Last year, I drew attention to Earth Overshoot Day; the day we used up our quota of the earth's natural resources. Back then, 29 July was the globally calculated date. In the Netherlands, Overshoot Day in 2021 already fell on 27 April. I was curious if anything has improved since then. But alas. The Dutch day on which we will have used up our planet's annual biocapacity, if everyone on earth lived as we Dutch do, falls even earlier this year; on 12 April in 2022.
Using up our own natural capital so quickly poses a growing economic risk. We are already saddling our children with the consequences of climate change, and soon they may also be unable to meet their basic needs due to the depletion of natural resources. Our current and future production and consumption patterns really have to change radically if we want to leave something for future generations.
The problem of resource availability is only getting worse. And without raw materials no production. So why does the transition to circular production seem to be so slow to take off? Rabobank has built a database from over 170 projects and factories. This would show that the growth spurt of advanced recycling is explosive (an expected growth in capacity of 300 to 400 per cent in 2025 compared to 2020). The projects vary in scale. Particularly in projects to repurpose old plastic, temporary partnerships are emerging using different technologies. The potential seems great and there is a high demand for circular plastic solutions. However, (economic) feasibility still needs to be proven.
At Hitma, too, we find that making our plastic product lines circular is not yet that simple. Fortunately, things are moving forward. The first suppliers and customers are catching on. That is a step forward in chain cooperation. In addition, two students are now working full time on our 'single-use becomes circular project'. I am hopeful that the project will gain momentum partly because of their efforts. Of course, I also know that nationally it is only a drop in the ocean, but I still hope that we are making a small contribution to pushing back Overshootday in 2023.
