Eeuwige Trouw and Hup naar de Hub! win the National Hackathon Circular Economy 2026

Where others see waste, PreZero prefers to see raw materials. Achieving Zero Waste and creating a fully circular future with closed-loop systems. Innovation is at the heart of this mission, as emphasized by Barbara Huizink, Director of Innovation. This is why PreZero is dedicated to driving progress both within our company and across the entire industry.

Last year, PreZero contributed as an expertise partner to the National Hackathon Circular Economy. This year, they’ve taken it a step further as a case holder, setting their sights on making events completely waste-free. ‘It's good to make people, including young people, aware of the choice you have when you purchase something,’ she says.

PreZero is working towards a circular economy without waste. By encouraging re-use, but especially by preventing waste. And by making new raw materials from the waste it collects. ‘PreZero cannot do this alone,’ says Barbara. ‘Cooperation is crucial to close the chain. That's why PreZero works with partners on innovative solutions to really get everything out of raw materials. For example, together with partners we are already making a chair from sterile packing material from hospitals and we are reusing skylights with Velux.’

‘Build impression rooms in which customers see how that ‘new’ second-hand couch looks in the living room! This way, you directly see what impact you reduce and how fun second-hand can be.’ With this idea, team Samen Groen Groeien won the National Hackathon Circular Economy 2025. Out of 13 other ideas, their solution for the challenge posed by bol and Het Goed was chosen as the winner by the jury during the Grand Finale on Friday, February 7th.

“A lot of products are still being produced that don’t currently have a good destination when they are discarded.”

“We want Gen Z to find sustainable choices appealing”

After a successful first edition of the national talent program Leadership for the Circular Transition (LCT), the second and third edition have also been completed. This nationwide program supports students in developing the specific knowledge, skills, and experience needed to tackle the transition challenges they face. The outcomes of the second edition have been captured in a whitepaper, the third white paper is on its way. 

In this whitepaper, we explore how the second LCT program has evolved compared to the first edition. We also examine its impact and the lessons learned during this second edition.

H&M's participation in the National Hackathon Circular Economy 2024

By: Marja van der Zanden, Living Ecosystem / MNEXT-Avans

From 5 to 9 February 2024, the National Hackathon Circular Economy 2024 took place! Over 250 students mbo, hbo and wo worked on the challenge  how to accelerate the movement from fast fashion to slow fashion. Student teams from different regions in the Netherlands and from different fields of study worked together on issues of H&M and New Optimist.

Yann Wunsch is founder of Ragnarøk, a circular fashion pioneer. Ragnarøk produces t-shirts with a sustainability focus: a short, simple and local supply chain, fair labour and reversing own impact. At the National Hackathon Circular Economy (February 5-9 2024), Yann wil give an inspiring talk about how and why he started his circular fashion brand. 

In the third edition of the National Hackathon Circular Economy, over 140 students helped NS and ProRail by developing Green Ideas for reduction and recycling of public waste on train stations.