Program
The opening session, led by Claire van den Broek, Managing Director of True Price, and moderated by Andrew Makkinga, presenter and reporter, set the tone: transparency is not a moral ideal, but a practical tool to rebalance our economy.
Throughout the day, speakers explored what an honest economy requires in practice. Contributions from Sander de Klerk (The Good Roll), Robert Driessen (WTP Buynamics), Prof. Barbara Baarsma (PwC / University of Amsterdam), Prof. Louise Vet (NIOO-KNAW) and Idriss Nor (DOEN Participaties) highlighted how hidden social and environmental costs currently distort markets and how better price signals can unlock innovation, responsibility and fairness across sectors.
A defining plenary moment came with the keynote by Harm Edens. In his talk “At the expense of the future”, he connected true pricing to everyday choices, reminding the audience that ignoring hidden costs does not make them disappear it merely shifts them to others, or to future generations.
One of the most important milestones of the festival was the launch of the True Price Database, presented by Maurits Appeldoorn. For the first time, true price data is now centrally available and directly usable by organisations, policymakers and practitioners. The database moves true pricing from experimentation to application at scale and was immediately put to use during workshops, where participants calculated true prices using real data. By making this data freely accessible for non-profit organisations, True Price aims to accelerate impact across sectors.
The practical relevance of true pricing was further underlined during the presentation of the True Price Award 2026. The award, judged by Viktoria de Bourbon de Parme (EIT Food), Roland Duong (journalist and maker), Marianne Gybels (Vinted), Jeanine Somefun-Wolthuis (Eosta) and Carlijn Teunissen (Vermaat), was awarded to Fairphone for its Gen 6 phone, a tangible example of a consumer product actively closing the gap between market price and true price.
From workshops on living income, procurement and impact-driven business models to the True Price Market, featuring organisations such as The Good Roll, Kumasi, Meaningful Matter, Bocca and Vegan Food Tour, participants engaged with true pricing in practice. At the Vermaat Experience, developed with Het Groene Brein and Larissa van der Knaap (Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences), visitors were invited to reflect on their own “climate sins” in a playful but confronting way.
The festival closed with reflections by founders Michel Scholte and Adrian de Groot Ruiz. Five years of shared learning, they concluded, have laid the foundation for the next phase: scaling true pricing through policy, procurement, education and everyday consumer choices.
The 5th True Price Festival made one thing clear: true pricing is no longer about whether change is possible, but about how fast we are willing and able to make it happen together.
For media requests, interviews, or more information about the festival or the True Price movement, please contact the True Price team via truepricefestival@trueprice.org
We are grateful for everyone who came and participated on the 5th True Price Festival, making our movement stronger. We hope to see you next year!
