Nutrient Platform calls on Dutch Government to close the nutrient loop

Why nutrient recovery is urgent now

The call comes at a time of growing geopolitical urgency. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted just how vulnerable global fertiliser markets are to disruption – the region accounts for an estimated 20 to 30 percent of world exports of mineral nitrogen fertilisers such as ammonia and urea. In the meanwhile, the Netherlands remains heavily dependent on imports of fossil-based fertilisers, with 36.7 percent of phosphate imports originating from Russia in recent years, and 22.7 percent of mineral nitrogen sourced there as recently as 2025.

The Netherlands' nutrient paradox: importing what it already has

Yet the Netherlands is simultaneously facing a striking paradox: while it imports vast quantities of critical nutrients, it loses equally significant quantities through wastewater streams. In 2022 alone, an estimated 17,900 tonnes of phosphorus were lost in household and agri-food sector wastewater – enough to meet the country's entire mineral phosphate fertiliser demand nearly twice over. The recovery potential for potassium stands at 100 per cent of current usage, and for nitrogen at 50 per cent. Resource independence, the letter argues, is within reach.

Why the Netherlands is uniquely placed to lead

The Nutrient Platform and its partners see considerable opportunity in this challenge. The Netherlands is exceptionally well-placed to act: the close proximity of urban and rural areas brings nutrient supply and demand together in ways few other countries can match. A strong, experienced fertiliser sector stands ready to process recovered nutrients into safe, high-quality circular fertilisers. And the country's internationally recognised expertise in water and food systems creates a solid foundation for developing and scaling innovative solutions.

Circular fertilisers: supporting water quality and European policy goals

Closing the nutrient loop would not only reduce dependence on geopolitically sensitive supply chains, but also help improve water quality, soil health, and a more resilient food system –  supporting both national goals and a growing body of European policies, including the EU Fertiliser Action Plan, the Critical Raw Materials Act, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, and the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food.

What the Nutrient Platform is asking the Government to do

The Nutrient Platform stresses that capitalising on these opportunities will require more than sector-led innovation. Complex regulations and an unbalanced fertiliser market – in which negative pricing currently undermines the economics of nutrient recovery – mean that government coordination is essential. The letter calls on the four ministries to work more intensively with one another and with the full value chain to create the enabling conditions for circular fertiliser markets to flourish.

Together with a set of detailed policy recommendations submitted as an annex to the letter, the Nutrient Platform invites the ministers to enter into dialogue on how the Netherlands can translate its unique starting position into concrete progress – not only for the benefit of Dutch agriculture and water quality, but as a contribution to food security and resource sovereignty across Europe.

‘Together we can take serious steps towards a more independent and future-proof food system’, the letter concludes, ‘ensuring healthy soils, healthy food and clean water – for current and future generations.’

Read the full letter and policy recommendations

• Letter to the Ministers (PDF in Dutch)
• Policy Recommendations (PDF in Dutch)

About the Nutrient Platform

The Nutrient Platform, initiated and hosted by the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP), is a cross-sector network of Dutch organisations that believes in a pragmatic approach towards nutrient recycling. Frontrunners from the water sector, agriculture, waste sector and chemical industry have joined up to close nutrient cycles.

Above all, the Nutrient Platform aims to turn the surplus of phosphorus in the Netherlands into an opportunity. This surplus, mainly caused by our intensive livestock system, leads to environmental problems. Recovering phosphorus from the ‘waste’ streams and turning it into valuable new products not only protects the environment, but also closes the phosphorus cycle.

The Nutrient Platform is a cross-sector network of some 25 organisations. It was established in 2011 and is hosted by the Netherlands Water Partnership.

For more information, contact Jorn Baan Hofman of the Nutrient Platform at info@nutrientplatform.org.