Governments and cities play an important role in the transition towards a circular economy. They help to create the right conditions and support a series of initiatives that encourage companies to make the transition to a circular business model. We help governments by providing scientifically proven analyses and modelling. Our approach focusses on life-cycle thinking and the entire value chain of a product or service.

How we can help with circular policies

Collecting, combining and analysing existing data concerning sustainable waste and materials management.
Evaluating different policy options based on scientifically proven methods.
Building macroeconomic models that offer insight into the contributions that different industries make to added value, employment and environmental impact.
Providing an insight into how waste streams and value chains can be redirected.

Ask us for advice

Do you have ambitions to incorporate the circular economy at your policy level? Tell us what your sustainability and circular economy challenges are. We would be pleased to assist you in exploring possible solutions, partners, collaborations, and so on.

Be inspired

Towards a circular city or municipality
City landscape Leiden | VITO

Efforts at local level are crucial in achieving a circular economy. Cities and municipalities, large and small, are hotspots for innovation and entrepreneurship and therefore provide the ideal conditions for developing circular solutions. But where do you start?

Ghent opts for a circular urban economy
Gent urban landscape | VITO

What can a city region do to encourage the collection, recycling and reuse of both plastic waste and construction waste? VITO has developed an online portal that is publicly accessible and whose content can be improved or supplemented. This ‘living’ overview is intended to prompt the city region of Ghent to take targeted action regarding the circular economy and to get local businesses involved.

Business development
+32 14 33 59 83

Publications

Toward a sustainable city of tomorrow: a hybrid Markov-Cellular Automata modeling for urban landscape evolution in the Hanoi city (Vietnam) during 1990-2030
Year: 
2019
Journal: 
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
Nguyen, TA; Le, PMT; Pham, TM; Hoang, HTT; Nguyen, MQ; Ta, HQ; Phung, HTM; Le, HTT; Hens, L
Assessment of an ammonia incident in the industrial area of Matanzas
Year: 
2019
Journal: 
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
Orozco, JL; Van Caneghem, J; Hens, L; Gonzalez, L; Lugo, R; Diaz, S; Pedroso, I
Identifying phosphorus hot spots: A spatial analysis of the phosphorus balance as a result of manure application
Year: 
2018
Journal: 
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Parchomenko, A; Borsky, S
Electricity management in the production of lead-acid batteries: The industrial case of a production plant in Colombia
Year: 
2018
Journal: 
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
Gutierrez, AS; Eras, JJC; Santos, VS; Herrera, HH; Hens, L; Vandecasteele, C
Energy and environmental challenges: bringing together economics and engineering (ICEE'17) INTRODUCTION
Year: 
2018
Journal: 
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
Soares, I; Ferreira, P; Hens, L

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