Monitoring plays an important role in underpinning and improving circular economy policies. But collecting data alone is not enough. It is about insight, about collaboration – about the question: how do we use data to make a real impact? With representatives of the European Commission we will discuss the importance of joint monitoring, sharing insights and developing a shared language. Be inspired by best practices from different European regions. They show not only what is being monitored, but especially how. With smart approaches, innovative structures and a clear idea of what data can really mean for policy.

These insights form the basis for a joint blueprint – a foundation for future cooperation and policy development at the European level. We look ahead: how can we take this further? There are opportunities to set up new European projects and collaborations around monitoring. In this work session we will explore these opportunities together.

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Presentation

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Questions?
Johan.lakke@circulairfriesland.frl  &  t.hazenberg@fryslan.frl

The session on biobased and circular construction focused on how European and regional actors are working to accelerate the use of sustainable materials in the built environment. A short summary of the session with key takeaways from the speakers:

We started with outlining the European perspective on this subject. Serena Lisai from ACR+ opened with an overview of upcoming EU policies and strategies, highlighting the direction Europe is heading. Bas van den Barg from Europapact Fryslân followed with a deep dive into current funding opportunities for biobased construction projects.

After this, some inspiring regional stories from Fryslân, Flanders, Ezavod and London were shared:

• Circulair Friesland shared their integrated strategy, built on close collaboration between government, businesses, and knowledge institutions. Nick Boersma brought the topic to life with concrete examples, such as the unique Frisian Hemp Fibre Deal and the Biobase, a project aimed at embedding biobased knowledge in education.
• Arianne Ecke from OVAM shared how strong public-private cooperation has enabled progress in waste management and recycling, offering valuable insights into effective governance and implementation.
• Igor Kos from Ezavod highlighted the regional strategy on circular economy in Slovenia, with an inspiring example where river and lake sediments are being repurposed as input for sustainable building materials, such as bricks. This shows how local resources can feed circular innovation.
• Katie from ReLondon took us into the circular construction economy of London, where efforts are focused on developing both digital and physical infrastructure to support material reuse through urban mining – a key enabler of circular construction in dense urban settings.

The session concluded with smaller group discussions, where participants explored shared challenges and opportunities. These hands-on exchanges laid the groundwork for new connections and future European collaboration. We look forward to putting the lessons and stories shared into practice.

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Presentation

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Questions?
c.s.strijbos@fryslan.frl & nick.boersma@circulairfriesland.frl

Summary – Parallel session Circular procurement
During this parallel session we have focused on a very important topic: circular procurement. One of the areas that has a huge impact and is one of the tipping points for circular economy.

C-Prone – Your gateway to circular procurement
In the first part of this session Núria Cases and Joanne Rourke have shared various regional and international developments of circular procurement. A few important take-aways were presented:

• simplifying circular procurement processes is important to make it feasible
• it is important to keep in mind that implementing circular procurement is asking for a shift in culture
• sometimes this is difficult due to legal frameworks and a dominant position of lowest price

Sustainable public procurement tool
The sustainable public procurement tool (SPP tool or MVI tool) was presented by Jeroen van Alphen of Rijkswaterstaat as a useful tool to make the processes easier to include circularity in your procuring. This tool is publicly available on the website of the Government of the Netherlands.

• innovation and entrepreneurship
• circular construction and biobased materials
• waste management

Circular Minds Indicators Framework
In the second part of the session various projects were presented in order to test the Circular Minds Indicators Framework (Matrix). This is a tool, which allows organisations to very easily, within 20 minutes, reflect on your project and get an insight in what to improve on first. It offers a mindset shift for upscaling.

In three subgroups the tool was ‘tested’ on three cases:

• Outdoor clothing project, municipality of Leeuwarden
• Biodegradable binliners, Malta
• Circular Material Hub, municipality of Haarlem

It shows the importance of incorporating circular procurement in your organisation: at the very beginning of each project ánd at every level in the organisation.

