We organise our actions in six thematic & strategic agendas:
Strategic Agendas:
Bio-economy
Circular Construction
Chemicals/Plastics
Manufacturing Industry
Food Chain
Water Cycles
Seven leverages provide additional support:
Leverage effects:
Lever Policy Instruments
Lever Circular Procurement
Lever Communication
Lever Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Lever Financing
Lever Jobs & Skills
Lever Research
What, why and how?
Why are we pursuing a circular economy?
Future visions 2050
How do we see our circular future?
About our management
Who steers what at Flanders Circular?
By 2030, Flanders aims to save 30% energy. Our public heritage plays a key role in this. In order to maximise the circularity of Flemish public buildings, Factor4, the Flemish Energy Company (VEB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) developed an innovative model contract with accompanying contract documents.
The contract is a performance contract and sets binding targets for energy and water savings, circularity, residual value and comfort of the renovated building. Interested parties can then tender for the contract as Energy Service Companies or ESCOs.
Within the CiRe project (Circular Renovation), we tested the model contract on a few projects of energy renovation of Flemish public buildings. We also developed some tools and procedures.
For example, we researched the cost-effective use of TOTEM by ESCOs (Energy Service Companies). During the tender phase they must be able to estimate the environmental costs of the materials used quickly and at the lowest possible cost.
Correction factors still had to be applied to the environmental costs calculated with TOTEM, among other things in connection with dismantling, re-use, etc. After several technical consultations with experts of VUB Architectural Engineering, VEB and Factor4, we developed a first test version of the CiRe Excel materials scoring tool.
Finally, the integration of the residual value was further developed. For the realisation of savings in the field of water consumption, it soon became clear that a similar methodology, namely realising savings via the water counter, would be too refined.
All these tools are used within the CiRe project in energy renovation projects of three Flemish building partners, representing 17 buildings and one district heating network.
Factor4
Partners Vrije Universiteit Brussel, TRANSFORM part of æ-lab, Vlaams EnergieBedrijf
Sectors
Themes
Organisations
Both the Flemish government and the local authorities have high climate ambitions. In the coming years, therefore, considerable investments will have to be made in the energy renovation of buildings. The potential of performance-based, circular energy renovations is therefore very large.