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Some sustainability measures take time and money, but there’s also low-hanging fruit with benefits you can reap immediately. Five Rotterdam based hotels share three quick wins they implemented after the Hotel Neutraal sustainability scan.

Op dinsdagavond 1 juli 2025 kwamen Rotterdamse politieke partijen, experts en beleidsmakers op uitnodiging van BlueCity bij elkaar voor een kennissessie over de grondstoffentransitie in Rotterdam. Met nog vijf jaar op de teller voor de eerste grote doelstellingen rondom circulariteit maakten we de balans op: wat gebeurt er al in de stad en haven? Waar liggen de grootste kansen? En aan welke knoppen kan de gemeente draaien om de nodige transitie te versnellen? Inzichten uit de praktijk van de stad, de haven en de bouw brachten concrete punten op tafel voor het nieuwe gemeentebeleid.  

In 2026 kiezen we nieuwe gemeenteraden. Wat veel mensen niet weten: die bestuursperiode is beslissend voor het behalen van de landelijke circulaire doelstelling om in 2030 het gebruik van primaire grondstoffen te halveren. BlueCity werkte daarom mee aan een document van de Nederlandse Vereniging Circulaire Economie (NVCE) met 9 concrete voorstellen waarmee gemeenten direct aan de slag kunnen.

Machtelt Mostert, caterer at BlueCity, creates sustainable, plant-based meals using seasonal, local ingredients and minimizing waste. With a background as a natural foods chef, she’s dedicated to reducing environmental impact by repurposing food scraps and supporting local produce. Through her work, she aims to inspire others to make mindful, sustainable food choices.

Before you - as a hotel - start to tackle the sustainability theme, it’s important to establish how sustainable you already are and what your sustainability opportunities are. Sander Verschuren from Green Leisure Group visited all Hotel Neutraal’s participating hotels to do baseline measurements and issue advisory reports. “All the hotels are working towards sustainability but often don’t have every aspect of it on their radars.”

On Monday, May 26 it was once again time for the annual Het Nieuwe Nassen Meet-Up XXL in BlueCity,  Chefs, buyers, nature-inclusive farmers and food entrepreneurs came together to form new partnerships, share knowledge, and learn even more about the world of healthy, local, and nature-inclusive food. What were the outcomes of the day? Join us as we reflect on a day full of connections, inspiration, and momentum!

How can A.I. help reduce food waste at the breakfast buffet? How do you save energy in a beautiful but poorly insulated listed building? And how do you keep track on all the different aspects of sustainability amidst the daily hustle of hotel life? The new Hotel Neutraal digital inspiration magazine gives answers to these — and many more — questions. Featuring real-life examples, quick wins, and insights from 21 Rotterdam hotels working together toward a climate-neutral future.

Machtelt Mostert, caterer at BlueCity, creates sustainable, plant-based meals using seasonal, local ingredients and minimizing waste. With a background as a natural foods chef, she’s dedicated to reducing environmental impact by repurposing food scraps and supporting local produce. Through her work, she aims to inspire others to make mindful, sustainable food choices.

A better balance between animal and plant-based proteins. Starting in September 2024, Het Nieuwe Nassen challenged seven chefs from Rotterdam to literally put the protein transition on their menus. Chef and co-owner of the Mexican restaurant Masa, Frits Harmsen, also participated in the process of measuring, learning, and experimenting. And how! He made all vegetarian dishes plant-based and created an appealing meat dish with a limited amount of animal proteins. "Many guests expect a piece of meat with Mexican food, but those portions can definitely be smaller and combined with more plant-based dishes."

Rotterdam heeft een eigen broodje, en daar hebben we als BlueCity met ons programma Het Nieuwe Nassen heel hard aan meegewerkt! Het RotterBammetje is een smaakvol, natuurinclusief en lokaal geproduceerd broodje dat met de seizoenen meebeweegt. Vandaag werd het eerste exemplaar op het Stadhuis van Rotterdam door chef Perry de Man uitgereikt aan het College van B&W. Wethouder Faouzi Achbar maakte deze smakelijke inval mogelijk in het kader van de Week van de Gezondheid. Rotterdamse iconen Diergaarde Blijdorp, Franciscus Ziekenhuis en Dudok happen als eersten toe en zetten het RotterBammetje op de menukaart.

The offshore wind sector has been designated as a priority industry by the government, highlighting the growing need for self-sufficiency and reduced dependence on foreign resources. At the same time, as the first offshore wind farms reach the end of their technical life span and need to be dismantled, it has become evident that circularity was not considered during construction. The windturbines and their components were not designed for reuse. Let’s fix that!