The Netherlands Advocates for Rules on Sustainable Carbon in the Chemical Industry in Europe

The chemical industry supplies components for essential products such as medicines, plastics, paint, mattresses, and batteries. Currently, they mainly use fossil raw materials like crude oil and natural gas. To produce circularly and climate-neutrally by 2050, a shift to sustainable raw materials is necessary—those that are reusable or renewable and less harmful to the earth.

Examples of reusable and renewable raw materials include recycled plastic, sugar beets, gas from gasified waste streams, or wood chips as a basis for new plastic and other products. These raw materials can replace fossil raw materials and lead to a drastic reduction in CO2 emissions as well as a boost for the circular economy. In this way, the Dutch and European chemical industries can become world leaders in green chemistry.

We currently use far more raw materials than the earth can sustain. We want to move away from this and therefore aim for a circular economy. This means reusing raw materials repeatedly with almost no waste left. The Netherlands also aims to be climate-neutral by 2050.

State Secretary Heijnen: “With a shift from fossil to sustainable raw materials, we can make great strides toward these two goals. But we cannot and do not want to do this alone as the Netherlands. By tackling this at the European level, we stand stronger and kill two birds with one stone in terms of circularity and CO2 emissions. That is why today, together with France, the Czech Republic, and Ireland, we advocate for European rules that effectively promote the use of sustainable carbon sources in the chemical industry.”

Minister Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate): “The chemical industry is indispensable for our medicines, paint, but also for food and construction. We want to keep this industry in the Netherlands and Europe. More importantly, we want the chemical industry to become a global leader in green chemistry. I find it important that we commit ourselves to making this sector more sustainable while strengthening its competitive position by working together at the European level.”

An overarching European policy framework is also essential to safeguard the competitiveness of the European chemical industry in the long term and reduce dependence on (fossil) raw materials from abroad.

An EU policy package should help create markets, availability of sustainable carbon, and instruments to strengthen the competitiveness of the chemical industry.