Circulair Groningen Drenthe

What Circulair Groningen Drenthe does

Circulair Groningen Drenthe is a Dutch membership association (vereniging) headquartered at DE STEK in Groningen that connects more than 160 businesses, knowledge institutions, governments, and social organizations across the Groningen and Drenthe provinces to accelerate the regional transition to a circular economy. The organization operates five strategic focus areas — circular chains, networking, knowledge sharing, supply/demand matching, and visibility/influence — through a portfolio of programs including CIRCO Tracks (three-day circular design workshops for construction, textiles, ventilation boxes, and air ducts), Care2Change (a €6 million circular healthcare initiative led by UMCG with EFRO and provincial funding), Circulair Bouwen (biobased and reuse-focused construction program), Circulaire Academie (education, traineeships, and skills programs), Circulaire Bedrijventerreinen (circular business parks), the Circulaire Volwassenheidsmeting (free maturity self-assessment tool), the annual Week van de Circulaire Economie, and the Duurzame Dertig award.

The association is governed and funded collectively by its members. Revenue is generated through tiered annual membership subscriptions ranging from €515 (small organizations, under 3 employees and/or under €300,000 turnover) to €5,170 (large organizations, 25+ employees and/or €2 million+ turnover, or municipalities of 50,000+ inhabitants), with three intermediate tiers. Memberships run on three-year terms with annual automatic renewal. The association supplements membership income with provincial and European co-financing for specific programs and serves as the convening and coordination body for large publicly funded circular initiatives.

Distribution is primarily regional and event-driven: members are recruited through direct outreach, the website enrollment form, and flagship events such as Week van de Circulaire Economie, monthly BINK Breakfast networking events at BuildinG Groningen, and the Duurzame Dertig election. Marketing is conducted via LinkedIn, a monthly email newsletter, sector-specific symposiums, and member showcases. The association collaborates with sister organization Vereniging Circulair Friesland, BuildinG, Hanzehogeschool, NHL Stenden, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, and national programs such as Building Balance, Cirkelstad, and Gewoon Groen, with stated goals of reducing primary raw material use in Groningen by 50% by 2030 and achieving 100% circularity by 2050.

Name

Circulair Groningen Drenthe

Legal name

Vereniging Circulair Groningen Drenthe

Website

https://circulairgroningendrenthe.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Circulair Groningen Drenthe is a Dutch membership association of more than 160 businesses, governments, knowledge institutions, and social organizations that drives the circular economy transition across the Groningen and Drenthe provinces through programs, events, and collaborative projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Groningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: The association generates revenue through annual membership fees from businesses, governments, knowledge institutions, and social organizations. Fees are tiered based on organization size (fte count) and turnover. The association also facilitates subsidized programs partly funded by provincial and European sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Circulair Groningen Drenthe is a membership association that connects more than 160 businesses, knowledge institutions, governments, and social organizations in the Groningen and Drenthe regions to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. It sells access to its network and a portfolio of programs — including CIRCO Tracks workshops, Care2Change (circular healthcare), Circulair Bouwen (circular construction), Circulaire Academie (training), Circulaire Bedrijventerreinen (circular business parks), and the Circulaire Volwassenheidsmeting maturity assessment — funded primarily by tiered annual membership fees and supplemented by European, provincial, and partner subsidies.

Product overview

Circulair Groningen Drenthe is a membership association (vereniging) rather than a traditional technology product company. The organization functions as a network hub offering a portfolio of circular economy programs and services including: CIRCO Tracks (practical workshops for circular innovation in construction, textiles, ventilation, and air ducts), the Circulaire Volwassenheidsmeting (maturity assessment tool), Care2Change (circular healthcare initiative), Circulair Bouwen (circular construction program), Circulaire Academie (education and training programs), Circulaire Bedrijventerreinen (circular business parks), the annual Week van de Circulaire Economie event, Duurzame Dertig award program, and general membership networking services. These programs work together to accelerate the circular economy transition in the Groningen-Drenthe region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CIRCO Tracks Programma A practical three-day workshop program in which entrepreneurs work with other participants from specific supply chains to develop circular business models. Tracks include Bouw (construction), Textiel (textiles), Ventilatieboxen (ventilation boxes), and Luchtkanalen (air ducts). Target audience: regional businesses seeking circular product, design, or business model innovation.
• Care2Change A large-scale collaboration project led by UMCG in which Northern Netherlands hospitals (UMCG, Martini Ziekenhuis, Treant, Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis Assen, Frisius MC, Antonius Ziekenhuis), knowledge institutions, and businesses work together toward a circular healthcare sector with less waste, reduced CO2 emissions, and more reuse and recycling. Target audience: regional healthcare providers and circular suppliers.
• Circulair Bouwen Programma A comprehensive construction program focused on biobased building, reuse of construction materials (wood, concrete, steel), and circular design, connecting companies, governments, and knowledge institutions. Includes Het Nieuwe Normaal circular building standard implementation and the Bouwvezeldeal signed in January 2025. Target audience: regional construction companies, housing corporations, and public-sector clients.
• Circulaire Academie An academy offering traineeships, skills programs, workshops, and courses for circular economy knowledge development, including the Circulair Bouw Traineeship and Circulair Vaardigheden Programma. Target audience: regional professionals, trainees, and member-company staff.
• Circulaire Bedrijventerreinen A project that maps circular opportunities on business parks through inspiring work sessions, feasibility analyses, and deep-dive sessions developing business cases for joint collection of residual streams and linking supply and demand for secondary materials. Target audience: companies and park managers on regional industrial estates.
• Circulaire Volwassenheidsmeting A free maturity measurement tool that helps organizations determine how circular they currently are, providing a baseline for circular economy transition. Target audience: any organization evaluating its circular maturity.
• Verenigingslidmaatschap Circulair Groningen Drenthe An annual membership product providing access to the 160+ member network, events, programs (CIRCO Tracks, Care2Change, Circulair Bouwen, Circulaire Bedrijventerreinen, Circulaire Academie), and circular economy collaboration opportunities in Groningen and Drenthe. Target audience: businesses, knowledge institutions, governments, and social organizations. Pricing is tiered from €515/year (small organizations) to €5,170/year (large organizations/municipalities).

