Transforming industrial clusters to implement the European Green Deal

The document examines five major industrial clusters in Belgium and the Netherlands, highlighting their economic significance and high greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that because each cluster's governance and industrial makeup differ, 'tailor-made policy' is required rather than generic instruments. The brief identifies the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr Area (ARRRA) as a critical meta-cluster connected by extensive pipeline infrastructure. It recommends a multi-level governance approach where cluster authorities handle local planning and implementation, while national and EU bodies provide high-level coordination, regulatory frameworks, and the bulk of the financing for the transition to net-zero by 2050.

• Five specific industrial clusters in Belgium and the Netherlands were analyzed: Port of Antwerp, North Sea Port, Chemelot, Port of Rotterdam, and the North Sea Canal Area. These clusters are of significant economic value but are major emitters; for example, the Port of Rotterdam's emissions are 33.1MtCO2 eq. and the North Sea Port's are 21.7MtCO2 eq. annually.
• The Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr Area (ARRRA) functions as a meta-cluster producing 40% of all chemicals in the European Union. It is supported by a backbone of approximately 1,600 km of hydrogen pipelines, with 850 km located in the Netherlands and Belgium, 390 km in Germany, and 303 km in France.
• Governance of the transition to climate neutrality varies by cluster, ranging from the Port Authority leading in Rotterdam to a sustainability team in Chemelot or the Smart Delta Resources partnership in the North Sea Port. This diversity suggests that generic climate policy instruments, such as a carbon levy, may be less effective than 'tailor-made' policy mixes.
• Several large-scale technological and infrastructure projects are underway in the ARRRA region, including the Porthos CCS project aiming to store 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year starting in 2024, the Green Octopus project for hydrogen infrastructure, and the Silver Frog project for solar PV and water electrolysis.
• The document proposes a tiered governance model for the transition: cluster authorities should manage local roadmaps and implementation; national governments should coordinate between clusters and provide financial support; and the EU should provide overall coordination, a green finance taxonomy, and carbon pricing instruments like the EU ETS.

APA

van der Reijden, R., de Coninck, H., Khandekar, G., & Wyns, T. (2021). Transforming industrial clusters to implement the European Green Deal. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CFM-Industrial-Clusters-briefing_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

van der Reijden, Roos, Heleen de Coninck, Gauri Khandekar, and Tomas Wyns. Transforming industrial clusters to implement the European Green Deal. Climate Strategies, 2021. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CFM-Industrial-Clusters-briefing_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=van der Reijden |first1=Roos |last2=de Coninck |first2=Heleen |last3=Khandekar |first3=Gauri |last4=Wyns |first4=Tomas |title=Transforming industrial clusters to implement the European Green Deal |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=January 2021 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CFM-Industrial-Clusters-briefing_FINAL.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vanderreijden2021transforming, author = {van der Reijden, Roos and de Coninck, Heleen and Khandekar, Gauri and Wyns, Tomas}, title = {{Transforming industrial clusters to implement the European Green Deal}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CFM-Industrial-Clusters-briefing_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }