Few sectors where the transition to sustainability is as important as in the chemical industry. The sector is of great importance to the Dutch economy and at the same time faces a considerable challenge. Some time ago, the Northern Netherlands put a lot of effort into the development of green chemistry. With success.
We must get rid of fossil raw materials. In chemistry, that credo is more than a few logical-sounding words.
After all: chemistry exists pretty much thanks to fossil raw materials. Yet things can and must be different. In the Northern Netherlands several chemical clusters are already very far advanced in greening their activities and supply. And that is just as well. Not only for the Earth, but also for the chemical sector itself. Because if it wants to survive in the near future, change is the motto.
With all the increasingly stringent measures to keep the climate in check, the following applies to the energy- and capital-intensive sector: act now to play along later.
Carbon from wood and sugar, hydrogen from wind energy, plastics from biopolymers, BTX from biomass, glycerin from frying fat. These are a few examples of green chemical activities that have already gained steam in the Northern Netherlands. That the future is taking shape right here is not illogical.
With Delfzijl and Emmen, the northern Netherlands has two chemical production clusters of stature.
These share their ecosystem with important expertise from the University of Groningen (the second largest technical university in the Netherlands) and other educational and research institutions.
The 'hinterland' is also particularly useful given the raw materials for sustainable chemistry and the knowledge of biorefinery. The North distinguishes itself in the Netherlands by being able to tick all the boxes: production clusters, agricultural hinterland, knowledge institutions, a port, access to green hydrogen and offshore wind. There is also space available to welcome new companies.
Geographical conditions pose significant challenges for the chemical industry. Not least because of the increasing importance of electrification in the sector. Especially in green chemistry, the supply of wind and solar energy is a growing challenge in this regard. The chemical parks in the northern Netherlands benefit from having direct access to green energy from off-shore wind farms in the North Sea.
Chemport Europe
The vibrant ecosystem, brought to life under the name Chemport Europe, means that the Northern Netherlands has an excellent opportunity to become a model region in the Netherlands and Europe. This idea is increasingly on the minds of policy makers in The Hague and Brussels. Entrepreneurship in the Northern Netherlands is the main driving force behind this development, political policy with the accompanying incentives is badly needed and taking shape.
Chemport Europe is the ecosystem of the Northern Netherlands in which agricultural companies, the chemical sector and knowledge institutions such as universities and colleges work together. However different those companies may be, they all want one thing: to green chemistry. Changing the nature of chemistry, is the slogan with which Chemport Europe connects organizations within the region and attracts companies from home and abroad to the North.