Lecture 3 (Joppe Van Driel)

Question 1

Why do we want to measure economy?

Answer 1

Performativity of economic of economic measurement
(to measure is to act/change the world)

—> measurements of “the economy” influence the economic phenomena they purport to describe

Question 2

GDP (gross domestic product)

Answer 2

• current standard of measuring the economy
• modern concept was developed by Simon Kuznets in the 1930s
• started to be used heavily in the 40s after shift to an oil based energy system
• no focus on well-being anymore
• no need to account for cost of energy anymore
• excluded activities: housework, odd jobs, illegal pursuits

-Kuznets advised against taking it too literal

Question 3

Why do we want to measure the circular economy?

Answer 3

1. We’ve set goals & want to check how well we do are doing
   (national, regional, organisational)
2. Because measuring circularity itself is an important act that helps to bring the circular economy into being
   - Constitutive, it becomes a thing in the collective consciousness

Question 4

What do you want to measure when measuring circularity?

Answer 4

• Indicators (describe what you measure)
• System of measurement (describes what and how)

Indicators, data bases, uniform measurement methods, validation

Question 5

What are the 3 circularity indicators?

Answer 5

Transition indicators
- measuring the progress of the transition process

Performance indicators
- measuring the application of circular principles

Impact indicators
- measuring the impact of applied circular principles

Question 6

Life Cycle Assessment

Answer 6

• Most common way of measuring sustainability of a product or process

- LCA measures
Water use 
CO2
Toxicity 
Other greenhouse gases converted to CO2

• not suitable to measure circularity only sustainability

Question 7

LCA scopes

Answer 7

• Cradle-to-Grave (Full LCA)
• Cradle-to-Gate (Resource extraction time factory gate)
• Cradle-to-Cradle (Full LCA when recycling is applied / closed loop production)
• Gate-to-Gate (Partial LCA for part of the process)
• Well-to-Wheel (for fuel)

Question 8

3 Types of NGO

Answer 8

1. Generation (protects nature by owning parts of it)
2. Generation (activists)
3. Generation (pragmatic, works with governments & companies, engaging about solutions/policies, puts topic on agenda)

Question 9

What can the government do for the transition towards a circular economy?

Answer 9

European
- policy, EU legislation, advice to nation governments, large research projects

National
- ministries & agencies, taxes, subsidies, laws, law enforcement, campaigns, collaborations, power over municipalities & provinces

Provinces
- spatial planning for cities, villages, power plants, roads, waterways etc.., clean water, conserving and creating nature

Municipalities
- behavioural change in people, collection of waste

Question 10

PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency

Answer 10

• national institute

Job: make an inventory of the CE in the Netherlands

5 transition agendas:

• Construction
• Biomass & food
• Plastics
• Manufacturing
• Consumer goods