The Circular Award Business 2020 has been won by Schijvens. The award goes to the company that innovates most circularly within their own business operations and shows what a circular economy can mean for the Netherlands. Schijvens was praised by the jury for its impact in the textile industry. The award was the kick-off for the fifth edition of the Week of Circular Economy.
Schijvens has been designing and producing work clothing since 1863. For some years now the organization has also been making circular workwear consisting of fifty percent recycled, worn or broken workwear and fifty percent recycled PET. This eliminates the need for the company to use new raw materials. Meanwhile, sixty percent of the clothing coming from this company earns the label ‘circular’.
By setting up its own return system Schijvens has managed to collect clothing from various customers. Fibers from recycled PET are added to the yarn so that it is strong, colorfast and wear-resistant. The result: one hundred percent circular yarn. In addition, the stylists at Schijvens design the clothing in such a way that it can be shredded again as easily as possible when it is worn out or broken.
The jury praised this company for closing cycles in the textile chain higher up the R-ladder. Jury chairman Mark Groot Wassink (Royal Auping): “Schijvens is a company that has been around for a long time in the textile industry, one of the most polluting industries worldwide. They understand the impact of their products and production methods and have managed to contribute to a solution.”
About the Circular Awards
From 121 entries, three outstanding circular companies and three projects from public institutions were selected. This Monday, the professional jury together with the public chose one winner of the Circular Award Business and one winner for the Circular Award Public. The jury also awarded an honorable mention to an iconic circular citizen initiative.
Winner of the Circular Awards Public is Province of North Holland. The honorable mention goes to the
Recycle Sint, a (citizen) initiative by Elif Algu, whereby voluntary exchange markets are set up to exchange toys. Jury chair Prof. Dr. Louise Vet (NIOO-KNAW): “In 2019, around 44,000 toys were exchanged in the run-up to Sinterklaas, for a market value of more than 1,200,000 euros. To get that organized is very clever. And so a big compliment to initiator Elif Algu! This way we can also have a different Sinterklaas discussion.”
Professional jury
Led by Mark Groot Wassink (Royal Auping, winner Circular Award Business 2019), an expert jury consisting of renowned experts in the field of circularity selected the most outstanding circular company for the Circular Award Business. A professional jury led by Prof. Dr. Louise Vet (NIOO-KNAW) decided on the winner for the Circular Award Public and the Honorable Mention Citizen Initiatives. Jury members include, Cathelijn Peters (Director Union of Water Boards) and Antoine Heideveld (Accelerator House Netherlands Circular).
The
Circular Awards is an initiative of the
Acceleration House Netherlands Circular! commissioned by the Ministry of IenW. The Awards were presented during the National Conference Circular Economy, also the start of the fifth edition of the Week of Circular Economy. More information and the program of the Week can be found on
www.deWeekvandeCirculaireEconomie.nl.
