Resource efficiency has become a priority for policymakers of Belgium. The total domestic material consumption (DMC) of the country is 2.47% of the average DMC of Europe. Among materials, mineral consumption ranks highest followed by biomass and fossil fuels¹. While the non-energy material productivity has increased from 2.18 in 2000 to 2.52 GDP per unit of DMC in 2010², the strong dependence of its economy on imported resources is a cause of concern. The willingness of Belgium to introduce resource efficiency stems from this.

Policy Approach for Resource Efficiency

The policy framework of the country is divided region wise. While there is not a specific resource efficiency strategy, the issue is part of several federal strategies, actions plans and policy initiatives such as the Federal Plan for Sustainable Development and the Federal Products Plan (2009-2012). The Federal Plan for Sustainable Development lists several measures and actions aimed at improving resource efficiency and at managing natural resources more responsibly. The Federal Products Plan aims to improve the environmental quality of products in the market through instruments such as standardisation, certification and labelling, economic incentives etc.

Brussels Capital Region

Resource efficiency is incorporated in the Regional Policy Statement and Regional Waste Prevention and Management Plan of the Brussels Capital Region. The Fourth Regional Waste Plan was approved in 2010. Reinforcing the idea of dematerialisation, it foresees the development of an integrated ‘eco-construction’ approach to minimise impacts of construction on the environment through life-cycle by prevention, reuse and recycling. The strategies include:
• Preventing use of resources and waste generation
• Promoting renovation rather than new construction
• Promoting efficient use of sustainable materials
• Selective deconstruction
• Reusing materials without prior treatment
• Recycling waste into secondary raw materials
• Use of alternate fuels including waste
Disposal of materials is seen as the last reserve. The plan has set measurable targets to reduce waste and achieve resource efficiency. For the construction sector, it aims to achieve recycling of 90% of construction and demolition waste by 2020.

Flanders Region

The Pact 2020 of the Flemish government spells out their long-term vision and strategy for development. Decoupling from economic growth, emissions and waste production by 2020 is one of its objectives. It aims to achieve this by promoting sustainable use of natural resources by improving efficiency and eco-innovation. Special attention is given to sustainable living and building.

Strategic Policy Plan 2010 – 2015 on Waste, Materials and Soil Management aims to minimise the use of finite resources, prevent waste generation and maximise waste use as a secondary resource. In 2011, the Flemish government translated the Sustainable Materials Management Programme into an economy-wide strategy. The main focus was on organising and managing sustainable material cycles, increasing the use of secondary raw materials in the production process and minimising impacts on the environment resulting from raw material mining and processing.

The Sectoral Implementation Plan on Environmentally Sound Material Use and Waste Management in the Building Industry for the period 2007-2010 described the policy planning for the management of materials and waste in the Flemish building trade. The projects included selection demolition, research on environmentally sound material use in building trade, recycling of stoniness fractions and other materials and development of a global management system for debris granules.

Walloon Region

The Regional Policy Statement, Waste Plan 2020, Walloon Plan for Sustainable Use of Energy and others address the aspects of resource efficiency in the region. Their focus is on use of waste and its by-products, sustainable water and forest management, conservation of soil and energy efficiency.

The efforts of Belgium in decoupling economic growth from resource use have been revolutionary. The impacts and the lessons learned from the implementation of these policies should be well documented and disseminated for wider replication.  q