The path to a circular economy is both new and profound, demanding a different perspective, experimentation, and the courage to choose a circular future. The Dutch circular finance initiative, known as the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren, is a public-private partnership that unites Dutch frontrunners in circular finance towards a common goal: Establishing circular financing as the norm by 2030.
The circular economy aims to minimise the use of new raw materials and products, maximise reuse, and reduce waste by creating a closed loop of production and consumption. It is essential for staying within the ecological boundaries of our planet, while simultaneously reducing the Netherlands' reliance on resources from other parts of the world. Financiers, investors, and other financial sector service providers play a key role in driving the circular transition. The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren addresses the challenges in financing circular entrepreneurs in the Circular Finance Roadmap 2030 (NL), to ensure that circularity becomes an integral part of financing assessments and investment decisions.
Since its inception in 2020, Invest-NL has been actively involved in financing circular propositions. The intensive collaboration with this diverse group of financiers and investors has yielded knowledge, new connections and valuable experience. This makes us a unique transition network, and this is how we make financing a circular future possible, says Anne Mieke van der Werf, Director Business Development at Invest-NL and Chair of the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren.
At the moment, one of the main challenges is to incorporate linear risks and circular opportunities in financing decisions (e.g. resource depletion, rising raw material costs, environmental damage). The group emphasises the importance of integrating circularity into the assessment of financing requests and investment decisions, to ensure business continuity.
The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren has collaboratively developed an open-source Circular Risk Scorecard. This scorecard aims to collect data to demonstrate that the risks of circular businesses are currently overestimated, while the opportunities are not adequately considered in financing or investment decisions. The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren calls on the financial sector to use the scorecard, providing insight into the circular risk score of the business (or project) to be financed and incorporating this score into decision-making for financing and investments.
To get started with the scorecard or for more information, please refer to this page (EN) or this page (NL).
Furthermore, the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren organises two deep dive sessions,
free to attend, on:
Tuesday 5 March from 16.00-17.00h;
Wednesday 27 March 16.00-17.00h.
Please register via Jeroen@copper8.com.
For general inquiries, contact: Hilde Sijbring (hilde.sijbring@circularfinancelab.nl).
For scorecard-related inquiries, contact: Jeroen van Muiswinkel (jeroen@copper8.com).
The Kopgroep Circulair Financieren is part of the Sustainable Finance Platform of the Dutch Central Bank.
About the Kopgroep Circulair Financieren
Established in 2021 under the Sustainable Finance Platform of the Dutch Central Bank, the Dutch circular finance initiative Kopgroep Circulair Financieren employs a project-oriented approach with core values being action, connection, and anticipation. The group operates with dedicated teams on impactful projects contributing to at least one goal on the Circular Finance Roadmap 2030. Members include representatives from financial institutions such as ABN AMRO, European Investment Bank, ING, Invest-NL, Royal Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants (NBA), Dutch Banking Association, Sustainable Water Bank, Rabobank, Regional Development Agencies, and Triodos Bank. Strategic partners include the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Province of Utrecht, and Municipality of Amsterdam.
