In a joint statement signed in London yesterday (23 June 2026), Defra Minister Mary Creagh and Dutch Climate Minister Stientje Van Veldhoven set out plans to strengthen cross-border collaboration to help scale investment into circular business models.
Both governments pledging closer cooperation between policymakers, lenders and businesses.
The agreement follows a roundtable held at Mansion House in March 2025, hosted by the Lord Mayor of London, where government officials and private sector lenders discussed barriers to financing circular economy projects.
The event led to the creation of a new Circular Economy Finance Group.
Both governments said they share an ambition to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy over the coming decades, recognising its role in driving sustainable economic growth, reducing financial risk and improving economic resilience.
However, the statement acknowledged that current levels of investment remain insufficient to meet those ambitions.
It said: “There is not yet enough finance for and investment in circular business to enable both governments to realise their circular ambitions.”
UK-Netherlands circular economy collaboration
Under the collaboration, the UK and the Netherlands will work to develop a shared circular economy finance reference framework, intended for voluntary use across the financial sector.
The framework is expected to help establish common definitions, indicators and measurement methods for lending and investment in circular activities.
The two governments also said they would seek to improve understanding of how circular economy activity is currently financed and work together internationally to advance best practice.
This includes aligning with wider global initiatives such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Global Circularity Protocol for Business, the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative’s Circular Economy Guidelines and the International Finance Corporation’s Harmonized Circular Economy Finance Guidelines.
Both nations said they intend to strengthen engagement with the financial sector and hold periodic high-level consultations to review progress and identify where further support may be needed.
Industry is still waiting for the release of England’s Circular Economy Growth Plan, which Defra signalled will be released “soon”, but that no official date has been confirmed.
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