NMD Symposium 2026

The power of data: the foundation of the system

Thursday 12 November 2026

The power of data - the foundation of the system

On Thursday 12 November 2026, Stichting Nationale Milieudatabase (NMD) is holding its annual symposium at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden.

Last year, we looked back on the milestones Stichting Nationale Milieudatabase has achieved in five years and looked ahead to the goals still to be reached at national and European level.

This year, the NMD Symposium is entirely dedicated to "The power of data: the foundation of the system". During this inspiring afternoon, we bring together policymakers, consultants, clients, data owners and other professionals from the construction and sustainability sectors to look ahead at the development of the environmental performance system.

With contributions from ministries, municipalities, experts and market parties, among others, we will discuss current topics such as the MPG, Whole Life Cycle (WLC-GWP), renovation and transformation, procurement and digitalisation.

This year, we are giving special attention to data owners. During the symposium, we will focus extensively on their contribution, innovations and ambitions for the future. Both established data owners and promising newcomers will be given a platform to share their vision and experiences.

We warmly invite you to think along, join the conversation and help build the story on stage. Join us and help shape the construction of tomorrow!

What can you expect?

A strong programme with current themes, new insights and room to meet and talk. We bring together data owners, experts, users of the system, policymakers and other stakeholders to look ahead: where do we stand now, what developments do we see and what does this mean in practice?

The outline of the programme is now known.

13.00 - 13.30 u.	Walk-in and reception Welcome with coffee, tea, juice, soft drinks and something tasty.
13.30 – 13.35 u.	Welcome and opening Chair Maarten Schäffner welcomes the participants and introduces the programme. Before the break, the focus is on the system. After the break, attention shifts to the foundation of data and the role of data owners.
13.35 – 13.45 u.	Introduction: the power of the system Jan-Willem Groot, Director of Stichting Nationale Milieudatabase, introduces the theme of the afternoon and discusses current developments and the importance of a strong, well-functioning system.
13.45 – 14.15 uur	Government policy and developments at European and national level Jelle Bluemink, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK), outlines current developments at national and European level, such as WLC-GWP, the CPR, and renovation and transformation. What do they mean for the system and the use of environmental data? Charlie de Jong, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), discusses the role of the MKI in public procurement.
14.15 – 14.35 u.	The current system: value for the entire chain Ruben van Gaalen, EcoReview, discusses the current system and the MPG from a practical perspective. What does environmental data mean for the different parties in the chain, and what value does a well-functioning system deliver?
14.35 – 15.00 u.	Digitalisation and interoperability of environmental data André Meester and Thije Wubs, Stichting NMD, show how the availability, exchange and application of environmental data are becoming increasingly important. This session focuses on the need for further digitalisation and interoperability.
15.00 – 15.30 u.	Break
15.30 – 15.35 u.	Data quality and AI Nick Roumans and Pieter Stadhouders, EcoReview and Emvide, discuss new technologies such as AI and how they can help improve the quality of category 3 environmental declarations.
15.35 – 16.35 u.	Data owners live Without data owners, there is no environmental data. And without environmental data, there is no well-functioning environmental performance system. In this central part of the symposium, we therefore give the stage to the producers and manufacturers themselves. In short pitches and case studies, they explain why they invest in environmental data, how they use it within their company and what it delivers for them and for the chain. What is going well, what challenges do they face and what do they need to take the next step? The pitches alternate with short videos. The data owners then discuss the future of environmental data and the system with each other, the chair and the audience. This is followed by time for questions from the chair and the audience.
16.35 – 17.00 u.	Interactive closing, wrap-up and outlook In a short, engaging quiz, we reflect together on the key themes. This lets us test what we already know and discover new insights straight away. In the wrap-up, the key insights of the afternoon are summarised, with time for final questions from the audience.
17.00 u.	Reception

Meld u hier aan

Het middagprogramma begint om 13.00 uur met inloop met koffie en koek en wordtgeopend door dagvoorzitter Maarten Schäffner. Om ca. 17.00 uur sluiten we af met een gezellige borrel. Het programma staat al voor een groot deel in de steigers maar er wordt ook nog volop aan verbouwd en bijgeschaafd. Zodra we hierover meer informatie hebben houden we u op de hoogte via de website, nieuwsbrief en op LinkedIn.

We kijken uit naar uw komst op 12 november!

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