Netherlands National Circular Economy Programme 2023-2030: Sets the pathway toward a fully circular economy by 2050

What’s Required

The NPCE is primarily a national policy and implementation program, not a standalone law imposing one universal obligation on all companies.

Its measures are implemented through a combination of:

1. EU legislation.

2. Dutch regulations.

3. Product policies.

4. Procurement requirements.

5. EPR schemes.

6. Subsidies and financial instruments.

7. Voluntary agreements.

8. Sector-specific initiatives.

1. Reduce raw material use

The program seeks to reduce dependence on virgin raw materials and minimize environmental impacts associated with extraction and processing.

The Netherlands previously established a guiding ambition to reduce the use of primary abiotic raw materials by 50% by 2030 compared with 2016, while recognizing that circularity requires broader indicators than raw-material consumption alone.

2. Substitute raw materials

The government promotes replacement of:

1. Fossil raw materials.

2. Critical materials.

3. Environmentally harmful inputs.

with:

• Recycled materials.

• Renewable materials.

• Sustainable biobased feedstocks.

• Lower-impact alternatives.

3. Extend product lifetimes

The NPCE emphasizes:

1. Repair.

2. Maintenance.

3. Refurbishment.

4. Remanufacturing.

5. Reuse.

6. Product sharing.

The objective is to retain the economic value of products and materials for longer.

4. Promote high-quality recycling

Where reuse is not possible, materials should be recycled at the highest practical value.

The policy therefore supports:

1. Better collection.

2. Improved sorting.

3. Recycling infrastructure.

4. Secondary raw-material markets.

5. Design for recycling.

5. Develop product-group targets

The program moves toward more detailed product-group-specific targets rather than relying only on broad national circularity goals.

Priority areas include products and value chains with large environmental and raw-material impacts.

6. Focus on five major transition areas

Dutch circular economy policy has historically organized implementation around:

1. Biomass and food.

2. Plastics.

3. Manufacturing.

4. Construction.

5. Consumer goods.

7. Circular procurement

The Dutch government uses public procurement as a tool to create demand for:

1. Recycled materials.

2. Reusable products.

3. Repairable goods.

4. Circular construction.

5. Product-as-a-service models.

8. Support circular business models

Companies are encouraged to develop models based on:

1. Leasing.

2. Sharing.

3. Repair.

4. Refurbishment.

5. Take-back.

6. Product-as-a-service.

7. Material recovery.

9. Monitor national progress

Progress toward the circular economy is monitored through mechanisms including the Integral Circular Economy Report, produced every two years by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.

The government uses monitoring results to adjust policy where progress is insufficient.

Important Deadlines

1. 2016: Government-wide programme A Circular Economy in the Netherlands by 2050 launched.

2. 2017: National Raw Materials Agreement signed.

3. 2019-2023: Circular Economy Implementation Programme.

4. 2023: National Circular Economy Programme 2023-2030 introduced.

5. 2030: Major intermediate policy horizon, including the guiding objective of substantially reducing primary raw-material use.

6. 2050: The Netherlands aims to operate a fully circular economy.

Current Status

Active national policy framework.

The Netherlands continues to pursue a fully circular economy by 2050.

The 2026 coalition agreement reaffirmed the 2050 circular economy objective and stated that the government intends to strengthen the National Circular Economy Programme and develop sector-specific circularity targets.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

No direct NPCE-wide penalties.

Because the program is an overarching policy framework, enforcement comes through the individual laws and regulations used to implement it.

Possible consequences under those laws can include:

1. Administrative fines.

2. Market restrictions.

3. Environmental enforcement.

4. Producer responsibility fees.

5. Corrective orders.

Examples of Known Violations / Failure Modes

Formal NPCE “violations” are not applicable.

Relevant implementation failure modes include:

1. Raw-material consumption not declining sufficiently.

2. Circular products failing to achieve market scale.

3. Lack of demand for secondary raw materials.

4. Low levels of repair or reuse.

5. Recycling that results mainly in lower-value outputs.

6. Insufficient circular design.

7. Regulatory barriers to reuse.

8. Poor coordination between sectors.

9. Circularity targets that are difficult to measure.

10. Reliance on voluntary measures when stronger intervention is needed.

Resources

• https://www.government.nl/documents/2023/09/27/national-circular-economy-programme-2023-2030

• https://www.government.nl/themes/economy/sustainable-economy/circular-economy-by-2050

• https://www.government.nl/documents/2017/01/24/national-agreement-on-the-circular-economy

• https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-infrastructure-and-water-management