NWA ACT! Accelerating the Circular Transition

ACT! - Accelerating the Circular Transition - is a Dutch research project funded by NWO. The world faces many challenges today: from climate change and biodiversity loss, to excess pollution and scarcity of raw materials. These are all caused by the linear manner in which contemporary societies extract raw materials from the earth and dispose of products and buildings. We desperately need to make a transition to a circular society that re-uses raw materials and is fair to humans and nature. Together with governments, businesses and citizens, Accelerating the Circular Transition (ACT!) will develop a shared vision for that circular society, with a focus on social well-being, simulation models, and an integrated approach to guiding and accelerating this complex transition. The consortium consists of leading researchers based at Utrecht University, Leiden University, Tilburg Univerity, Wageningen University and Research, Maastricht University, Technical University Delft, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Fontys University of Applied Sciences “By 2050, the Netherlands aims to be climate-neutral, circular and less dependent on imported resources. But we don’t really know what a future like that would look like. So in this project, we’ll start researching what a circular society could look like in the year 205, and we’ll take steps towards the transition to that circular society. Just as the name implies, we’ll be Accelerating the Circular Transition, or ACT! for short. We’ll apply our research in tangible case studies, such as the furniture industry and high tech sector. Together with all our partners in this broad consortium, from a repair cafe to two government ministries, we will look forward to collaborating on building a sustainable economy and society in the Netherlands.” - Prof. Ernst Worrell (principal investigator ACT!)