‘Circular Biobased Delta’ is a 10-year plan that aims to reduce CO2 emissions in the Dutch Delta region by 10 Mt/a by 2030. If successful, this would mean the three Delta provinces (Zuid-Holland, Noord-Brabant and Zeeland) making a substantial contribution to securing the targets laid down in the Dutch Climate Agreement and Climate Act.
The plan comprises a wide portfolio of projects, ranging from production of new biomass-based chemicals to plastics recycling routes. This study, commissioned by Circular Biobased Delta and with funding from the three provinces, is the first to quantify the respective contributions of the individual projects to overall CO2 emissions reduction. To this end the CO2 emissions embodied in each project were compared with those associated with current production methods. We conclude that these projects will together achieve a total reduction of 5.4 Mt CO2-eq./a in 2030. We also estimate the investments required to implement the projects as well as likely investment schedules and the emission cuts ultimately achieved.
This study makes the reduction potential and relative importance of each of the constituent projects tangible and will allow Circular Biobased Delta as well as policymakers to take targeted follow-up action: practical implementation of plans that are already sufficiently concrete, fleshing out those that are still in their infancy and materialization of the additional projects that will be needed to secure the first of the envisaged targets: 10 Mt/a CO2 reduction in 2030.