Elisah Pals wins Golden Circle Award with ‘Zero Waste Netherlands’ | Bredatoday
BREDA – Elisah Pals has won the Golden Circle Award. Earlier this week they received the incentive prize for circular entrepreneurs in North Brabant.
The Breda frontwoman was awarded the Gouden Cirkel Award for her commitment to Zero Waste Netherlands (ZWN), an organization that is committed to reducing waste production. It is not the first prize that Pals has received, with ZWN she also won the circular pass-on trophy.
Preventing waste instead of upcycling
Where ZWN started as a Facebook group, Pals now has a whole team behind it. She now also advises companies and municipalities throughout the Netherlands. “Too many organizations still see circularity as something that is only necessary if they are left with a waste stream afterwards. Then they see if there is anything left to upcycle. While the waste should actually be there beforehand. If you put less waste into the cycle, reusing a smaller bit is many times over. The Golden Circle is a confirmation that we have found the right course with our way of thinking,” says Pals.
The founder of ZWN received the prize from Anne-Marie Spierings (circular economy). “Elisah Pals shows that the passion and enthusiasm of one person can have an impact on all of us,” says Spierings. “It remains special that something that started small in Brabant now has an impact on every corner of the Netherlands. Zero Waste Netherlands shows us that packaging is superfluous. That is the foundation for achieving the government target of 2025.’ Spierings is referring here to the government’s intention to reduce residual waste per person per year to a maximum of 30 kilograms by 2025. For reference: in 2019 every Dutch person produced an average of 165 kilos of unsorted residual waste per year.
From Facebook group to impact across the country
The prize was awarded in the company restaurant of the municipality of Breda, where the work of Pals can be found. For example, disposable products such as cups are no longer visible and only available when men ask for them. Men receive a discount if washable tableware is chosen. it is easy to see in the checkout how much packaging has already been saved and for many product groups this is already rising considerably.
The ‘feel free to bring your own packaging’ sticker will also be discussed during the visit. It is an idea of ZWN. The sticker is visible on more than 8,000 (shop) windows throughout the Netherlands. Pals: “It is an open invitation to communicate to the public about waste reduction, without lifting a finger.” Entrepreneurs with the stickers, for example, give customers a discount if they bring their own coffee cup or bag. 8000 diamonds, that’s not bad for a genesis that started with starting a Facebook group.
The Zero Waste Approach
ZWN focuses on consumers and politics. In addition to getting tips and inspiration, consumers can also travel with a guide to 50 places in the Netherlands, to discover where and how you can do packaging-free shopping in your own hometown. Companies receive unsolicited advice to prevent waste, such as a large supermarket chain that marketed peanut butter squeeze bags for one use (not recyclable).
They describe their attitude as ‘inspiring and forced where possible, sharp and persistent where necessary.’ The multifaceted (unnecessary) activist approach of ZWN makes visible in how many facets the Dutch person (unnecessary) waste. “That’s why we try to be a velvet crowbar in our society. To support consumers, retailers, producers and regulators with inspiration and advice that really helps them,” says Pals.
Golden Circle Award
Brabant is taking the next step towards a circular economy and must use no less than 50% less primary raw materials by 2030. The Golden Circle is an encouragement for companies of organizations that set the tone in the field of circular entrepreneurship. Winners of the prize are automatically nominated for the Brabant Ondernement Circular Top 20 and have a chance to win a cash prize of €5,000.