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Foreign Investments Europe Bright future for chemical industry in the Netherlands

Bright future for chemical industry in the Netherlands

The future of the Dutch chemical industry is looking good. No matter which turn global, social, political and economic developments might take, the chemical sector will see substantial growth until 2030/2050. That prognosis is largely based on the sector's favorable starting position. This is the conclusion of a joint study by VNCI and Deloitte published on 20 January.

Existing cooperation with the chemical industry in Belgium and Germany plays an important part in this growth prognosis. There are not many other clusters in the world that are equally strong and integrated. The researchers therefore say that it is important to strengthen the Dutch-German-Belgian cluster.

They think that the chemical industry will be subject to major changes. Materials will be used more efficiently, and there will be a shift from fossil fuels to biomass (e.g. algae), biowaste and other materials that do not have an impact on the environment and in fact will even have a positive CO2 balance. The chemical sector will increasingly be seen as innovative, clean and safe, and as an indispensable industry which produces clever products that limit the negative impact on health and the environment.

To make this vision of the future into a reality, the investment climate in the Netherlands should remain attractive. Stimulating free trade continues to be important. Specific R&D, sustainable innovation and facilitating regulations are important in order to achieve more energy-efficient production and diversification of materials. In the interest of research and innovation, there should also be sufficient scope for startup businesses and innovative SMEs.

"Innovation in the chemical industry is the catalyst for new products, production processes and business models in other branches of industry. The chemical industry is the most important industry by far, and it is going to focus even more on the end markets," emphasizes Willem Vaessen, director and chemical industry expert of Deloitte.

The results of the study, carried out by Deloitte on behalf of VNCI, were presented and explained at a conference in Utrecht on 20 January.

Click here to view the report.

^{Source: VNCI - January, 30, 2012}