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in primary raw materials used in Groningen by 2030
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 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

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UMCG (Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in Care2Change project - a €6 million circular healthcare initiative with €3 million EFRO funding. UMCG coordinates hospitals, knowledge institutions, and businesses to reduce healthcare waste and CO2 emissions.
• Gemeente GroningencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner supporting circular economy initiatives, organizing training programs, and implementing Het Nieuwe Normaal circular building standard.
• Provincie GroningencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial government partner providing co-funding for circular economy programs including €250,000 for Care2Change and support for Bouwvezeldeal initiative.
• Provincie DrenthecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial government partner providing €250,000 co-financing for Care2Change and supporting circular construction courses and programs.
• NHL Stenden HogeschoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge institution partner in Care2Change circular healthcare project and broader circular economy education initiatives.
• HanzehogeschoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey educational partner developing and delivering circular economy courses including Circulair Bouwen Groningen and Drenthe programs, in-company trainings, and student collaboration projects.
• Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner in Care2Change circular healthcare project contributing research expertise.
• Vereniging Circulair FrieslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional counterpart organization collaborating on shared circular economy initiatives in Northern Netherlands, co-organizing events and programs.
• Martini ZiekenhuisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital partner in Care2Change circular healthcare initiative working on waste reduction and circular medical products.
• TreantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital group partner in Care2Change circular healthcare initiative.
• Frisius MCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital partner in Care2Change circular healthcare initiative.
• Antonius ZiekenhuisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital partner in Care2Change circular healthcare initiative.
• BuildinGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge and innovation hub for the built environment collaborating on circular construction events, BINK Breakfast sessions, and building sector circularity programs.
• SDG House GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Week van de Circulaire Economie and sustainable development goals initiatives.
• Groener GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization partner in circular economy events and sustainability initiatives.
• OmrincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaste processing company hosting Werklandschap van de Toekomst, demonstrating circular economy in practice with 78% waste recovery rate.
• Building BalancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational program partner working on upscaling biobased construction from land to building, supporting regional initiatives in Groningen and Drenthe.
• Gewoon GroenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration of five housing corporations managing 60,000 social rental homes, working together on sustainability and circular construction.
• CirkelstadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational cooperative with 250+ partners working on circular construction, with regional chapters in Groningen and Drenthe.
• DOC33minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge and innovation center for circular and sustainable construction based in Assen.
• PlesTic Ready ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Netherlands consortium including Vereniging Circulair Friesland, Circulair Groningen Drenthe, SUSPACC/Biocooperative, RUG, Hanze, NHL Stenden, provinces, and municipalities working on biobased and circular plastics.
• Fair Furniture GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizer of Noordelijk Inspiratiefestival together with Circulair Groningen Drenthe and Provincie Drenthe.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Building Balance: National program coordinating biobased construction from land to building. Strategic core partner of Circulair Groningen Drenthe on the Bouwvezeldeal and aligned on the 30% biobased-by-2030 commitment in the Northern Netherlands.
• Cirkelstad: National cooperative of 250+ partners focused on circular construction with regional chapters, including active presence in Groningen and Drenthe. Closely comparable on member-network model and on the construction-sector focus of Circulair Bouwen and Bouwvezeldeal.
• Vereniging Circulair Friesland: Direct regional counterpart membership association driving the circular economy in Friesland. Operates an almost identical vereniging model connecting businesses, governments, and knowledge institutions, and is already a co-event partner of Circulair Groningen Drenthe via the PlesTic Ready consortium.

Emerging players

• CROW: Dutch knowledge platform for infrastructure, public space, and construction. Overlaps with Circulair Groningen Drenthe's Circulair Bouwen program on circular procurement and biobased standards in the built environment.
• KIDV (Kennisinstituut Duurzaam Verpakken): Dutch knowledge institute for sustainable packaging with circular-economy programs and member-style industry engagement. Adjacent as a thematic circular-economy knowledge hub with similar government and industry backing.

Broad incumbents

• Holland Circular Hotspot: Public-private platform positioning the Netherlands as a circular economy hotspot internationally. Comparable in convening role and circular-economy advocacy, though with a global promotional remit rather than regional program delivery.
• Circle Economy: Amsterdam-headquartered impact organization operating the CIRCO Tracks methodology that Circulair Groningen Drenthe delivers locally. Functions as the upstream program owner and a broader-incumbent circular economy platform with international reach.
• MVO Nederland: Large Dutch business network for corporate social responsibility and sustainability with national membership. Comparable as a broad sustainability membership association, though less specialized in circular construction and healthcare.

Regional players

• Het Groene Brein: National network of Dutch sustainability scientists connecting academic research to practical applications. Comparable as a knowledge-bridging network, but operating nationally rather than as a regional vereniging with member dues.

Others

• Metabolic: Amsterdam-based consultancy and venture builder working on circular economy, climate, and regenerative systems. Comparable as a circular-economy ecosystem participant, but operating a fee-for-service consulting model rather than a regional membership association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circulairgroningendrenthe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Circulair Groningen Drenthe