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Morning session

 

Afternoon session

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Presentations

Presentation Parallel Session Circular Procurement Circular Summit-sc

Presentation Tour Municipality of Leeuwarden Circular Summit

Presentation Tour OPNIEUW Circular Summit-sc

Presentation Tour Paludiculture Hegewarren Circular Summit

 

Questions?

quinten@circulairfriesland.frl & jantie.vanderlaan@circulairfriesland.frl

 

In what ways can businesses and societal partners take up an active role in shaping the future of education for the circular transition? In this working session we will commonly explore answers to this question. In order to educate students to take their role in a circular transition we need to broader our educational offer. In this, real life cases and involvement of businesses and societal partners are essential. This means that these businesses and societal partners need to take up their role in a regional learning ecosystem. Not because they will always directly profit from it, but because eventually this is necessary to give them the needed human capital they need for their circular transition. Elements of the EU Circular Economy Act should therefore deal with how funding is also linked with educational engagements by recipients.

This session aims at exploring ways for businesses and societal partners to do so. We do so by utilizing a design thinking method and stimulating the interaction between educational partners, business and societal partners. This way we hope to position the region as a stakeholder in the development of a future proof educational system. The session includes inspirational speakers from the Regional University Network (RUN EU), the Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE) and best practices from Fryslân and ACR+.

 

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Presentation
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As part of the Circular Summit Fryslân 2025, the SOILL Start-Up project, in collaboration with the Province of Friesland and SOILCRATES, invites local and regional public authorities to a focused hybrid session on the future of soil health in Europe.

This session is designed for local and regional authorities ready to take action on soil restoration and explore the opportunities offered by the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe.” Learn how to access funding, connect with peers, and take your first steps toward launching a Soil Health Living Lab (SHLL) in your region.

Below you may find the tentative agenda and the link to register for online participation. We will be updating the agenda, so stay tuned!

11:00 – 11:15	Introduction to the EU Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”
11:15 – 11:30	Overview of Funding Opportunities for SHLLs
11:30 – 12:00	Pitching Session: Regional Initiatives & SHLL Concepts
12:00 – 13:00	Networking Lunch
13:00 – 13:15	A quick look into Soil Monitoring Law and Implications for Local Authorities – Mirco Barbero/ DG ENV
13:15 – 14:00	Best Practices: Presentations by Local Authorities Michele Giavini – CIC Paula Mendes – LIPOR Alvaro Leon Lopez- Comunidad de Madrid Jildou de Raad- Province of Friesland
14:00 – 14:30	Round Table: Dialogue with Mission Soil SHLL Partners

 

 

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Presentation
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During the session on closing the loop: to a water resilient future several presentations were held sharing some information on the water system and regional solutions working towards this goal. During the workshop the group focused on which barriers are limiting progress that are relating to water resilience and how these could be countered. A large variety of barriers were mentioned. Many of them revolved around legislation, behaviours and political uncertainty.
The second part of the workshop revolved around how these barriers could be countered and how progress could be made. A key barrier here was that many solutions exist and have been trialled in pilot shape, however, mainstreaming these solutions is a major challenge. The group settled on a need to support enthusiastic people and a call to strong leaders to take up the ambassadorship. We should all give a voice to initiatives that are looking to change the system. It is important to showcase the good practices. Social engagement is an important factor in moving this further and regional implementation can be used to speed up the process. This should result in alternative options to be available and the linear options can be made less attractive. This needs to be supported by education and subsidies to improve the route from innovation to standard implementation.
Finally the group agreed that we all have a personal responsibility “when we have the privilege of a choice, we have the obligation to choose better”

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Presentations

20250612_CircularSummitFryslan_Masi_AWARD

20250612_CircularSummitFryslan_Masi_CARDIMED_novid

Ambition table SNuK CE Sumit 2025

Presentatie Watersysteem – Waterketen 12 juni 2025

SEACURE_Circular Summit 2025 Fryslan