increasingly, too, they’re using the carbon footprint of their processes and products to steer company operations – not only in pursuit of their own green ambitions and demand from customers, but also because it can reduce costs and improve competitiveness.

CE Delft supports these ambitions using our expertise on industrial processes, supply chains, infrastructure and national and European policy. With a well-developed network of companies, government agencies and research institutes to consult, we deliver robust, realistic solutions. One of our strengths is identifying options to improve efficiency and reduce emissions through cooperation with adjacent companies. We can advise you on innovative options to make your energy consumption and feedstock use more sustainable – options that are often prove surprisingly realistic.

Key fields of expertise