Sustainability and circularity

One of the big questions of our time: how can we use our resources better so we don’t exhaust the Earth, pollute our environment, or put the future of humans and animals at risk?

This question is a major challenge today. Within the theme of Sustainability and Circularity, Fontys is addressing this issue on various levels, with a focus on transitioning to a circular economy. Circularity is a crucial element to ensure the Earth remains livable in the long term.

However, moving to a fully circular economy is difficult and needs big changes in society. Right now, about a quarter of the Dutch economy is circular. This means many materials are reused or recycled (Rijksoverheid). While this is a good step, there is still much work to do. The Netherlands aims to become fully circular by 2050.

At the same time, material use is increasing worldwide. More raw materials are needed for production, and waste is growing. Global CO2 emissions remain a problem too. This is why it’s important to speed up the move to a circular economy, not just in the Netherlands but also around the world. This requires major changes to how our economic systems work, both nationally and globally.

It’s clear that a circular economy is not only a national responsibility. It is a global challenge that needs countries to work together.

The Centre of Expertise for Sustainable & Circular Transitions

At the Centre of Expertise Sustainable & Circular Transitions (CoE-SCT), we are committed to accelerating sustainable and circular transitions. Our practice-based research combines insights from behavior, ethics, politics, economics, and decision-making into an integrated approach that can be directly applied in practice.

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Research lines: From food transition to Green AI​

At this CoE-SCT, we focus on various research areas that address urgent social and economic challenges:

• Support for Food Transition: How can we create public support for sustainable food chains?

• Space for Circular Transition: Designing physical, policy, and organizational spaces for circular innovations.

• Impactful Sustainability Education: Education that truly makes a difference in knowledge and practice.

• Effective CSR Strategies: Not superficial PR, but sustainable impact deeply embedded in business operations.

• Green AI: Researching how AI can contribute to sustainability, in collaboration with the CoE Applied AI for Society.

Support for Food Transition

The shift toward more sustainable food solutions often faces resistance within society. Despite technological advancements, there is often friction between innovative food technologies and cultural values, as food is deeply tied to identity and tradition. This makes it challenging to build support for changes in eating habits. Understanding and addressing the societal factors behind this resistance is essential to advancing the food transition successfully.

How can support for the food transition be increased to effectively integrate sustainable food alternatives into society?

Space for Circular Transition

The circular transition requires an integrated approach, where technological innovations and spatial planning reinforce each other. Companies must not only set circular goals but also implement them in their operations and infrastructure. This requires collaboration between businesses, governments, and research institutions to create space for circular solutions and promote a culture of sustainability.

How can the space for circular transition be effectively designed to ensure that sustainable initiatives and spatial planning are optimally aligned?

Impactful Sustainability Education

Sustainability education plays a crucial role in accelerating the sustainable and circular transition, not only by transferring knowledge to students and colleagues but also by enriching and transforming education itself. It is essential that sustainability is not just a separate topic but deeply embedded in the curriculum and teaching practice. This means that sustainability insights should not only be translated to the outside world but also have a strong inward effect.

How can we make sustainability and circular thinking a core principle of our education?

Effective CSR Strategies

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is often seen as morally important, but in practice, it often remains limited to marketing and superficial symbolism. To help companies seriously invest in sustainability, a new way of economic thinking is needed, where profit and sustainability go hand in hand.

How can we ensure that sustainability strategies have a real impact and truly motivate companies to take sustainable actions?

Green AI

AI has the potential to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable society by offering innovative solutions to complex challenges. At the same time, the development of AI itself carries a significant ecological footprint due to the high energy consumption of the systems. Therefore, it is essential not only to use AI to promote sustainability but also to make the technology itself more sustainable. This requires a dual approach: on one hand, using AI to drive sustainable progress, and on the other hand, minimizing the energy impact of AI technology itself.

How can we use AI to promote sustainability while simultaneously minimizing the ecological impact of AI technology?

