Target-setting programme for circular consumer goods
Support for the target-setting trajectory of the Transition Agenda for Consumer Goods: from an impact analysis of five product groups to circularity targets on a timeline towards 2030. New Economy delivered the impact-based clustering, the policy analysis, the impact analysis and the targets over time.
Five product groups, targets on a timeline to 2030
Building on the PBL Policy Brief on possible targets for a circular economy, circularity targets were formulated for five product groups: electrical appliances, packaging, chemical products, textiles and furniture. The clustering was based on impact on climate, environment, biodiversity and supply security, developed in two working sessions with stakeholders from policy, academia and business.
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From policy brief to targets
On 14 July 2021, the PBL Policy Brief on possible targets for a circular economy was submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives. This concretisation of targets marks a next step from the five transition agendas towards the 2030 objective. Within the target-setting trajectory of the Transition Agenda for Consumer Goods, targets were formulated for five product groups.
The Transition Agenda for Consumer Goods asked New Economy for support in carrying out this target-setting trajectory. That support focused on the impact-based clustering, the policy analysis, the impact analysis and the targets over time. This document is an additional calculation, supplementing the earlier version.
The process
The target-setting trajectory ran from November to March through a fixed sequence of steps. An impact analysis mapped where most impact sits, followed by the clustering per product group and a policy analysis of existing targets for 2025-2030. In a first working session, performance targets were inventoried, after which a gap analysis showed where impact exists but policy does not yet. Targets were then formulated and verified and refined in a second working session, placed on a timeline from 2022 to 2030, resulting in roadmaps showing which targets aim at what.
Five product groups
Five product groups were selected for the Transition Agenda for Consumer Goods. Within each group, a division into clusters was made based on household spending from the most recent CBS (Statistics Netherlands) data, since a correlation exists between spending and impact on climate, environment and biodiversity.
| Product group | Example clusters |
|---|---|
| Electrical appliances | motorised tools, large and small household appliances, high-tech and communication, lighting, toys and sports equipment |
| Packaging and consumables | paper and cardboard, metals, glass, wood, plastic, diapers and hygiene products, consumables |
| Chemical products | cleaning and protection products, paint, personal care products |
| Textiles | clothing, bedding, upholstery and curtains, household textiles, footwear, carpets |
| Furniture | seating, tables and cabinets, beds and accessories, other furniture |
The quantitative clustering follows household spending; the qualitative clustering uses HS coding for a more specific breakdown, such as for furniture and textiles.
The impact analysis
The quantitative impact analysis uses the EAP database, a combination of a Dutch environmental input-output model and life-cycle assessments, developed by PBL and the University of Groningen. Linking this to CBS household spending produces a picture of the actual impact of consumer goods used in the Netherlands. For electrical appliances, the use phase was also included via energy consumption.
The impact categories were converted to eco-costs using the method of the National Environmental Database, and clustered into climate (greenhouse gases), environment (acidification), biodiversity (land use), health (photochemical smog) and resource scarcity (abiotic depletion). Spending by businesses and government is not registered by CBS as consumption and was extrapolated from household spending; with a factor of 0.415, roughly 30% of consumer goods turn out to be consumed by businesses and government. An additional qualitative analysis assesses the clusters using a traffic-light model for environment, biodiversity and supply security.
Example: electrical appliances
Within electrical appliances, high-tech and communication and large household appliances are the largest sources of greenhouse gases.
| Cluster | Climate impact (Mt CO₂-eq per year) |
|---|---|
| High-tech and communication | 7.5 |
| Large household appliances | 6.2 |
| Small household appliances | 2.5 |
| Lighting | 2.1 |
Policy for this group runs along the RoHS directive, ecodesign and energy labels, the WEEE directive, extended producer responsibility for e-waste, the Raw Materials Agreement targeting 50% less abiotic raw materials, Fit for 55 with 55% emissions reduction, and the Circular Electronics Roadmap, with milestones in 2023, 2025 and 2030.
Policy analysis and gap
The policy analysis was carried out through desk research, sharpened by experts during the working sessions. Only policy targets aimed at circularity strategies for the 2022-2030 period, at sector, national or EU level, were included. Targets already implemented whose impact has already occurred, and draft proposals not yet in force, fall outside the analysis. The gap analysis then exposes where impact exists but policy does not yet, forming the basis for new circularity targets.
Targets over time
The effect, circularity and performance targets were placed per product group on a timeline from 2022 to 2030, inspired by the PBL framework for circular economy targets and monitoring. The performance targets were inventoried in the first working session and verified and refined in the second, producing a roadmap per product group that shows which targets aim at what.
Observations and recommendations
The process yielded lessons on data, method and definitions. Reliable monitoring requires a consistent method for collecting data annually and determining impacts on climate, environment and supply security, while preventing double-counting with other transition agendas. That calls for a shared set of definitions across all transition agendas, ministries and knowledge teams, and an in-depth analysis at cluster or product level to formulate more specific targets.
The working sessions surfaced shared areas of attention: in-depth analyses of secondary stocks and sharing platforms to extend product lifespans, better knowledge and monitoring, a cultural shift around repair, refurbishment and countering fast fashion, room for experimentation and risk capital for climate-positive innovations, and a true price that makes lower- or positive-impact products more attractive. These themes lend themselves well to cross-cutting approaches and flagship projects.
Method and role
New Economy supported the Transition Agenda for Consumer Goods with the impact-based clustering, the policy analysis, the quantitative impact analysis via the EAP database, and the targets over time. Impacts were converted to eco-costs using the method of the National Environmental Database; the qualitative assessment used, among other tools, the Raw Materials Scanner and Idemat.
Also read the exploration of circular business parks in Groningen and the analysis of urban mining of construction and demolition waste.
How to cite
New Economy (2022). Final delivery of the target-setting trajectory, Transition Agenda for Consumer Goods: additional calculation. Available via neweconomy.eco.
Download the report
- Target-Setting Programme for Circular Consumer Goods (PDF) The final delivery with the clustering, the impact analysis, the policy analysis, the targets over time and the observations and recommendations. Download the report (PDF)
Insights from this project
Frequently asked questions
The trajectory formulates circularity targets for five product groups, based on an impact analysis and working sessions with stakeholders. New Economy delivered the clustering, the policy analysis, the impact analysis and the targets over time.
Electrical appliances, packaging and consumables, chemical products, textiles and furniture. Each group is divided into clusters based on household spending and impact.
Using the EAP database, a Dutch environmental input-output model with life-cycle assessments from PBL and the University of Groningen, linked to CBS household spending. Impacts were converted to eco-costs and clustered into climate, environment, biodiversity, health and resource scarcity.
With an extrapolated factor of 0.415, roughly 30% of consumer goods turn out to be consumed by businesses and government, alongside consumption by households.
A consistent, annually updated data method is needed to measure and adjust progress on absolute and percentage targets, with a shared set of definitions across all transition agendas.
Further reading
From impact to circular targets and policy
From impact analysis to evidence-based targets on a timeline. New Economy maps the climate, environmental and resource impact of sectors and product groups and translates these into circularity targets and policy.
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