Source: Circular Flanders
The Government of Flanders in Belgium has set the circular economy as one of the seven transition priorities and appointed OVAM (the Public Waste Agency of Flanders) as the initiator of Circular Flanders. Circular Flanders portrays itself as the hub and the inspiration for the Flemish circular economy. It is a partnership of governments, companies, civil society, and the knowledge community in view of taking joint actions. The operational team, responsible for the day-to-day operation, is embedded in OVAM.
One of the products of Circular Flanders is Circular Ports, a site for the circular economy and port communities. Circular Ports does not present a policy or political program, nor does it have the ambition to replace what the circular and port communities are already doing. The initiative primarily aims to provide practitioners with a curated selection of resources and actionable insights to support and fuel their journey toward a circular future. As such, Circular Ports creates a context for learning, doing, and finding workable solutions. While the Circular Ports website focuses primarily on the Flemish and Rhine-Scheldt delta port region, it has a view of Europe and beyond.
Circular Ports consists of three building blocks: (1) a RE-SOURCES database aimed at sharing content as well as providing contextual relevance; (2) THEMES as a series of niches and actionable insights that can act as both a conversation starter and a solid ground to build on as an interim step towards action, and where Circular Flanders could make a difference in their role as intermediary; (3) TRACKS showing emergent processes in which shared goals and small wins can be tracked, and one can learn about the appropriate booster mechanisms and the conditions under which they can work.