board boekje web pages

59
Chapter 4
Building circular product chains
If I have learned one thing in the past few decades, it is that
changing a system cannot be done by one person or organisation.
To make a product chain circular, you must involve all relevant
parties. But how can you make this network governance work?
The Dutch circular initiatives around mattresses, concrete and
clothing are ideal illustrations.
4.1 Mattresses
The case of mattresses reflects a rather focused circular initiative.
How the product chain could be made more circular was pretty
clear and the number of parties involved was relatively limited.
I participated from the start as the transition broker, launching
the initiative and transferring the execution to another transition
broker. However, I remained on standby until the parties agreed
on an implementation scheme. All parties were incentivised to join
by the urgent need to improve the circularity of the product chain.
This initiative did not go unnoticed. It was chosen as a flagship
project of the national circular economy transition agenda on
consumption goods and a breakthrough project on the Dutch
innovation agenda. Introducing an extended producer responsibility
(EPR) for mattresses well illustrates the development of a
cohesive circular economy programme in the Netherlands. It is
seen as an example of best practice and an inspiration for other