Danish companies want a circular economy – A new website will help them

A new survey from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency shows that small and medium-sized companies in Denmark are eager to develop processes for reusing materials and designing products that are recyclable and reduce water consumption. A new online portal will help them do that.

More durable products, less waste and reuse of old materials are all things that are looked favourably upon by many Danish companies. A survey from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency shows that 9 out of 10 small and medium-sized companies have a positive attitude towards circular economy, and that the majority of them are already working with circular economy. At the same time, familiarity with the concept is growing.

“Circular economy is a term that describes the design, production and consumption of products in a way that ensures efficient use of resources and prevents products and materials from ending up as waste.
It is good that more Danish companies are becoming familiar with circular economy and that so many of them have a positive attitude towards it. It indicates a big potential that could benefit both the environment and the companies. We are launching a new portal that can help them”, says Minister for Environment and Food Esben Lunde Larsen.

The survey and the portal build on recommendations submitted by the government’s Advisory Board for circular economy before the summer holiday. The recommendations emphasise, among other things, the need to support small and medium-sized companies with guidance on circular economy.
The government is expecting to make further follow-ups on the recommendations made by the Advisory Board for circular economy around the turn of the year.

New site will help companies get started

The Environmental Protection Agency is now launching the site CirkulærVirksomhed.dk (CircularCompany.dk), which will provide small and medium-sized companies with more knowledge about circular economy. On the site they can find information about how to make their production greener, and how to use a green profile in the marketing of their company. It also contains inspiration from a number of companies currently working with circular economy. CirkulærVirksomhed.dk will help the many companies that are refraining from recycling and reducing waste due to a lack of knowledge in the area. Just over half of the companies included in the Environmental Protection Agency’s survey express that they do not know enough about circular economy to apply it in their company.

“I want to give Danish companies more knowledge about how to use circular economy so that they can choose the sustainable solutions. That is why The Ministry for Environment and Food is launching this initiative, to give companies inspiration for solutions that work”, says Minister for Environment and Food Esben Lunde Larsen.

Facts

• Circular economy is a term that has grown in popularity in recent years. Circular economy concerns the use and reuse of resources and products in a more efficient manner, benefiting both the environment and the economy.
• The survey was conducted by Epinion on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency in June 2017, and is based on repsonses from 610 small and medium-sized companies.
• 29% of the companies have heard of the term circular economy. In comparison, a similar survey from Fortum showed that only 9% of the Danish companies surveyed in 2016 were familiar with the term circular economy.
• 56% of the companies are already focusing on reducing their use of raw materials and production of waste.
• 88% of the companies have a positive attitude towards circular economy.
• 51% of the companies feel that their knowledge of circular economy is inadequate.
• 53% believe that there is a business potential in circular economy.
• The site that was launched on the 1st of October 2017 is called CirkulærVirksomhed.dk. It contains information about circular economy, cases from companies and blog entries.
• The tools on CirkulærVirksomhed.dk are a further development of Green21.dk, and the site is co-sponsored by the Confederation of Danish Industry.

Source: State of Green