Overview

• Demissionary state secretary Thierry Aartsen published a revised National Circular Economy Program targeting a 15% reduction in raw material use by 2035 compared with 2016.
• The previous 2030 halving target was replaced after a methodological shift, which the ministry and PBL say should not be seen as lower ambition.
• Interim goals call for 82% of waste to be recycled within ten years and for 55% of inputs to come from sustainable biobased or reused materials.
• The scope changes to include reused and biotic materials and to exclude fossil fuels, making the new target not directly comparable to the old one.
• PBL says the plan consists mainly of intentions, warns of a funding gap after 2025, and criticizes the decision to forgo national rules or pricing in favor of slower EU-level measures.