By Han Rakels
How can the Netherlands accelerate its transition to sustainable biomaterials and move away from fossil-based resources? This question is central to the initiative “Biomaterials Dialogue”. Stakeholders from industry, government, research, and society are invited to collaboratively search for concrete solutions to integrate sustainable biomaterials on a large scale within the chemical industry. The goal: counteract fragmentation, establish clear policy certainty, and scale innovative technologies.
This project is initiated by the group “Maatschappelijk Verantwoord Ondernemen” (MVI – Socially Responsible Entrepreneurship), part of the Top Sector Energy, commissioned by RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency). The assignment is carried out by Perspectivity in collaboration with VNCI (Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry).
Why Biomaterials?
The Netherlands faces the challenge of making its chemical industry sustainable and drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to the energy transition, the resource transition represents a significant challenge. Biomaterials offer a promising alternative, but the transition is progressing slowly due to uncertainties on technical, economic, and policy levels. Another study, research, analysis, or report alone will not create substantial change. It’s time for a new approach. But is there sufficient enthusiasm? This is the current stage of the initiative. Will it be possible to broaden the dialogue from experts, platforms, and studies to include all diverse and relevant stakeholders coming together to determine their vision and ambitions and translate these into actions for collective impact?
The urgency becomes clear when considering that the Dutch chemical industry is Europe’s fourth-largest (after Germany, France, and Italy) and tenth-largest worldwide. The difficulty of making progress in sustainability is highlighted by recent setbacks, including the collapse of around ten plastic recycling companies and the significant struggles faced by the chemical industry, partly due to high energy prices.
Challenges Identified
The first phase of the project provides a preliminary overview of key obstacles:
- Fragmentation: Numerous scattered initiatives lack central coordination. Government, industry, and research institutions do not collaborate sufficiently.
- Lack of stimulating policy: Missing regulations such as mandatory blending or CO₂ pricing delay investments.
- Economic barriers: High costs and long return-on-investment periods make investors hesitant.
- Weak market demand: Large consumers continue to cling to fossil-based alternatives due to uncertainty around long-term contracts.
Solutions Through Dialogue
The Perspectivity approach deliberately emphasizes dialogue and collaboration through a so-called “Social Lab”. Stakeholders from various sectors come together to collectively develop knowledge, discuss scenarios, and create support. By April 2025, it will become clear whether this initiative has gained enough traction to move forward.
More information?
- Want to know more? Contact Han Rakels