Integral Circular Economy Report 2025

The ICER delves into the physical trends concerning the consumption of material resources and its (environmental) effects, as well as the progress of the transition process towards a circular economy in the Netherlands and the development of circular economy policy. Moreover, this ICER has looked at three particular product groups: plastic packaging and drinking cartons, housing construction, and renewable energy technology. This edition of the ICER also grants special attention to the theme of steering and the input of policy instruments to speed up the transition towards a circular economy. On the basis of this knowledge, we offer recommendations for an acceleration of the transition. 

Despite the initiatives that society has made in the field of the circular economy, the bigger picture in this ICER demonstrates that various trends are still not going in the right direction. For example, it is not yet possible to consume structurally fewer material resources and have the supply risks of the most critical raw materials increased. Furthermore, there is no market for circular products. To encourage this and to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy, concrete and ambitious policy is needed on both a national and European level. 

In relation to the previous edition, this ICER has undergone some changes in terms of intent of the report. This publications is more compact than both earlier ICERs of 2021 and 2023, for example. To nonetheless provide an as complete as possible overview of the progress of the transition towards a circular economy, in the report itself we often refer to the new ICER website for further, more in-depth information. On the site figures and information is available about material resources and effects, in the format of so-called physical indicators and transition indicators. On the website you will also find notices with a more comprehensive elaboration of several important messages of the ICER 2025.