Backstory
2019/2020
Students from NHL Stenden and and Van Hall/Larenstein chose the Oude- en Nieuwe Oosterstraat, Tweebaksmarkt and Blokhuispoort area to become the most circular shopping area in The Netherlands. In order to accomplish this people from different backgrounds came together : teachers from both universities, a small group of entrepreneurs, Circulair Friesland and the city center management. They quickly noticed that the small shopping area turned out being too small. Their point is that the Circulair Kwartier needs to be about the whole downtown area, not just a few streets.
Their goal – transforming Leeuwarden’s city center into a place where circularity, sustainability and greening would become the main attraction.
The circular economy invites the consumers to think, act but most importantly to buy differently. This means that Circulair Kwartier offers to the consumers to buy the best quality products for a fair price with an impactful backstory.
“The special thing about the Circulair Kwartier is that all the characteristics of the circular economy come together here. And that the synergy between entrepreneurs, governments and education is particularly interesting. As a result, we learn from and with each other, in order to take concrete steps together towards the circular economy.”
– Hanneke Schmeink, Recreation & Tourism
They selected 3 subproject to work on in 2021:
- CO2 reduction (zero on the meter -reusable energy-, car-free city center, shared mobility, fossil-free transport)
- Waste reduction (collect green waste from restaurants and shops to produce compost (food for crops) and/or soil improver in urban gardens, collect plastic to develop reusable packaging for food stores ex: egg cartons, cake trays,meat dishes)
- Socially inclusive entrepreneurship (the green project that can be carried out by people with a distance to the labor market, shared cars that collect and/or deliver freight can be driven by this target group, work experience workplaces can also be created in various stores)
If you have a company that fits the business operations and you can prove that you have a future-proof company, the governments are most likely to help and support you. You have the opportunity to attract a new customer group that spends their money in a sustainable way. If you like what you hear, here is your invitation to join the Circulair Kwartier team (info@hetcirculairkwartier.nl).
