The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (MRA) is a large-scale collaboration between the provinces of North Holland and Flevoland, 30 municipalities and the Amsterdam Transport Region (Vervoerregio Amsterdam). There is a high concentration of industry in this area. At the end of 2022, the MRA board came up with the idea of transforming the industry in the MRA into the most environmentally-friendly industrial zone in the Netherlands. The MRA commissioned CE Delft to conduct a broad study of the aspects that could play a role in realising this goal.
This study indicates that there is still considerable room for improvement on all general environmental issues (climate, raw materials, biodiversity, air, soil and water quality and local nuisance). There are already a large number of initiatives underway to make the industrial activities more environmentally friendly, although the actual realisation of these projects will require considerable effort and investment. This study also provides a number of specific recommendations for the MRA board, aimed primarily at supporting and strengthening existing initiatives and developments.