Sustainability

The Curaçao 2030 Roadmap is a national plan aligned with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda that sets priorities, identifies “accelerators,” and establishes coordination, data, and monitoring systems to help the island make progress on key Sustainable Development Goals (such as inclusive economic growth, environmental sustainability, education, poverty reduction, energy, and youth empowerment) while involving government, private sector and civil society stakeholders.

The Curaçao Doughnut Economy is a product of “Projectbureau Circulaire Economie” of the Ministry of Economic Development and was established in close cooperation with Curaçao Doughnut Economy Taskforce. It was accepted by the Council of Ministers March 24, 2021. Unlike the traditional linear economy, which prioritizes short-term profits, the circular economy focuses on long-term value by designing systems where resources are continuously reused and nature is regenerated. By 2030, Curaçao aims to become a climate-resilient island that respects global well-being, embraces sustainable innovation, and attracts purpose-driven investment.

The purpose of the Curaçao Doughnut Economy document, besides an analysis of the status of the Curaçao economy based on principles of the doughnut economy, was to provide an integrated agenda for economic investment. The latter, partially based on input from the community.
Curaçao Doughnut Economy Taskforce held workshops in different neighborhoods of Curaçao.
During the workshops, participants learned about the principles of the doughnut economy and brainstormed about the realization of circular economy in Curaçao. Curaçao has plenty of existing initiatives that are already making the island sustainable. Many of the ideas developed during the workshops are related to socio-economic reform and focus on community building and education. On an ecological level, the focus is on sustainable water consumption and agriculture.

Source: Curaçao Doughnut Economy “A new compass for economic prosperity” (2021)

Aqualectra, has been installing smart water- and electricity meters, a modern, digital meter that allows the company to detect and resolve faults faster and cheaper, detect illegal tapping of electricity and reduce leakage. The smart meter network allows the consumer to better manage their use of water and electricity. Besides smart meters, Aqualectra has been replacing conventional street lighting with LED street lights. LED lights are more durable (longer lifespan) and more energy efficient.

The Government of Curaçao started the pilot project in 2023 for the construction of a large floating windmill park on sea, which should generate sufficient renewable energy (green hydrogen) to supply in the daily power needs of the island and for export.

Selikor N.V. launched a sustainability project, Resembid (Resilience, Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity) financed by European Union, in the second half of 2023 with the goal to collect and analyze information on waste to assess shortcomings and challenges within the existing waste management system and propose solutions to avoid and process waste materials through reuse, recycling and/or energy generation.

The private sector has also been contributing to sustainability in different ways. The local retail and construction company Kooyman BV. has partnered up with The Great Plastic Bake Off, a Dutch green tech company, through the FUSE Caribbean joint venture, transforming locally sourced plastic waste into building materials for the local market.

The aquanaut Fabien Cousteau and his organization Proteus Ocean Group plan to start the construction of an underwater housing and research lab in Curaçao in 2024. This will become the first international space station (ISS) of the sea in a network of Proteus platforms.

With this initiative, Cousteau places the special underwater world of Curaçao as an innovative commercial sector for the island. New discoveries may lead to new intellectual property and patents and Curaçao will become a center for innovation because of this.