Growing a Community, From Chicago to the Dutch Chemical Ecosystem

It’s only been a few months since I returned to the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) to serve as Director of NFIA Chicago, but I already feel back at home. Those who know me will remember that my first stint with NFIA began nearly three decades ago in 1997 in Chicago. Coming back to lead NFIA’s office in the Windy City is an occasion to reflect on the parallels between my personal growth and the growing relationship between the Netherlands and countless North American companies that have made the leap to go Dutch.?

Recently, I attended the SOCMA tradeshow in Nashville, Tenn. with my colleague Anne-Sophie Geerlof, where we had the opportunity to engage with companies across the chemical sector. Building on those conversations, I want to highlight why the Netherlands is the place to be right now for American companies looking to establish production or R&D operations in Europe – especially for innovative chemical applications that can shape a more sustainable future.??

A community for common innovation?

Home to 19 of the top 25 chemical companies in the world, the Netherlands’ chemical ecosystem offers a strong sense of community. Numerous industry clusters thrive across the country, enabling companies to tap into researchers and engineers, pioneer new solutions, create powerful partnerships and improve chemical supply chains for European and global markets.?

Add to that the Netherlands’ ease of doing business, renowned infrastructure, English-speaking proficiency and easy access to feedstock, and you get the ideal setting to pursue your ambitions for chemical innovation and production in Europe. The Dutch chemical sector is also centrally located in the so-called ARRRA cluster (Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr-area), where 40 percent of the chemical production in the European Union takes place.?

In the province of Limburg, the Brightlands Chemelot Campus boosts innovation and business growth for a community of more than 100 international companies. With prime access to talent and knowledge, these companies are pushing the frontiers of circular materials, sustainable processes and bio-based chemical solutions.?

There is also a strong chemical ecosystem in Rotterdam, anchored by the Port of Rotterdam’s impressive infrastructure and access to global trade. The Dutch port is home to Europe’s largest bio-based chemical cluster, 45 chemical companies, numerous refineries, two biochemical factories and a laboratory environment for circular chemical innovation.?

In addition, the Zeeland province houses one of the largest chemical clusters in northwestern Europe. With a strategic location, and several ports and industrial areas, Zeeland is a hotspot for companies to accelerate their business and find synergy with other major players in the chemical and process sector.?

Chemical recycling grows up?

Ranked in the global top 10 for its waste recycling rate, the Netherlands is at the forefront of pioneering new ways to chemically recycle plastic waste. And with our famous collaborative mindset, that means working together with international companies of all sizes and specialties to engineer better technologies and solutions that can move the chemical sector closer to a circular economy.?

Take the example of Dow, a household name in the chemical industry with roots in the American Midwest. Impressively, Dow’s presence in the Netherlands goes back to the 1950s. Today, Dow Benelux is leveraging the Dutch ecosystem to develop sustainable approaches to upgrade its global operations.?

The company is partnering with Dutch innovator Fuenix Ecogy Group for circular polymer production: Fuenix processes plastic waste into oil feedstock, which Dow then uses to produce new circular plastic at its flagship site in Terneuzen, a city in the Zeeland region. Making use of its extensive presence in the Netherlands, Dow offers similar co-location opportunities at many of its sites, where companies can establish operations and become part of a larger supply chain.?

Another example is Aduro Clean Technologies: the Canada-based company recently expanded to the Chemelot Campus to seek new collaboration opportunities and scale up its technologies for upcycling waste plastics. Other global companies like Itero, UBQ and Plastic Energy, in partnership with SABIC, are investing in the Netherlands to advance next-generation plastic recycling technologies and processes.?

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The right chemistry for bio-based materials?

The development of chemicals from biomass is another important application that is advancing quickly in the Netherlands. Here, the Dutch culture of collaboration reaches across industries to achieve new breakthroughs in sustainable innovation. Supported by research institutions like TNO, the Netherlands is on the cutting-edge of bio-based fuels and chemicals.??

Cargill, another household name hailing from the Midwest, taps into Dutch chemical innovation to elevate its agrifood business in Europe while lowering its carbon footprint. Cargill has invested in an ingenious partnership with ENOUGH at Sas van Gent in Zeeland – here’s how it works: Cargill supplies ENOUGH with fermentable sugars as a feedstock, which ENOUGH harvests for fungal biomass that it uses to create alternative proteins. ENOUGH then supplies the sugary wastewater from this process back to Cargill’s bioethanol facility next door.?

Like Dow and Fuenix, Cargill’s partnership with ENOUGH is a co-location project where the two companies contribute to each other’s production operations in a circular, zero-waste process.?

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Global chemical company BASF also has a strong presence in the Netherlands, and its subsidiary Isobionics is developing and producing bio-based products for the flavor and fragrance markets from its facility at the Chemelot Campus. Similarly, after announcing a major investment in the Netherlands in 2021, Neste has forged ahead with growing its biorefinery at the Port of Rotterdam, where the company refines biomass waste to produce renewable products such as sustainable aviation fuel.?

It’s not just chemical producers themselves that play an integral role of the Dutch chemical ecosystem. Canada-based Zeton, a specialist in building modular factories for various industries, also contributes to the Netherlands’ chemical sector with its focus on designing facilities that produce sustainable bioplastics from biomass.?

From chemical recycling to bio-based materials, these stories remind me that growth can no longer be measured by the amount of product a company generates. For the Netherlands and for the forward-thinking companies that land there, growth means finding better, smarter, greener ways to produce and reuse the materials that keep our global economy running.?

On that note, I am excited to continue my own journey of growth here in NFIA’s Chicago office. If you would like to explore opportunities to become part of the Netherlands’ community of chemical innovators, our door is always open. Comment below or reach me at [email protected].?

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P.S.: In the spirit of highlighting my journey here in the U.S., I included this photo of me running the New York City marathon back in 2010. The path toward achieving our goals – whether in business or in life – is a marathon, not a sprint!?