Circular consumer goods

Preparing the ground for true pricing in circular consumer goods

The transition to circular consumer goods is high on the political and business agenda. In the Netherlands, true pricing is increasingly recognised as a promising instrument to support this transition, including at policy level, where it is seen as a way to make environmental and social costs visible and actionable in markets and procurement.

Keeping this context in mind, the Consumer Goods Coalition brings together companies, knowledge institutions, and public partners to explore how true pricing can be applied in practice within non-food consumer goods. The coalition focuses on learning, alignment, and preparation, bridging the gap between ambition and implementation.

Join the coalition

What we have done so far

In 2025, True Price carried out an in-depth exploration on the role of true pricing in the transition to circular consumer goods, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Together with frontrunning companies and knowledge partners, we:

Explored where true pricing can add value within consumer goods value chains
Assessed how true pricing relates to existing frameworks such as CSRD and the Digital Product Passport
Identified key conditions, challenges, and data needs for practical application
Developed three pilot concepts as concrete next steps

These pilots focus on representative and relevant cases:

New versus refurbished office furniture
New versus refurbished smartphones
Social impacts of virgin versus recycled polyester

The pilots are explicitly designed as learning environments, not as final models or standards.

Who we work with

The coalition brings together a diverse group of organisations from across the consumer goods ecosystem, including retailers, producers, and knowledge partners. Participants in the exploratory phase included:

Zeeman, Bol.com, Decathlon
Ahrend, Miele, ATAG
Knowledge partners such as Het Groene Brein and Avans Hogeschool

All participants joined with the intention to explore and learn, not to make uniform commitments or claims.

What we are working towards

The coalition’s shared ambition is to make the societal value of circular strategies visible and usable in business and policy decisions. Looking ahead, we aim to:

Test true pricing through carefully selected pilots
Learn what is feasible, scalable, and decision-relevant
Align approaches with regulation and reporting requirements
Lay the groundwork for broader application in the sector
Collaborate with Dutch Applied Universities (Hogescholen) to execute pilots

Interested in joining?

If your organisation works with consumer goods and wants to explore how true pricing can support circular strategies in a pragmatic and collaborative way, we invite you to join us.