The Aruba Circular Economy Foundation (ACEF) is brought to life to serve as a member-based non-profit organization with the purpose to contribute to the transition toward a sustainable circular economy in Aruba.

This is to be achieved by:

• Focusing on intentionally closing healthy material loops, encouraging local actors to refuse, reduce, reuse and extend the duration of use of materials.

• Promoting new types of jobs in new types of productive economic activities that are compatible with our resources base and socio-economic conditions that enable Aruba to offset its dependency on the import of energy, water, food, and essential products, to improve wellbeing.

• Helping Aruba shift from a net-import dependent nation to a net-exporter of value-added products and services.

The Aruba Circular Economy Foundation is composed of an Executive Board composed of five (5) members, of which the President is fully authorized to legally represent the foundation and is accompanied by a Secretary and a Treasurer. Furthermore, the board is composed of two general board members that serve as alternate representatives and substitute upon the need of the three core roles in the board. All five members have equal voting rights and are subject to ACEF’s code of conduct and good governance principles.

The Board’s membership and multi-annual work plan are approved for a period of up to 4 years by the registered and active members during a general assembly. The Board is authorized to create and dissolve sub-committees for thematic, operational or any ad-hoc purposes, wherein at the minimum one board member’s active participation is required to be complemented with registered members. Finally, the Board is authorized to appoint and discharge a Director and Staff/Personnel for the operational needs of the Foundation.     

A Circular Economy is an alternative to the present “take-make-waste” linear economic system, which is more compatible with nature and aims to resemble the natural consecutive cycles of materials use without ever generating wastage and regenerating ecosystems. It is an economy wherein intentionally eco-intelligently designed products composed of healthy materials and substances circulate within the economy through multiple consecutive flows and productive loops to address present and future needs, generating prosperity and wellbeing.

• Recognize that waste is a resource. Where the aim is to design out waste and contamination.

• Maintain products and materials in continuous use through either a healthy biological and/or a technical cycle.

• Reveal and phase out negative impacts in your society.

• Help regenerate natural resources and ecological services. Build natural capital.

• Always aim for social, economic, and environmental wellbeing for now and future generations.

• Team up to create joint value

1. Create, promote and stimulate awareness and knowledge about the sustainable circular economy (SCE), circular thinking, and practice.

2. Increase scientific knowledge and innovation about SCE by promoting the collection and exchange of research data as well as access to it.

3. Stimulate cooperation between government, knowledge institutions, civil organizations, and the business community in the field of SCE by setting up and developing networks, e-platforms, SCE legislation, and media communications.

4. Support and stimulate circular entrepreneurship and supporting and collaborating with local and international businesses in the field of circular innovations.

5. Contribute to the realization of the sustainable development goals of Aruba, by promoting the implementation of SCE in Aruba, within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and internationally.

The University of Aruba is a strategic partner to ACEF where continuous academic and practical knowledge and learnings are exchanged about the theory and practice of sustainable circular economy application in Aruba. ACEF’s contribution is to help the University of Aruba test real-case applications and solutions through applied sciences, gather practical insights and empirical evidence and data, document, and communicate these to the wider community to enrich the knowledge base of the Aruban community regarding SCE.     

By working with social partners, including financial institutions, ACEF facilitates and organizes events, workshops, and business-to-business meetings to stimulate the creation of strategic partnerships within sectors, sub-sectors, business clusters, and value chains in Aruba for technical cooperation to develop new and innovative business solutions, models and services compatible with SCE principles.

Visit the membership registration page, and submit your personal contact information in order to receive a confirmation email with specific information about the membership fee and benefits, including upcoming business, knowledge, and innovation workshops and exchange opportunities, and opportunities to become involved as an active member in ongoing activities, committees, projects and services provided by ACEF.

You can sign up your company or organization as a strategic supporter of ACEF, subject to a pre-screening of the core business or activities and performance of your company or organization and its compatibility to the sustainable circular economy principles and strategic goals established by ACEF.

ACEF’s office is located in Oranjestad, Aruba with a telephone number and an institutional email. Please visit the institutional website, www.arubacircular.org for more information about the foundation and the active board members, their profiles, and contact information.