Introduction to newsletter
Dear Circular Friends,
Welcome to our second 2025 newsletter. We’re excited to update you on what’s ahead for Holland Circular Hotspot (HCH) – a driving force in scaling circular economy (CE) globally. Click the links for more details on the topics that you like. If you want a sneak preview please continue and read my summary.
International Impact and Visibility
Since the first Circular Hotspot event in 2016 we’ve grown the Circular Hotspot into a worldwide network and series of events now taking place across five continents. This year, the event was shining in Slovenia, Ethiopia, Taiwan, and Mexico. Next year, we will have events in Saudi Arabia, Botswana, Australia and Hungary. The elections for the America’s will soon be announced offering opportunities for cities and countries to bid for the hosting opportunities for 2026 and 2027.
Advancing strategic topics concerning Resource Resilience
If you followed the recent news on the issues around chipmaker Nexperia, that led to a global export stop and immediate market uncertainty in the automotive sector, you will understand why resource resilience for Critical Raw Materials is so important.
Our EU projects on Closing the Loop for Critical Raw Materials in the semiconductor, electronics and solar panel sectors are of key importance. Circular Economy concepts are a no-regret scenario. At the end of the projects, we aim to have a value chain set-up that proves at a high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) that we can close the loop for four critical raw materials in Europe.
We will also be working with resource rich countries in the Southern hemisphere developing and valorising new CRM resources in an economically, sustainably and socially responsible way, in order to stimulate business collaboration between the Netherlands and its counterparts.
Last but not least will be working on making existing waste and resource-related acivities in resource rich countries like China more sustainable with proven and non-sensitive Dutch technologies through our work as a PIB coordinator Waste to Resources China. We have no future as a country if the most resource intense countries in the world cannot move away from linear and polluting extraction, towards circular valorisation methods. Isn’t saving the planet and earning a fair amount of money the best job in the world?
The Netherlands as a Circular Living Lab & Lighthouse, with HCH Leading the Way
We have been welcoming circular visits and missions from Japan, Lithuania, Nigeria, Ghana, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Australia, Czech Republic and India to the Netherlands.
During these visits, we have been inspired to learn from circular frontrunners during our visits to Signify, Boessenkool, Lely, WEEE NL, Perron38, Hegeman, Ahrend, Circular IT, Duynie, the Floating Farm, Rotterzwam, Vet & Lazy, Duynie, The Blue City Community, Verspillingsfabriek, OostNL, HVC, the Rotterdam municipality waste facility HER, HVC, TNO, Haskoning, Chemical Cluster Emmen, Enschede Textielstad, Frankenhuis, Saxion University, NX Filtration and The Ocean Cleanup, and we have given global exposure to their circular solutions. The mission participants went back home inspired with their backpacks full of implementable ideas. Others are interested in whether they can set-up shop in the Netherlands as a jumping Board to Europe. Let us know if you want us to visit your facilities for the next incoming visit!
We have moderated, held keynotes or pitches at the Green Week, WCEF, World Expo in Osaka, ECESP stakeholder meeting, the annual CEO gathering in Western Cape South Africa and of course during our international Hotspot events, or events in the Netherlands like Circular Next.
We have also brought Dutch companies abroad. Our country reports help companies to save time to enter the market.
In 2025, we published our 19-th (Türkiye) and 20-th country report. Taiwan, also the world’s 20-th economy and a circular frontrunner, had the honour. The companies that went with us on a following mission to Taiwan had their moment of glory with the President and had the opportunity for matchmaking with 500 counterparts from 50 countries. The Osaka Expo provided Hegeman’s Circular School’s concept a Platform to the world.
Together with Mission Sustainable we only trained more than twenty Dutch Embassies on Internal Waste Management allowing them to be a circular lighthouse too in the countries where they are based. With a similar number of other Embassies, we have been aligning circular plans for this and next year during the Annual Embassy Come-Back Weeks. The work that our Representative Network abroad is doing for our companies is so incredibly valuable. For me they all deserve a royal decoration.
Proud of our work and accomplishments at ECESP
Since 2018, HCH has shared Dutch circular expertise around the world, catalyzing business success, building international networks, and shaping policy through platforms like the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform. We have closed a period of 5 years of working intensely with the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform as Coordination Group member and co-chair. As accomplishments we like to mention that despite the geopolitical turmoil and changing political landscape, the EU has kept the circular ambition unchanged and high for 2050 – although there might still be attempts by some fractions to water it down. The EU is a beacon and a source of inspiration for circular actions for all of us in Europe, and for all countries that want to trade with Europe. It is companies through their investments that are mainly responsible for scaling up the circular economy. Circular Economy will be anchored more and more around Industrial Policy and Resource Resilience and the EU should especially embrace and use the potential of its SME’s. Circular economy is as a must do and no regret scenario. We see its as the biggest business opportunity of the century.
A High-Impact Team with Deep Expertise and Unstoppable Energy
Our team has roots in The Netherlands, Slovenia, Italy, Bulgaria and Taiwan. We are seasoned yet curious to learn wherever we go and create impact that counts.
With the invaluable guidance of our Supervisory Board—Sabine Oberhuber, Robert Metzke, and Gerald Naber, we stepped into 2025 with a renewed ambition and a sharpened focus and the direction we chose paid off.
As a Circular Hotspot our mission remains unchanged: our aim is to build thriving circular ecosystems globally and seizing circular business opportunities worldwide.
Why? In today’s volatile geopolitical landscape, circular solutions are more relevant than ever. We are expanding our pan-European and international footprint—supporting both EU-based businesses to grow abroad and international entrepreneurs to access the European market. The EU Green Deal is reshaping global trade through its circular economy agenda. We’re here to ensure businesses are prepared.
In that respect we are delighted to announce that Vesna Lavtizar, PhD, has joined our Management Team. She combines strong competencies and international experience with a genuine human touch, bringing fresh perspectives and energy to our mission of accelerating the circular economy.
Together we bring in an unrivaled experience of sharing circular economy insights across the globe, catalyzing countless international business connections, establishing a global network of circular hubs, and hosting landmark Circular Hotspot events that today take place on five continents.
Join Us in Our Upcoming Events in Q1 2026
Read more in our newsletter about our upcoming events (that can be joined by you) at the IFAT Saudi Arabia (January 26-28), The Mining Indaba in Capetown (February 9-12), the Circular week in Lagos Nigeria (February 16-19) or the PIB waste2resources activities at the IE Expo in Shanghai (April 13-15) and the IFAT Germany (May 4-7).
Thank You
To all our loyal partners and friends, I say thank you for your continued support and your capability to inspire us. If you share our mission of growing the impact of the circular transition than let’s team up!
To learn more about the journey we’ve taken in the second half of 2025, please check our 2025 newsletter.
“if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”
Contact us freek.vaneijk@hollandcircularhotspot.nl or vesna.lavtizar@hollandcircularhotspot.nl
Warm regards,
The HCH Team