‘By investing now, we’ll have a head start’ – Expert Bruno Delepierre helps make Leuven self-sufficient

Our society works in what is called a ‘linear model’ for consumption: we take raw materials from our environment, make products, and then throw them away. The materials used in this process are lost, driving us to delve new raw materials. The more resources we exhaust in this way, the more expensive our materials will become. We are already seeing prices increase in building materials, which are nonetheless sorely needed for the energy-efficient renovation of our buildings. In order to reduce our CO2 emissions and keep our materials affordable and available, recycling within city and regional limits is essential.

This need sparked the idea of making Leuven an ‘urban resource centre’, where we extract and reuse our materials locally. Eight partners - werecircle, Leuven 2030, EcoWerf, ViTes, Wonen & Werken, Atelier Circuler vzw, MAAKbar and Maakbaar Leuven - are working together to further explore the opportunities, tackling common issues together. Setting up a structural cooperation between the partners is a crucial factor in taking on this challenge.

Leuven 2030 applied for and received funding through the European Commission's Net Zero Cities platform - which supports mission cities in implementing their Climate City Contract - to recruit an expert who will do precisely that: Bruno Delepierre, Coordinator at Happonomy.

Bruno Delepierre, Coordinator at Happonomy: ‘I am West-Flanders originally, but I call Leuven my home town. Living here is amazing, although we often don't realise this enough. To safeguard our living standard, we need to keep our precious materials and products circulating within the region. Many partners are already working on this, within their own areas of expertise. EcoWerf, for instance, turns our organic waste into high-quality compost. Recycling shop ViTeS repairs end-of-life electronics, and the Materialenbank redistributes selectively harvested building materials. Happonomy - a longstanding member of Leuven 2030 - is busy researching the social and environmental changes we need to transform our society into what is then called a ‘regenerative economy’, in which we want to reverse the damage to people and planet. My focus is on the economic aspect, because that is precisely what often stands in the way of revalorisation and reuse of materials: money. Our economy is built around a linear model. But we can change that.

The exploration phase: listening and prioritising

‘The exploration phase is all about listening and prioritising. What do the different partners need? What is going well, where are they struggling, and what should we tackle first?

‘Then, we'll draw up several concrete proposals, because you can flesh out such a partnership in different ways. Should we set up a company together for purchasing and sales, for example? Or are we wiser to create a large logistics hub in the city, where we can store building materials, electronics, plastics and textiles, for example? Or do current Leuven companies simply lack the knowledge and expertise to make their own processes more sustainable, and is an education and training centre the answer? Or still: is it best to set up a new company, or will an existing partner take the lead?’

Towards a new model

‘What is clear is that we don't want to create anyinternal competition, but rather look for complementarity between the partners. This quickly draws the attention towards new types of companies. A cooperative is a good example, but you can go even further: you can design a company, or an organisation, in such a way that the balance between ownership, profit and decision-making, are balanced.

‘We reverse the classical story, where profit is more important to shareholders than substance. We call that regeneration.'

‘'We reverse the classic story, where profit is more important to shareholders than substance. We call that ‘regeneration’. Whatever the new Leuven model turns out to be: by 1 January 2025, it should be a lot clearer what we are working towards, and who will take on what role.’

Money matters

'Once we have defined a cooperation structure that works based on the partners’ needs, I dip into the figures and tables. After all, the financial aspect has to add up: we want to move away from subsidies, towards a self-sufficient economic model. Not an easy task, as new materials are often cheaper or more readily available at the moment.

'In time, our raw materials will run out. By investing in self-sufficiency now, we are taking a head start and we will feel the effects of climate change less harshly.'

'That will not last: eventually our raw materials will run out. By investing in self-sufficiency now, we are taking a head start and will feel the effects of climate change less harshly. We have everything to gain from that. Hopefully, our policymakers realise this too, especially with local elections in sight. Because that is a boat we cannot afford to miss. Moreover, Europe has set a clear course, where climate efforts help determine which cities receive support.

‘And sometimes new materials just have a better reputation than reclaimed materials. But if fear of the unknown is the only thing holding us back, I am convinced that a circular city is possible. Because after all, Leuven is a city of pioneers.’