SUSTAINABILITY
MATERIALDISTRICT UTRECHT GOES CIRCULAR! Three themes of sustainability: Energy Transition, Circularity, and Wellbeing
MaterialDistrict Utrecht commits fully to the Circular Economy. Because everything within spatial design is made of materials, there is a lot to gain in this field by switching to sustainable materials. But what is a sustainable material? To make the overarching concept of sustainability easier to grasp, we have divided it into three main themes: Energy Transition, Circularity and Wellbeing. Below, each of the themes are explained. Introduction
oil, and gas, CO2 is generated, which
by the year 2050. That was stated in the
fossil fuels are non-renewable; though there
The Netherlands have to be fully circular national programme Netherlands circular in 2050, presented by the Dutch government
in September 2016. The ‘Take, Make, Waste’ model of the linear economy causes many
environmental problems, including climate
change and plastic soup in the oceans. That is why this model has to be changed into
the ‘Make, Use, Return’ model of a circular
is a lot of debate about how much fossil fuel there is left exactly, relatively easily
accessible reservoirs of oil and gas will most likely be gone in 50 years. Therefore, it is
crucial to start using alternative, renewable energy sources, to counter climate change and to prevent an energy crisis.
economy.
In 2019, the Dutch government presented
Energy Transition
over 600 agreements have been recorded
The major part of the economy, about 80%, still runs on fossil fuels. By burning coals, 18
contributes to climate change. Additionally,
the so-called Climate Agreement in which to prevent the emissions of greenhouse gasses. For example, in 2030, 70% of all
