Circular Dutch economy by 2050

Global demand for products and raw materials is increasing. That is why central government is working with other public authorities, knowledge institutions, environmental organisations, industry, trade unions, financial institutions and civil society organisations to find smarter and more efficient ways of using products and raw materials. The goal is for the Dutch economy to be completely circular by 2050.

Goals for a circular economy

In the new National Programme on circular Economy 2023-230, the government sees 4 ways to make the Dutch economy circular as circular as quickly possible:

Reducing raw material usage
We will need less raw materials if we buy fewer products, share items we already own and produce items more efficiently.
Substituting raw materials
When new raw materials are needed, we should use sustainably produced, renewable and widely available raw materials whenever possible. For example biomass, which is raw material made of plants, trees and food waste. This will make the Netherlands less dependent on fossil resources, and it is better for the environment.
Extending product life
We can use products and parts for longer and more intensively if we reuse and repair them. This slows demand for new products and new raw materials.
High-grade processing
We can recycle materials and raw materials so that new products can be made from them. This means less waste goes to landfill or is incinerated. And it increases the supply of sustainable raw materials.

The National Circular Economy Programme 2023-2030 contains measures for each of these 4 approaches. It also contains measures for specific product groups, like furniture or homes, and supporting measures for specific focus areas such as education, circular procurement and circular business models.

Timeline for the transition to a circular economy 2016 - 2050

2016 - 2050
1. 2016Government-wide programme for a Circular Dutch Economy by 2050
2. 2017Raw Materials Agreement
  
  In January 2017 in The Hague, 180 parties signed the Raw Materials Agreement (in Dutch). In January 2017 in The Hague, 180 parties signed the Raw Materials Agreement. This agreement sets out what is to be done to ensure that the Dutch economy can make the transition towards a Circular Economy and has the support and commitment through the whole Dutch society. It was signed by various parties from government, industry, trade unions and environmental organisations. The agreement started the multistakeholder dialogue on how to organise the transition, e.g. by starting the process of drafting transition agenda’s together.
3. 2018Transition agendas: zooming in on five sectors
  
  The government and the signatories to the Raw Materials Agreement drew up 5 transition agendas. There is a transition agenda for each of the following sectors and value chains: Plastics, Consumer goods, Manufacturing, Building & Construction, and Biomass and Food.
  
  These 5 sectors and value chains are important to the economy but also impact heavily on the environment. The agendas set out how the sectors in question can become circular by 2050, and what actions need to be taken. For more information about the transition agendas, see Accelerating the transition to a circular economy.
4. 2019Implementation programme: actions and projects 2019 - 2023
5. 2020Circular Economy Implementation Programme 2020-2023
6. 2021Update Circular Economy Implementation Programme (2021-2023)
7. 2023New National Programme on Circular Economy Implementation Programme (2023-2030)
  
  The government has presented the National Circular Economy Programme 2023-2030, which sets out a mix of measures for the years ahead aimed at using products and raw materials more sparingly. Reducing the material footprint of the Dutch economy is the recurring theme. New interventions will be investigated, specific targets will be set on specific product groups as well as stricter norms and pricing incentives, and high value retention of products and materials will be scaled up.
8. 2030Reducing use of resources by 50%
9. 2050A waste-free economy
  The Netherlands wants to have a circular economy by 2050, in which:
  - sustainable, renewable raw materials are used again and again wherever possible;
  - products and materials are designed for circularity, reused, repaired and refurbished;
  - hardly any waste is produced.

International cooperation for a circular future

To create a circular economy in the Netherlands, changes are needed in Europe and worldwide. This is because the circular economy needs a systemic change of our economy, and the economy is interconnected worldwide. After all, raw material supply chains, production processes and waste flows are global. And not all waste products or materials end up in the Netherlands, or even Europe. Also, many businesses operate internationally. That’s why the government works with other countries as much as possible, in the European Union and also within the framework of the United Nations.

The Netherlands is a member of the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), in which more than 40 countries, companies and international organisations work together.