An Approach with Impact

Our research areas are characterized by unique collaboration both within Fontys and beyond. We connect rich research expertise with external networks and work on innovative solutions that are not only relevant to the region but also meaningful at national and international levels.

• Regional Urgency as a Guiding Principle: We understand the local issues and work on solutions that are directly applicable.

• Focus on Key Areas, with a Bottom-Up Approach: We involve businesses, governments, and societal partners to develop results that align with daily practice.

• Building on Fontys' own strengths: with a unique portfolio, we create cross-pollination between CoEs and knowledge centers. Our "hands-on" approach ensures strong connections with businesses and a clear impact in practice.

• Contributing to a Circular and Sustainable Future.

With our integrated approach and practice-oriented focus, the CoE-SCT plays a leading role in the transition to a sustainable and circular economy.

Publications

van der Meulen, B., & Wernaart, B. (2023). Comparative food law. In Research Handbook on International Food Law (pp. 199-224). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Wernaart, B., & van der Meulen, B.(Eds.). (2022). Applied food science. Wageningen Academic Publishers.

van der Meulen, B., & Wernaart, B. (Eds.). (2020). EU food law handbook. Wageningen Academic Publishers.

Urazbaeva, A., Szajkowska, A., Wernaart, B., Tilkin Franssens, N., & Spirovska Vaskoska, R. (Eds.). (2019). The functional field of food law: Reconciling the market and human rights. Wageningen Academic Publishers.

Van der Meulen, B., Wernaart, B. & Kramer, K. (editors) (in press). the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of food law. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Wernaart, B. & floto-Stammen, S. (editors). (In press). Food in transition (Multi Reference Work). Leiden: Brill-de Gruyter.

Wernaart, B. & Schouten, G. (editors). (In press). Moral design & green technology. Leiden: Brill-de Gruyter.

Wernaart, B. (2024). International Law and Business: Comparative Methods and Global Case Studies. BRILL. 

Wernaart, B. (editor). (in press). The Routledge Companion to International law and responsible business. Routledge.

Research projects

Education

Our society is changing at a rapid pace. This also applies to new technologies that are developed in response to the circular transition. These changes require a different form of education. Education in which current knowledge is acquired quickly and in which students actively acquire and apply their new knowledge to new developing issues, looking beyond the boundaries of their own discipline. As a knowledge institution, we make an important contribution to innovation in professional practices with our learning professionals.

Green Office

The CoE-SCT has been a partner of the Fontys Green Office since September 2024. A place where students and employees work on a sustainable community. The Fontys Green Office (FGO) inspires both Fontys students and employees to contribute to sustainable development. FGO has an integral vision and strategy aimed at making education, research and business operations within Fontys more sustainable. It offers a physical location that serves as a home base for sustainable impact makers, where awareness and inspiration are central. In addition, there is a digital environment where best practices are shared and networks are facilitated.

Minor Circular Economy

Are we moving towards a waste-free economy? An economy where we no longer have any assets, but only “lease” products and services? Our economy is rapidly changing. With a rapidly growing world population and Europe's strong dependence on the import of raw materials, businesses and governments want to focus heavily on innovation in our economy in the coming years.

Students in the minor work with companies from the region to look for new techniques, innovations, business and marketing models to use raw materials more often and better. For example, by offering products based on services instead of ownership. They already conduct practice-oriented research for various clients. More information can be found here: Fontys Minor Circulaire Economie.

Minor Future Energy for Society

Where do you get your energy from? From coal, oil, natural gas or rather from wind and sun? In the coming years we will face an unprecedented challenge to transform the fossil energy system into an energy system from new, sustainable sources. This energy transition requires economic innovation, technical solutions and social connection. In the minor, students from diverse backgrounds - social, economic and technical - gain experience and knowledge to contribute to a successful energy transition. They strengthen their own professional knowledge and experience what it is like to arrive at solutions together. Together with the business community, they conduct practice-oriented research for various clients.

Involved lectorates

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