With the Chemical Cluster Emmen, Drenthe is among the top in Europe when it comes to the production of green plastics, composites, fibers and yarns, says Drenthe’s provincial executive Henk Brink. ‘We want to maintain and strengthen this unique position in the coming years.’ Guido Rink, the successor of Bouke Arends as alderman of Economy in Emmen, sees that there are many developments in the field of green fiber chemistry among SMEs. “The companies here look beyond the home country and work together on innovation, recently by investing together in an innovative pilot factory for polyester recycling.”
Taskforce Green Chemistry
In recent years, SMEs in Emmen have made significant strides in innovation and collaboration in green chemistry: smart biobased applications and recycled material for new products. There is intensive collaboration with knowledge institutes and with governments to accelerate innovation and to clear the way to the international market. These developments pave the way for other companies to also settle in Emmen. In order to contribute to this, the Province of Drenthe and the municipality of Emmen have jointly set up the Taskforce Green Chemistry.
Business network SUSPACC signed the agreement to stimulate business as a representative of the common interests of SMEs at local, regional, national and international level. SUSPACC facilitates collaborations between the members and the sharing of knowledge. ‘With the participation, we show that we are actively engaged as companies and contribute financially to the goal of jointly expanding the development of an internationally oriented bio-based and circular chemical cluster’, says chairman Bart Labrie.
The Chemical Cluster Emmen is part of Chemport Europe, the Northern Netherlands innovation ecosystem for chemicals and materials. Chemport Europe has the ambition to be the first cluster in the Netherlands (and possibly in Europe) with zero CO2 emissions and minimal environmental impact.
