News report | 05-03-2026 | 15:35

Her Majesty Queen Máxima, together with the Minister of Climate & Green Growth, Stientje van Veldhoven, will be in Haarlem and Utrecht on Wednesday, March 19, as part of the start of the eleventh Week of the Circular Economy. During this week, pioneers, companies, researchers and governments in the Netherlands demonstrate how circular innovation and entrepreneurship work in practice. In Haarlem, they visit NS Train Modernization for the renovation of old trains using reused materials. In Utrecht, they go to the Hof van Cartesius for circular entrepreneurship and attend a conference on this theme.

Sustainable renovation of NS train sets in Haarlem

Queen Máxima and Minister Van Veldhoven start in Haarlem with a tour at NS Train Modernization. There, twenty-year-old double-decker trains are dismantled, modernized and refitted with approximately 86% reused materials. The trains can then be used for at least another twenty years. The remaining materials are given a different destination. In 2021, NS received the Circular Award, Business category, for circular work.

Train conversation about circularity in the economy

Queen Máxima and the minister then travel by a modernized train to Utrecht. On the train, they discuss three themes with representatives from business, government, scientists and citizen initiatives about the increasing role of circularity in the economy. These themes are: resilience and industrialization about the contribution of circular production processes to the economic resilience of the Netherlands; circular economy leaves no one behind about the inclusion of the most vulnerable in the transition; and labor and education.

Visit to Hof van Cartesius in Werkspoorkwartier Utrecht

After arriving in Utrecht, Queen Máxima and Minister Van Veldhoven go to the Hof van Cartesius. This is a circularly built workplace and testing ground for creative and sustainable entrepreneurs. In the circular woodworking workshop Buurman, they speak with several employees. At Stichting UP Utrecht, a place where entrepreneurs, residents and organizations collaborate on repair and upcycling of goods, they receive an explanation of the “Utrecht Circular Wood Pact”. This is an agreement between organizations in the Utrecht region to apply at least 30% circular wood in new and temporary projects in 2026.

Conference Circular Entrepreneurship

The visit concludes at the Conference Circular Entrepreneurship in the Werkspoorkathedraal. Queen Máxima and the minister attend the presentation of the Circular Hero Award 2026 and the summary of the afternoon program on the action agenda for scaling up and strategic autonomy in the raw materials transition. Minister Van Veldhoven gives a speech about the circular economy and the preservation of critical raw materials. Queen Máxima receives the report “State of Circular Entrepreneurship 2026”. This is an analysis of the degree of circularity within SMEs and large organizations. Afterwards, Queen Máxima and the minister speak with several entrepreneurs.

The Week of the Circular Economy 2026

The Week of the Circular Economy, organized by Het Groene Brein, is held throughout the Netherlands from March 19 to 26. There are over 250 events focusing on extending product lifespans, smarter waste management, and developing and scaling circular products and services.

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