E5 Resource use and circular economy

Our grid requires many cables, pipes, transformers, and other products made from valuable resources. To minimize our negative impact and capitalize on opportunities, we are implementing targeted measures to increase the circularity of our components. (MDR-P 65-a)

Negative environmental impacts can arise during the production of components in the upstream value chain and through material waste in our own operations. By adopting a circular approach, we reduce our environmental footprint and create opportunities for Enexis to achieve significant procurement cost savings by reusing components.

Environmental

Impact, risk or opportunity

Value chain

Time frame

Material topic

Circular economy
Resource inflows, including material use

Actual negative impact: Enexis procures resource-intensive components, resulting in a significant raw material footprint and potential environmental impacts within the upstream value chain.

Circular economy
Resource outflows: waste and reuse

Actual negative impact: Waste of materials leads to the unnecessary loss of resources, downcycling and the generation of waste that must be transported and processed. This results in avoidable greenhouse gas emissions and potential other environmental damage.

Actual opportunity: Reusing materials reduces the cost of purchasing new materials (avoided procurement costs) and extends the life of previous investments.

Circularity strategy

In a circular economy, the use of new materials is minimised, and the value of materials and resources is retained for as long as possible, with little to no waste. The Dutch government is aiming for a fully circular economy, and we actively contribute to this ambition. We encourage our suppliers to reduce the use of raw materials and increase the share of recycled materials, extend the lifespan of components, reuse products and materials, and prevent and reduce waste wherever possible. In doing so, we are deliberately moving away from primary raw materials and promoting the use of secondary raw materials. (ESRS E5-1  12, 15 a en b, 16, ESRS 2, MDR-P 65a, MDR-P, 65d, f, E5-1 AR 9)

The 10 steps in the R-ladder

The R-ladder is the model that structures our efforts to contribute to the circular economy. This ladder consists of 10 Rs, with Refuse being the highest step on the ladder and Recover the lowest.

  • Refuse: eliminating the need for materials

  • Rethink: more intensive use of the same raw materials;

  • Reduce: reduce the amount of raw materials per unit of product;

  • Reuse: reuse raw materials;

  • Repair: repair raw materials;

  • Refurbish: refurbish raw materials;

  • Remanufacture: remanufacture raw materials for the same purpose;

  • Repurpose: repurpose raw materials for a new purpose;

  • Recycle: recycle raw materials;

  • Recover: recover energy from materials by incineration/digestion.

The higher the strategy on the R-ladder, the fewer (primary) raw materials are needed, and the better the value of raw materials and materials is maintained. In this way, products have a longer life cycle. We have identified actions for various R strategies. More can be found in the section ‘Measures’. (AR 9a, MDR-P 65 d)