Learn about the necessity of public procurement for a circular society through insights from academia and practice in this lunch webinar.

Did you know that public procurement can be a driving force behind a circular society? As a launching customer, the public sector can accelerate and scale up circular and innovative solutions in practice. In practice however, the potential of circular procurement is to a large extend untapped. What obstacles exist on the road to more circularity, and how to overcome them? If you’d like to learn more about the importance of public procurement, the most important developments in legislation, and current practical experiences, join this for lunch & learn lecture.

Speakers

Willem is a expert in the field of EU law, sustainability transitions and public procurement. He takes on a leading role in international and Dutch research, holds various lecturing positions, and works to improve the effectiveness of public procurement legislation through his public policy work. At present, he is the principle investigator of the CIRCLASH project, funded by NWO, about circularity and the law. He is also the host of BESTEK – The Public Procurement Podcast (in Dutch).

Sara is an expert in sustainable and responsible procurement.. She has worked in various public organizations, including the Municipality of Utrecht and the Representative Body of Dutch Water Boards, and advisory roles, where she applied her knowledge and experience to develop and operationalize sustainable procurement.

Ruben is an expert in sustainable public procurement from an economics perspective through his work as a postdoctoral researcher at the Utrecht School of Economics (U.S.E.). His work concentrates on the organization design and governance of public service and public-private collaborations, and the effects of (green) public procurement on firms’ pollution abatement, innovation and growth.

📅 19 March 2026
🕐 12:15 – 13:00
💻 Online