Defence is not the first industry that springs to mind in the context of circularity, but it is necessarily keenly aware of the need to be resilient and have secure supply chains.

The Dutch Ministry of Defence worked with other government organisations and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) to factor circular principles into uniform use.

They challenged the market to develop applications for old army, police and customs agent uniforms. The result was panels suitable for construction and furnishings – that will be used in Ministry of Defence buildings this year. The next project involves making upholstery fabrics, and the initial results are looking good.

The Ministry of Defence has undertaken to use 50% fewer raw materials by 2030 and achieve 100% circularity by 2050.