Interview with professor of sustainable innovation Jacqueline Cramer

She does not doubt it for a second: climate change is a fact ("You see it happening around you every day.") and so we - as society, business and government - must act, she believes. At a rapid pace. Concrete and steel will (much more) have to become an undeniable part of a sustainable and circular future. Not for nothing did she successfully spearhead the Concrete Agreement and the Steel Building Agreement. "I am in the service of the circular economy," she says. We exchange views with the visibly inspired professor of 'sustainable innovation' Jacqueline Cramer.

The conversation forms around the book "Building A Circular Future," which she released in 2022. Cramer offers insight into the similarities and differences in driving the circular economy worldwide. She argues that changes can only be made if all stakeholders involved (from business to government and, of course, non-governmental organizations) dare to work intensively together to shape the desperately needed transition. And, she is clear with her advice. "Let the innovators in the sector take the lead and ensure that the pack of companies can follow. Steering by government is essential to scale up all the innovation that is possible."

"Although there are more and more parties who are successfully marketing their innovations in the field of sustainability and circularity, the problem is that the knowledge contained in those innovations is not always shared at the highest level yet. In concrete, for example, you already see good developments: I'm thinking of the production of low-CO2 concrete, but also reuse and choices that can be made during the design phase. And if you talk about steel: also there you already see a lot of reuse and recycling and we know that we should strive to use recycled steel instead of primary steel. Everything can go back into the cycle. However, there is now far too much fragmentation in terms of knowledge on these topics. I therefore advocate combining this fragmentation so that it becomes clearly visible what you can scale up at what pace. Yes, I know: system changes are difficult. You have to learn to think in a different way. As far as I'm concerned, there is still a lot of uncertainty, but the dot on the horizon is clear."

"We therefore need different leadership. Also in government. We can move the network of parties bottom-up and bundle innovations with clients, but to scale up we need government regulation. That's the game. So it's a matter of bridging interests. I see this as my job: to get that innovation off the ground. In that sense, I consider myself an intermediary, who can get the noses pointed in the same direction."

Cramer is therefore clear to the market: "Large-scale innovation is really possible, also in concrete and steel in construction. However, take initiative. Conquer your place in the vanguard. Dare to communicate the innovation you are working on. We ask innovative clients to join forces and start putting the innovations into practice together with the innovators in the sector. Be prepared for market consultations to be set up. Don't think that things will blow over, don't wait and see. And, realize that the Netherlands can become a fantastic testing ground with international appeal. In other words, if we can strengthen our innovative power through knowledge sharing, then this also simply offers commercial opportunities for export and therefore for the economy."   

Prof. Dr. Jacqueline Cramer has worked in the environmental field for over 45 years within business, civil society organizations, politics and the university. She is professor of sustainable innovation at Utrecht University and transition broker in various product chains (including concrete and steel in construction and textiles). From February 2007 to February 2010, she was Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. In early 2021, she published "The Power of Network Stewardship - Ten Building Blocks for a Smart, Green and Healthy Metropolis Amsterdam," and in 2022, Cramer published "Building a Circular Future.