During the National Conference on the Circular Economy, six levels of government, including the central government, provinces, municipalities and water boards, officially signed the agreement on the Joint Government-Regional Circular Economy 2025-2026. The aim of this collaboration is to accelerate and strengthen the implementation of the National Circular Economy Programme (NPCE).
Although the collaboration is broader than just bio-based raw materials, these are explicitly included in several themes. For example, the Chains theme trajectory explicitly refers to stimulating bio-based construction, an important application area for bio-based raw materials. Through the National Approach to Bio-based Construction (NABB), parties are working on scaling up bio-based materials in the construction sector – with a view to CO₂ reduction, less dependence on fossil raw materials and closing material cycles.
Six substantive themes: biobased applications interwoven in chains and purchasing
Six themes have been named within the agreement that governments can voluntarily sign up for: space, circular purchasing, licensing & supervision, SMEs, knowledge sharing and chains. There is a clear link with bio-based raw materials, especially in the themes of Steering with own purchasing instruments and Chains.
Governments want to create more demand for circular and biobased products through their purchasing power. This requires not only cooperation in tenders, but also knowledge sharing, monitoring and coordination with market parties. In the chain approach, sectors such as the manufacturing industry and the construction sector are also stimulated to embrace circular and biobased innovations.
The Union of Water Boards underlines the role of bio-based raw materials by naming practical examples, such as the recovery of raw materials from sewage water and the reuse of grass cuttings or dredged material for biobased applications. This illustrates how local governments also create value from local biomass.
No separate initiatives, but national coordination
The agreement provides for periodic progress meetings, shared monitoring and mutual knowledge exchange. With this, the authorities want to prevent initiatives from becoming fragmented. A working structure for 2025 and 2026 must ensure clear agreements on process management and capacity.
Although bio-based raw materials are not the main objective of the agreement, their strategic value for the circular economy is reflected in several places. By linking them to purchasing, chains and biobased construction, bio-based raw materials are seen as an important link in the transition to a future-proof economy.
The collaboration is the next step in the implementation of the National Circular Economy Program, with the aim of a fully circular Netherlands in 2050. Bio-based raw materials are not a goal in themselves, but they are an important building block.
Agreement on joining forces between the National Government and Regions for the Circular Economy:
NetherlandsCirculairin2050.nl
