Medio januari 2010 organiseert het platform solidaire en duurzame Economie onder leiding van Lou Keune aan de Universiteit van Tilburg de 3e conferentie onder de titel Fair & Green Deal. Hoofdspreker zal zijn David Korten, voormalig hoogleraar aan de Harvard Business School en auteur van het boek "Agenda for a new economy: from phantom wealth to real wealth
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In this dissertation Maarten ter Huurne investigates why users in the sharing economy trust each other.
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This article investigates the phenomenon of rebound effects in relation to a transition to a Circular Economy (CE) through qualitative inquiry. The aim is to gain insights in manifestations of rebound effects by studying the Dutch textile industry as it transitions to a circular system, and to develop appropriate mitigation strategies that can be applied to ensure an effective transition. The rebound effect, known originally from the energy efficiency literature, occurs when improvements in efficiency or other technological innovations fail to deliver on their environmental promise due to (behavioral) economic mechanisms. The presence of rebound in CE contexts can therefore lead to the structural overstatement of environmental benefits of certain innovations, which can influence reaching emission targets and the preference order of recycling. In this research, the CE rebound effect is investigated in the Dutch textile industry, which is identified as being vulnerable to rebound, yet with a positive potential to avoid it. The main findings include the very low awareness of this effect amongst key stakeholders, and the identification of specific and general instances of rebound effects in the investigated industry. In addition, the relation of these effects to Circular Business Models and CE strategies are investigated, and placed in a larger context in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding about the place and role of this effect in the transition. This concerns the necessity for a new approach to how design has been practiced traditionally, and the need to place transitional developments in a systems perspective. Propositions that serve as theory-building blocks are put forward and include suggestions for further research and recommendations about dealing with rebound effects and shaping an eco-effective transition. Thomas Siderius, Kim Poldner, Reconsidering the Circular Economy Rebound effect: Propositions from a case study of the Dutch Circular Textile Valley, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 293, 2021, 125996, ISSN 0959-6526, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.125996.
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A transition to a circular economy is needed to revolutionize the construction sector and make it more sustainable for present and future generations. While the construction industry and the production of construction materials contribute to environmental pollution, they also offer great potential for addressing many environmental problems. Sheet materials are engineered wood boards that are produced from recycled or solid wood where an adhesive is used to bind the particles together, predominantly used in: Furniture manufacturing, Flooring application, Roofing, Wall sheathing. The most common binder for boards is urea-formaldehyde. Other binders may be used depending on the grade of board and its intended end-use. For example, melamine urea-formaldehyde, phenolic resins and polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate (PMDI) are generally used in boards that require improved moisture resistance. Formaldehyde is classified in the in the European Union as a carcinogen and it carries the hazard statement 'suspected of causing cancer'. In this project mycelium composites are developed as a formaldehyde-free, fully natural and biodegradable material with high potential to substitute these hazardous materials. The heat-press process, the feasibility of which was evaluated in a previous Kiem HBO project, is to be further developed towards a process where mycelium sheets with different thicknesses will be obtained. This is considered as a fundamental step to increase the material approachability to the market. Different Material manufacturing techniques are also considered to enable the increase of sample thicknesses and volume. Moreover, a business study will be incorporated to allow further understanding of the material market potential. The consortium composition of V8 Architects, QbiQ, Fairm, Verbruggen Paddestoelen BV, and CoEBBE merges different expertise and guarantees the consideration of the whole material production chain. The research will contribute to bring mycelium composites a step closer to the market, giving them visibility and increasing the possibility to a commercial breakthrough.
Mycelium composites are a promising new class of sustainable and circular building materials. These composites consist of lignocellulosic fibres that are colonized by mycelium (root network) of fungi. The fungal network functions as a natural glue for the fibres, resulting in foam-like materials with thermo-insulating properties. After heat-pressing, these materials show characteristics similar to particle board (Appel, 2019). However, one of the issues with these materials is their low wet strength, and their overall moisture sensitivity. For Fairm, a start-up company in mycelium composites, this is a limiting factor in their way to the market, hence they approached Avans Centre of Expertise Biobased Economy with the request to collaborate in research to make mycelium more water-resistant. One of the promising routes to address the Fairm’s request is acetylation, which is a proven technology for improving the water-resistance and durability of wood. Accsys, is a leading manufacturer of durable and sustainable wood products via an acetylation process, Therefore, Accsys was invited to join in the consortium to provide advice in acetylation and industrial views on manufacturing. They are interested on sustainable material innovation and the mycelium products can be interesting addition to their product lines. Forest Living, a company developing modular homes based on constructive insulation panels complements the consortium with their expertise on the new sustainable building technology. Their wish is to replace the currently used panels based on fossil based materials, with sustainable materials such as mycelium composites. Forest living will participate in the evaluation of the developed products for building applications In this project the partners combine their know-how on production of mycelium composites, acetylation and the use of the materials with the aim to create an improved mycelium composite, as a sustainable, innovative building material, suitable for insulation and for non-constructive interior uses.
