Academic
Workstream
The Sustainable Industry Lab (SIL) distills important choices and their consequences of the industrial sustainable transformation between 2020 and 2050. By means of synthesizing academic and expert knowledge, SIL aims to improve the quality of the societal and political debate to reach a carbon neutral Dutch industry by 2050.
Dutch industry is essential for the social earning capacity. To align the global sustainability agenda with Dutch economic aspirations sustainable investments must be enabled. This theme explores the ambitions for a carbon-neutral Dutch industrial portfolio by 2050, possible investment pathways and conditions for future-proof and responsible business cases.
The Dutch carbon cycle theme looks at the interplay between the energy transition and the ambition for a circular economy. In our industry, in particular the petrochemical industry, these ambitions tie together in ways that are as yet poorly understood.
Governance, or the public-private organization of the energy transition, is essential for a successful industrial transformation. In this theme we explore questions such as: Who bears the responsibility to enable, accelerate or enforce climate policy and actions? At which governmental level, international, European or national, can we best regulate or create policy instruments?
The concept of the fair energy transition bridges the gap between traditional techno-economical decision-making and the societal implications. In this theme we explore how the sustainable industrial transformation creates impacts on different groups, such as employees and employers, businesses, local residents, governments and societal and environmental organizations. We also study how potentially negative impacts can be reasonably mitigated.
The theme renewable energy for industry focuses on the future renewable energy resources for industry in the Netherlands, addressing the challenge that the Netherlands has a comparatively large and energy-intensive industrial sector that domestic renewables are primarily electric (wind and solar) and constrained by competition for land and offshore use.