NVRD

What NVRD does

NVRD (Koninklijke Nederlandse vereniging voor afval- en reinigingsdiensten) is the Royal Dutch Association for Waste and Cleaning Services, founded in 1907 and headquartered in Arnhem, Netherlands. It operates as a membership association (vereniging) connecting and representing approximately 400 Dutch municipalities and their public waste-management companies, with additional associated members drawn from service providers, suppliers, and consultants active in waste collection and clean public spaces.

The association's product portfolio spans content, training, benchmarking, and standards. Core deliverables include the Vakblad GRAM professional magazine (published six times per year, circulation of approximately 1,250 copies), the Benchmark Afval benchmarking service, the Traineeship Circulaire Economie two-year training program, the Young NVRD youth network (100+ members under 35), and the Dossiers knowledge hub. The association owns STOSAG (Stuurgroep Open Standaarden Afval en Grondstoffen), an open ICT standard developed since 2010 to enable supplier-independent data exchange between waste-collection vehicles, containers, and back-office systems, and launched the BrancheStuurInformatie (BSI) sector-statistics system in 2026. Members access services through the SharePoint-based Mijn NVRD portal.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership dues from approximately 400 member organizations, supplemented by GRAM magazine subscriptions (€135.21 domestic / €156.50 international per year), advertising sales handled by media partner Elma Media (starting from €1,150 per placement), event fees from congresses and regional meetings, and the traineeship program. Legal support is offered to members via a partnership with Hekkelman Advocaten. The association is governed by a board chaired by Henry Meijdam, with Hein Grafhorst (Directeur Strategie, Beleid & Veiligheid at Omrin) as treasurer, and is led operationally by newly appointed General Director Jacolien Eijer (March 2026). With roughly 15 staff, the organization functions as a lean professional association whose strategic narrative has shifted from waste collection toward circular-economy and "raw-materials brokerage" ambitions by 2050.

Name

NVRD

Legal name

Koninklijke Nederlandse vereniging voor afval- en reinigingsdiensten

Website

https://nvrd.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NVRD is the Royal Dutch Association for Waste and Cleaning Services, a 1907-founded membership body representing approximately 400 Dutch municipalities and their public waste companies, delivering advocacy, training, benchmarking, and the STOSAG open ICT standard for waste-collection data exchange.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Waste Collection (5621)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHACAA

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

SECONDARYBPADALAO

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Climate, Environment & Sustainable Development Programs

SECONDARYBPAHAHAM

Sustainable & Responsible Supply Chain (ESG, Scope 3)

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Operations & Supply Chain Consulting

Keywords

• Waste management association
• Municipal cleaning services
• Circular economy advisory
• Industry benchmarking services
• Professional training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Arnhem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: NVRD generates revenue primarily through membership fees from approximately 400 member organizations including municipalities, municipal waste companies, and associated service providers. Membership provides access to network, knowledge products, events, and representation.
2. GRAM Magazine advertising: The GRAM professional magazine (6 issues per year, 1,250 copies) generates advertising revenue. Mediapartner Elma Media handles advertising sales starting from €1,150.
3. GRAM magazine subscriptions: Annual subscriptions for the GRAM professional magazine: €135.21 domestic, €156.50 international. Available both online and print.
4. Traineeship program fees: The Traineeship Circulaire Economie is a two-year program where trainees work at three different organizations. While primarily a workforce development initiative, it may involve program fees or employer contributions.
5. Events and congresses: Revenue from organizing events including Jaarcongres, Gemeentelijk Grondstoffencongres, Week van de AfvalHelden, Afvalconferentie, and regional meetings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NVRD (Koninklijke Nederlandse vereniging voor afval- en reinigingsdiensten) is a Dutch membership association founded in 1907 that represents and connects approximately 400 Dutch municipalities and their public waste management companies. The association provides policy advocacy, knowledge products (GRAM magazine, dossiers, factsheets), benchmarking (Benchmark Afval), professional training (Traineeship Circulaire Economie), industry standards (STOSAG), networking events, and youth engagement to advance the transition from waste collection to a circular economy.

