Zeeman, PeelPioneers and the Province of Gelderland winners Circular Awards 2023!
February 07, 2023
During the National Conference on Circular Economy, the 2023 Circular Awards Business were announced, recognising the most innovative projects and products of companies and governments that showcase the circular economy’s potential.
Zeeman (business large), PeelPioneers (business small), and the Province of Gelderland (public) were among the honorees in the annual recognition program. The awards were presented by Karen Maas, a jury member, and Jacqueline Cramer, a board member of HCH. The contenders were chosen based on criteria such as circularity in the strategy, impact made, collaboration with others in the chain and the business model.
The Circular Awards is an initiative in the Netherlands aimed at recognising and celebrating individuals, organisations, and companies that have made significant contributions to the advancement of the circular economy.
"The Circular Awards play an important role in raising awareness of the circular economy and inspiring others to adopt its principles. By recognizing and celebrating the achievements of those working to create a more sustainable future, we aim to encourage others to take action and support the transition to a circular economy."
Karen Maas, Academic Director Impact Centre Erasmus
Zeeman and Het Goed Give Textiles a Second Life - Circular Award Business Large 2023
Thanks to a new project by Zeeman in collaboration with recycling organisation Het Goed, textiles are getting a second life. Consumers can now drop off their old clothing at any Dutch or Belgian Zeeman store, which are sorted for reuse or recycling by Het Goed. Some of the clothing that is suitable for immediate reuse will be sold at Zeeman stores, while the rest will be sold by Het Goed or other parties.
“In a challenging sector Zeeman is taking steps towards a circular business model. Their efforts are visible and we even dare to call it sexy” – Karen Maas
PeelPioneers - Circular Award Business Small 2023
Freshly squeezed oranges make for a delicious juice, but it also results in huge mountains of orange peels. Our very own HCH-showcase PeelPioneers found a destination for the orange mountains, by extracting natural ingredients from the peels, which they reuse in food, cosmetics and cleaning products. And while we are staying refreshed, PeelPioneers are constantly researching how to extract more value from the orange peels.
“PeelPioneers reuses oranges, a residual product, in a very nice way in visible consumer products such as meat substitutes and cosmetics. Nice to see that they collaborate with all kinds of different parties: from Jumbo to Renewi, from Seepje to Lowlander Beer.” – Karen Maas
Provincie Gelderland - Circular Award Public 2023
The arrival of the new Province House in Gelderland made the old provincial office building ‘Prinshof A’ redundant. The building was dismantled very carefully in a sustainable way. Thanks to this method, also known as ‘circular mining’, as much as 92% of the old building’s materials are given a second life in the new building.
“A great example of Re-use on the R-ladder! The CO2 gain is great as concrete is a very polluting material. Aditionally, it is a scalable project with a very sound business case. Everyone should do it like this” – Jacqueline Cramer.
