What Partners for Innovation does

Partners for Innovation B.V. (PfI) is an independent Dutch sustainability consulting firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Amsterdam. The firm delivers advisory and project development services across three work areas: circular economy, renewable energy (with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa), and sustainable land use. Its practice spans Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), circular design and ecodesign, chain collaboration, sustainable packaging, circular electronics, and emerging regulatory advisory around the EU Single-Use Plastics (SUP) directive, Right to Repair, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and Extended Producer Responsibility (UPV). Proprietary intellectual property includes the LCA Quickscan methodology and a suite of practical circular design tools (Circonnect Tools) such as the Ketensamenwerking Tool, Circulair Filter PvE Tool, ZZS Tool, and Rethink & Reuse Brainstorm Tool, developed in collaboration with knowledge institutions like TU Delft and RIVM.

The firm's customer base is a mix of Dutch national and EU public-sector bodies (Dutch Ministry of Agriculture LVVN, Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure IenW, Rijkswaterstaat, Horeca Nederland) and large multinational enterprises (DAF Trucks, Arla, Lidl, Royal Flora Holland). It operates from three offices — Amsterdam (Netherlands HQ), Niger (youth entrepreneurship and sustainable agriculture), and South Africa (sustainable energy and circular economy) — and is co-owner of the Coega Biomass Centre pellet factory in South Africa. PfI is co-initiator of the Circonnect knowledge platform (with ~20 partner institutions) and participates in the Dutch Circular Polymer Valley consortium and the LIFE IP All4Biodiversity programme.

The business model is professional services: project-based, quote-priced advisory engagements delivered by a team of ~29-30 employees across two continents, with no digital product distribution, no disclosed public pricing, and no external funding rounds. Marketing is driven primarily through LinkedIn, the firm's website, and thought-leadership publications (e.g., the "Products that Flow" book by partner Siem Haffmans). The firm is partner-owned and has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no known external investors.

Name

Partners for Innovation

Legal name

Partners for Innovation B.V.

Website

https://partnersforinnovation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Partners for Innovation is an independent Dutch sustainability consulting firm that advises governments, enterprises, and international development organizations on circular economy, renewable energy (Sub-Saharan Africa), and sustainable land use projects, with ~30 employees across offices in the Netherlands, Niger, and South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Advisory Services: Strategic consulting and project development services for circular economy, renewable energy, and sustainable land use. Provides practical support to governments, organizations and businesses in their transition to sustainable practices.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Partners for Innovation is an independent Dutch advisory firm providing consulting and project development services across three core areas: circular economy, renewable energy, and sustainable land use. The firm supports businesses, governments, and international organizations with practical advisory, expertise, and chain collaboration to transition toward sustainable operations. Services span Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), circular design and business model advisory, sustainable packaging, and regulatory compliance support for European directives such as SUP, ESPR, and Right to Repair.

Product overview

Partners for Innovation is an independent sustainability consulting firm offering advisory and project development services across three core areas: Circular Economy, Renewable Energy, and Sustainable Land Use. The company provides a portfolio of consulting services including circular design and business advisory, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), sustainable packaging, chain collaboration projects, and user acceptance research. They also develop and provide access to practical tools through the Circonnect platform, including design tools for circular economy implementation. The company publishes thought leadership content including the book 'Products that Flow' and various sector guides. Their services target businesses, governments, and organizations seeking to transition toward sustainable and circular operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Circular Economy Advisory
• Renewable Energy Advisory
• Sustainable Land Use Advisory
• Circonnect Design Tools
• Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
• Circular Design & Business Advisory
• Chain Collaboration Projects
• Sustainable Packaging Advisory
• Circular Electronics Advisory
• Right to Repair Advisory
• Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Advisory
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Advisory
• User Acceptance & Behaviour Research

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported Dutch Ministry of Agriculture with report on removing barriers for nature-inclusive farmers affecting 15% of Dutch farms
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Circonnect (CLICKNL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Circonnect is a knowledge platform for circular design. Approximately 20 knowledge institutions, acceleration organizations, industry associations and design hubs initiated this program in 2022. Partners for Innovation is particularly involved in developing design tools within the Circonnect expert team.
• All4Biodiversity (LIFE IP Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIFE IP All4Biodiversity is a multi-year integrated project supported by the European Commission and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. Partners for Innovation performed a study on barriers for nature-inclusive farmers on behalf of this programme.
• RIVMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) on developing the ZZS (Zeer Zorgwekkende Stoffen / Substances of Very High Concern) Tool for identifying harmful chemical substances in supply chains.
• TU DelftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with TU Delft on developing design tools for circular electronics, including an online course on Design for Recycling of Electronics and video content for the Circonnect platform.
• RijkswaterstaatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration with Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management) on multiple projects including circular design guides, LCA quickscans, coffee cup decision tools, and the Rethink & Reuse Brainstorm Tool.
• Horeca NederlandcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with Horeca Nederland and KIDV (Knowledge Institute for Sustainable Packaging) on developing the Branch Plan Sustainable Packaging for the out-of-home sector.
• KIDV (Kennisinstituut Duurzaam Verpakken)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with KIDV on sustainable packaging projects including LCA tools, calculation tools for reusable packaging, and sector branch plans for 12 sectors.
• Hogeschool AmsterdamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Hogeschool Amsterdam (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) on developing the Rethink & Reuse Brainstorm Tool.
• Dutch Circular Polymer Valley ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium working to realize a circular, future-proof and competitive plastics sector in the Netherlands.
• Coega Biomass CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-owner of a pellet factory producing clean energy from invasive trees in South Africa, as part of sustainable energy initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Peers

• WSP:

Direct peers

• Circle Economy: Amsterdam-headquartered social enterprise specializing in circular economy advisory, metrics, and platform tools. Direct peer with overlapping Dutch-anchored practice, target clients (governments and corporates), and circular-design methodology focus.
• Metabolic: Dutch sustainability consultancy offering systems analysis, circular economy strategy, and policy advisory. Closely comparable in size, geography, client mix (governments and businesses), and LCA/circular-design toolset orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm headquartered in the Netherlands with deep sustainability, circular economy, and environmental advisory practices. Competes for the same enterprise and public-sector sustainability mandates at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partners-for-innovation-bv
• Xx.com/PfISustainable
• Facebookfacebook.com/partnersforinnovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Partners for Innovation