Product overview

NVRD operates as a membership organization (Dutch Association for Waste and Cleaning Services) offering a portfolio of professional services including the Vakblad GRAM magazine, the Traineeship Circulaire Economie education program, Benchmark Afval benchmarking service, and the STOSAG open ICT standards. Additional offerings include the Young NVRD youth network, toolbox publications for municipalities, and the Mijn NVRD member portal. The organization connects Dutch municipalities and their public waste management companies to share knowledge, influence policy, and advance circular economy goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRAM: Professional magazine published 6 times per year covering waste management and public space management topics. Stands for 'GemeenteReiniging & AfvalManagement'.
• STOSAG
• Young NVRD
• Traineeship Circulaire Economie
• VANG (Van Afval Naar Grondstof)

Products and services

• Vakblad GRAM Professional magazine covering waste management, cleaning, and public space management topics. Published 6 times per year since 1907 with a circulation of 1,250 copies, available in both print and digital format for members and subscribers.
• Traineeship Circulaire Economie Two-year national traineeship program for young graduates to work at three different organizations in the Dutch waste and cleaning industry, including personal development coaching, practical company visits, and lectures on circular economy topics.
• Benchmark Afval

Quantifiable outcome

• NVRD represents approximately 400 member organizations covering virtually all Dutch municipalities and their waste collection operations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• STOSAG (Stuurgroep Open Standaarden Afval en Grondstoffen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010NVRD initiated and owns STOSAG, an open standard for ICT systems in waste collection. The standard enables interoperability between different suppliers' equipment and software. Since 2010, NVRD and its members have worked together to develop, manage, and apply open ICT standards for efficient waste collection in the Netherlands.
• Elma MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerElma Media is the media partner handling advertising sales for the GRAM magazine. They manage ad placements starting from €1,150 per advertisement.
• Hekkelman AdvocatencoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNVRD has a partnership with Hekkelman Advocaten for legal support to members. Members receive discounted rates: €120/hour for helpdesk questions (up to 1 hour), and 5% discount plus no office costs for extended legal advice. Hekkelman provides expertise on waste law, procurement, privacy (AVG/GDPR), environmental law, and more.
• Stichting OPENmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStichting OPEN initiates the annual 'Doe maar apart' campaign for battery and electronic waste collection. NVRD collaborates as a partner in this campaign that reaches millions of Dutch households via radio, social media, and posters.
• Vereniging AfvalbedrijvenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNVRD collaborates with the Vereniging Afvalbedrijven (Association of Waste Companies) on various initiatives including the 'Doe maar apart' campaign and joint advocacy on waste sector issues.
• BRBS RecyclingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Doe maar apart' campaign for battery and e-waste collection awareness.
• Nationaal Recycling ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Doe maar apart' campaign for battery and e-waste collection awareness.
• Transport en Logistiek NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Doe maar apart' campaign for battery and e-waste collection awareness.
• RijkswaterstaatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRijkswaterstaat provides free training on litter prevention and behavioral change for municipalities, developed together with NVRD.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme): UK charity established by government to deliver circular-economy outcomes. National in scope, overlapping on knowledge products, campaigns (analogous to 'Doe maar apart'), and policy work — useful peer for evaluating how a public-interest waste body monetizes data and program delivery.
• WasteMINZ: New Zealand's waste management institute, providing sector advocacy, training, events, and publications to a national membership of councils and waste operators. Operates the same association playbook (training academies, awards, policy submissions) in a comparable scale national market.
• VSG (Vereniging Schoonmaak- en Glazenwassersbedrijven): Dutch trade association for the cleaning industry, overlapping NVRD's "reinigingsdiensten" (cleaning services) remit. Comparable association-model structure serving a related municipal-contracted services sector — useful for benchmarking member services and conferences.
• CIWM (Chartered Institution of Waste Management): UK chartered body for waste and resource management professionals; provides training, events, and policy advocacy comparable to NVRD's model. Closest analog in structure: a national membership body combining professional development, networking, and lobbying for the waste sector.
• Vereniging Afvalbedrijven: Dutch trade association for waste processing companies (the private/public waste operators counterpart to NVRD's municipal focus). Already explicitly collaborates with NVRD on the 'Doe maar apart' campaign and joint advocacy, making it the most directly comparable peer in coverage and scale.
• SWANA (Solid Waste Association of North America): North American trade association for solid waste professionals. Replicates the NVRD model at much larger scale, with chapters, training/certification (e.g., MSWMR program), an annual conference, and government advocacy — a useful precedent for what NVRD's product portfolio could evolve toward.

Broad incumbents

• FEAD (European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services): Brussels-based European federation representing national private and public waste management associations. NVRD's Brussels policy activity (cited repeatedly in company data) directly engages FEAD, making it the relevant supranational peer and a scale benchmark for pan-European advocacy.
• ISWA (International Solid Waste Association): Global waste management association headquartered in Vienna, working through national member organizations — NVRD is in this orbit and is co-hosting the ISWA World Congress 2027. Comparable in mission (knowledge sharing, working groups, congress organization) but at a global rather than national scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nvrd
• Xx.com/nvrd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 NVRD