5 years Stichting NMD!

Over the past five years we have achieved a great deal and much has changed. We have grown significantly and important steps have been taken to make circular construction a reality. This brings us closer to a sustainable living environment, for today and for the future.

Several people have been closely involved in these developments and in the growth of Stichting NMD. Over a period of ten weeks we will share the perspectives of ten of these people through a short interview based on five fixed questions. In this way, we present ten perspectives on five years of Stichting NMD.

This week we have five questions for Charlie de Jong.

Charlie de Jong is team lead at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W) and works on policy related to environmental performance and sustainability in the civil engineering sector (GWW). In her role, she is involved in the development and application of instruments that help to incorporate environmental impact in a clear and predictable way into policy and procurement, such as the Environmental Cost Indicator (MKI). In addition, she participates in sector-wide collaborations aimed at the transition to a circular construction economy. From this position, she connects government policy with practice.

1. How did you first come into contact with Stichting NMD?

My first introduction to Stichting NMD was about two years ago. A colleague who was working on the MKI file within the policy core of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management handed over the dossier. Rijkswaterstaat, which has long been working with the MKI in practice, brought me up to speed at a rapid pace. That naturally included becoming acquainted with Stichting NMD.

2. In your experience, what has changed the most in your work or in the sector over the past five years?

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management works, among other things, on making the infrastructure sector more sustainable. This includes attention for the circular economy, the environment and climate. In recent years, this policy has become increasingly concrete and embedded in the National Programme for a Circular Economy (NPCE), the Strategy for Climate-Neutral and Circular Infrastructure (KCI) and the Clean and Emission-Free Construction programme (SEB).

In cooperation with the sector, a range of measures is being implemented to accelerate the transition towards a circular and climate-neutral construction sector. Within the NPCE, the government has included a measure to make the Environmental Cost Indicator (MKI) more mandatory in the procurement of infrastructure works. This means that contracting authorities and special-sector companies will be required, when tendering GWW works, to set minimum MKI requirements for specific materials used in these projects. In addition, the MKI must be included as an award criterion in the procurement of large GWW works.

The positive aspect of this measure is that it enjoys broad support within the sector. Steering through the MKI reduces the environmental impact of GWW works and promotes uniformity in procurement based on environmental performance requirements. This provides clarity for the sector. My team works on the NPCE measures and therefore also coordinates the legislative proposal.

This also means that the environmental performance system for GWW is becoming increasingly important, and that we as a ministry are becoming more intensively involved in the system. In doing so, we work closely with the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning, Rijkswaterstaat, ProRail, municipalities, provinces, water authorities, other public contracting authorities and other sector parties.

3. What change or development would you still like to see?

The cooperation between the ministries and Stichting NMD has become closer in recent years, particularly through the joint efforts to further develop the MKI system. This enables us to ensure that environmental performance requirements have maximum effect.

An important area for further development, in my view, is the tightening of the Assessment Method, so that the scope for interpretation is reduced. In addition, continued effort to supplement and update standard product data is essential.

4. What are you proud to have achieved together with Stichting NMD?

At the beginning of 2025, the Ministries of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) and Housing and Spatial Planning (VRO) signed a new cooperation agreement with Stichting NMD. In order to continue realising the national government’s policy objectives in the fields of the circular economy and climate in the future, a structural and appropriate cooperation and funding arrangement with Stichting NMD was established. As part of this, the division of roles between the parties involved was clarified and the governance of Stichting NMD was adjusted.

5. Where do you see Stichting NMD in five years?

In five years’ time, I see a professional and independent system with full GWW coverage, high data quality and a user-friendly infrastructure. An organisation that supports both the market and government in implementing environmental performance requirements, with a visible role in accelerating the transition towards a climate-neutral and circular construction and infrastructure sector.

This interview is part of a series. Over a period of ten weeks, we publish a new interview every Thursday.

Read all interviews on our lustrum page