Circular Business Awards 2023-2024
The Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO) presented the Circular Business Awards (CBA) awards on 14 March 2024. With this award, the FEB wants to reward innovative projects that incorporate circular economy into their model, which is essential for the future of the economy and society. Eight companies were nominated for this first edition of the Circular Business Awards (formerly the Belgian Business Awards for the Environment). Each uses, in their own way, innovative practices, processes and products that contribute to the transition to a circular and low-carbon economy. An independent jury proclaimed JUUNOO as this edition's grand winner and presented them with the prestigious Gold Award.
JUUNOO distinguishes itself within the construction industry by offering interior walls that can be reused up to 30 times. Unlike traditional walls, which entail demolition costs at the end of their life cycle, JUUNOO's walls generate revenue.
Snappies (Silver Award) and Out of Use NV (Bronze Award) round out the top three.
Presentation of the ‘Circular Economy 2024’ progress report
Colleague Thomas De Romagnoli presented the progress report at the Circular Business Awards ceremony. After a first edition in 2022, Möbius was again tasked with evaluating the progress of the transition to a circular economy.
In the first report, we defined a set of clearly defined and complementary (qualitative and quantitative) indicators that together, and for the first time, provided an overall picture of the state of the circular economy in Belgium. For this second report, Thomas De Romagnoli and Karen van Obbergen modified and augmented this monitoring framework slightly, taking into account new insights from recent literature and newly available data. The progress report now provides more insight into what is needed for the Belgian economy to evolve further as a leader in the circular economy.
Our country currently ranks among Europe's top recyclers
As established in the previous progress report, Belgium is among the top European countries in terms of recycling and using secondary materials to meet the material needs of the economy. Although material productivity (GDP/kg material) is evolving positively, this seems to be mainly linked to price increases and not to a more efficient use of materials.
Based on the available data, no trends have been identified that indicate, on a macro scale, an evolution of the Belgian economy towards a more circular economy. It should be noted that numerous factors beyond the impact of a single measure or policy initiative influence macro indicators. This doesn’t mean that the circular economy is not embraced by many Belgian companies, but rather that the linear pattern is still dominant today.
You can access the entire report here.
Royal intrest
On the day of the presentation, King Philippe paid an informal visit to the Federation of Belgian Enterprises. The king wanted comprehensive information on the importance of the circular economy for our country. The many opportunities a strong, competitive circular economy can offer were discussed during the discussion. Besides the environmental gains and the economic aspect, there is also the social aspect with new local, specialised jobs. During his visit, King Philippe was also able to take a first look at the new progress report on the circular economy.
