So I’m Jos and I’m working on research in circular economy and automotive sector, and I would like to know your point of view. If you accept, I’m going to record our conversation, transcribe it and put the transcription with a pseudonym, not with your real name in a repository of text documents that will be used for the research. If you do this and you change your mind and no longer want to participate, get in touch with us and we will immediately remove your interview from the repository. I give you later information sheet with contact information. So if you agree, please tell me your first name and that you agree.
My name is Martin. I agree.
Thank you. Martin. So the first question, can you define a circular economy in your own words?
Yeah, I can. I I’m a owner of a car dismantling company. So we recycle in the Netherlands more than 98% of a car. So sustainability is in our veins. And we we like it very much. So we are investing a lot to put more circular and OEM recycled parts back in the business. So yeah, that’s it.
Do you participate in a circular economy yourself in any aspect of your life?
Um, uh, yes. Beside my company I’m also in the board of ARM, so the, the, the fund in the Netherlands will take care for the auto recycling. And also, in my personal life, because of our business, it’s always sustainability. Sustainability. So also at my home, we are taking care of that. And yeah.
How did you become interested in the circular economy ideas and practices?
Yeah, because we have a family business. So my father in law invested the business as a small scrap metal recycler, and then he called me in the automotive industry. And then we and we are now the biggest car recycler in the Netherlands. Yeah.
In your opinion, can a circular economy be implemented in individual sectors or individual industries?
It depends because everybody is talking about the environmental goals. Et cetera. But sometimes investments are so high that it is negative. So we also keep our resources that we have in a good way and step by step. But we cannot say all is circularity. It needs to be affordable also for all the people with a minimum wage. Yeah.
Do you think the circular economy already exists in the car industry?
Uh, I think more and more so. So they are taking more and more products from the circularity to put back in the car. We see it also in the presentations here. So yeah, I think they they are getting there. Yeah.
Do you currently own a car?
Yeah.
Which kind.
A Porsche Cayenne.
Electric or hybrid or conventional.
It’s a it’s a petrol it’s benzene but we have our own benzene recycled for we take in the car. So my car is more environmental than an electric car.
Uh, when is the one adjective that comes to mind when you think about electronics in a car? What is the first thought when you hear when you hear electronics in the car, what is what is feeling or what do you think about that?
It’s a good development because they can do great things at the moment with electronics. So I think that’s a that’s a great development also of safety. And yeah.