Mijke Pruijs
Trainee Circular Economy AMCS through NVRD
This year's NVRD Waste Conference 2024 once again provided a platform for in-depth discussions surrounding the transition to a circular economy. The theme “From Issue to Choice” highlighted the challenges faced by recycled materials versus virgin raw materials. AMCS Group attended as an engaged participant, along with two trainees from NVRD, to gather valuable insights that contribute to the mission of digitization, sustainability and innovation within the waste and recycling industry.
the transition to sustainability: choices and challenges
The conference began powerfully with a keynote by former politician Klaas Dijkhoff. His speech emphasized the importance of the choices that industry, policymakers and companies must now make to ensure a future-proof, sustainable economy. This theme was further explored by Harry Verhaar of Signify, who spoke about the drastic choice to give up their most profitable product - the incandescent light bulb - for a more sustainable LED variant. Femke Groothuis of The Ex'tax Project highlighted sustainable tax shifting as an essential tool to boost the circular economy. Arjen Wittekoek, former general manager of Umincorp, joined the panel discussion led by chairman of the day Rens de Jong. This addressed the major challenges at hand and the solutions that appear to be at hand, such as tax shifts from labor to raw materials, subsidies for sustainable innovations, and collaboration for knowledge sharing. Consumer awareness also remains essential.
innovation and revaluation as keys to sustainable circular solutions
After the plenary session, the partial sessions were devoted to the role of innovations and revaluation in textile, plastic and wood recycling. Speakers such as Ellen Mensink, Arjen Wittekoek and Geert Cuperus shared their insights on the opportunities and challenges in these sectors for a more sustainable future.
Technology: The common thread for circular textiles
Ellen Mensink, CEO of Brightfiber Textiles, spoke about the enormous potential of textile recycling. Her vision is that the future of textiles lies in a circular chain, with technology playing a key role in achieving large-scale reuse. Digital solutions, such as track-and-trace systems for materials and advanced data analysis, make it possible to efficiently recover raw materials and minimize waste. By optimizing processes and using data intelligently, the textile industry can transition to a sustainable future where reuse and high-quality recycling are the norm.
The innovative path to competitiveness for recyclate
Arjen Wittekoek continued his talk after the plenary panel discussion, addressing the economic challenges surrounding plastic recyclate. He emphasized that while innovation is crucial, for Umincorp it was now too late: economic pressures and uneven competition made their survival unsustainable. His message underscores the need to invest in a fair market for recyclate right now, so that future innovations do not have to suffer the same fate. This is a lesson for the industry as well as politicians: without structural support, more pioneering companies will go under prematurely.
Revaluation of woodrecycling
Geert Cuperus stressed the need for the revaluation of wood as a sustainable raw material, which is not only essential for the circular economy, but also offers economic opportunities. He called for innovation in processing techniques so that wood can be reused more efficiently and its lifespan extended. This is in line with the broader ambition to use technology to make the supply chain more sustainable and optimize the use of natural resources, where wood can be an example of how materials can circulate highly in a sustainable economy.
from lessons learned to actions in 2025
At AMCS, we strive to help companies accelerate their digital transformation and empower them to make better decisions in their waste management and recycling operations. The conference was a source of inspiration for us, with valuable insights on the necessary choices companies and government must make now to strengthen the circular economy.
This year's lessons are clear: making choices is essential to drive the circular economy. The conference showed that innovation is not only about technology, but also about collaboration and policy. For AMCS, this means that in 2025 we will be even more committed to partnerships, further developing technologies that can reduce the gap between virgin and recycled materials, and supporting our customers in making more sustainable choices. This waste conference has once again shown us that there are plenty of opportunities for circular solutions - opportunities that we intend to further exploit in 2025 to take the waste industry to a more sustainable level.
We thank the organizers and speakers for this inspiring day!