EINDHOVEN, Netherlands: In a move that will provide more opportunities for reverse logistics companies worldwide, the leasing arm of Rabobank, De Lage Landen (DLL), has partnered with Dutch carpet manufacturer Desso to provide its customers with a lease option as the company transitions to a circular business model.
Desso says it has been designing its products to be recycled, remanufactured and resold since 2008. Commenting on the new service, Desso CEO Alexander Collot d'Escury, said: "Now with help from DLL we are starting to take the next step in offering leasing, which will offer a full service to our customers including installation, cleaning, maintenance and eventually removal, which will also make it easier for us to take our goods back after its use and close the loop."
Milko Wijckmans, president of DLL Financial Solutions added: "In the long run, we hope to see service models like this grow and shift the world economy to a much more innovative and sustainable position, enabling economic growth to take place within the means of the planet."
In a related move, Interface, the carpet tile manufacturer that arguably began the move towards a circular economy, has announced a series of major sustainability milestones at its European manufacturing facility – also in the Netherlands.
As of January 2014 the company says it has been operating with 100 percent renewable energy (both electricity and gas), using virtually zero water in its manufacturing processes and has attained zero waste to landfill.
Rob Boogaard, CEO of Interface in Europe commented: "In the past three years we have taken huge strides towards our Mission Zero goal. To put it in context, as per January 2014, we are operating our European factories with a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1996 while the EU Commission has set an EU carbon reduction target of 40 percent by 2030. 2014 is a landmark year for us in many ways as we celebrate 20 years of Mission Zero, and these figures from our European manufacturing operations show just how far we've come and what can be achieved with the right mind set and ambition."
Boogard added: "Our goal is to cut the umbilical cord to oil, with the result that 44 percent of our raw materials in Europe are already recycled or bio-based."
Developments by the two Netherlands carpet manufacturers coincides with the move by Rabobank to join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Project Mainstream - a collaboration to help businesses shift towards a circular economy and save US$500 million in raw materials and prevent 100 million tonnes of waste globally.
As the first company from the finance sector to join the group, MacArthur says Rabobank and DLL will be able to contribute valuable "remake and reuse" expertise to manufacturers worried about rising commodity prices and continued access to raw materials.
