This morning, with a cup of coffee in one hand and my phone in the other, I was reading an article about a possible US-Ukraine raw materials deal. According to the reports, the Americans would gain strategic access to Ukrainian raw materials such as lithium and cobalt – materials that are essential for batteries, electric cars and the energy transition. My first thought? What does this mean for Europe? And what does this mean for the Netherlands?
At the same time, the ICER 2025 report from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) was in front of me. As I leafed through it, it became increasingly clear to me: we in the Netherlands and Europe are too dependent on external raw materials. We still get a large part of our oil and gas from abroad, but the same applies to metals, critical materials and even plastic.
And therein lies the problem. In a world where geopolitical tensions are rising and countries are putting their own interests first, access to raw materials is no longer a given. What if a trade war breaks out between the US and China? What if the EU is left out of deals like the one between the US and Ukraine?
The ICER 2025 makes it painfully clear: we must reduce our dependency, and this can only be done by focusing on circularity and bio-based raw materials.
You only have to look at the past few years to see how vulnerable we are. The war in Ukraine has driven up the prices of oil, gas and many other raw materials. In 2024, several Dutch plastic recycling companies went under because they simply could not compete with the cheap virgin plastics from countries outside Europe. The Netherlands is almost entirely dependent on China for the refining of critical materials such as lithium and cobalt.
It is an uncomfortable reality, we are building a sustainable future, but are still dependent on non-sustainable sources. And while other major powers are making strategic deals, the Netherlands seems to be lagging behind.
But it can be done differently. What the ICER 2025 shows is that bio-based feedstocks can play a key role in making our economy safer and more sustainable. Take biocarbon as an example. The steel industry still uses fossil carbon to make steel, a highly polluting process. The industry is now working on using biocarbon as a renewable substitute, which not only reduces CO₂ emissions but also makes us less dependent on fossil feedstocks. And it goes beyond steel. Bio-based feedstocks can replace plastics, chemicals and fuels. By using agricultural and waste streams intelligently, we can produce high-quality materials without being dependent on geopolitical uncertainties and spread our dependency over many more continents, products and suppliers.
But there is one big problem, the market for bio-based raw materials still needs to grow. Companies want to, but are faced with obstacles such as high costs, lack of volume and a lack of clear legislation. This is where the government needs to play a role.
If we really want to become circular and biobased and no longer want to be dependent on foreign raw materials, we need to take action now. Europe needs to make strategic deals, but based on circularity and bio-based raw materials. Instead of waiting for a raw materials deal like the one between the US and Ukraine, we need to invest in our own sustainable sources.
This can be done through subsidies, investments and regulations that make the production of biobased materials more attractive. But certainly also investing in new technologies and not waiting until regulations require it to become more sustainable.
The ICER 2025 leaves no doubt: the Netherlands is lagging behind in its circular ambitions, and if we do not accelerate now, we will become increasingly dependent on external forces. The possible raw materials deal between the US and Ukraine is a wake-up call. Other countries are actively working to secure their raw materials supply. The Netherlands should not wait, but strategically focus on bio-based raw materials, recycling and circularity.
Because the future is not something that happens to us, it is something we create ourselves. Want to read more? Check out the full report here: ICER 2025 – PBL
About the author
John Bouterse
Managing director Komercon BV and director of Platform Bio-Economie
John Bouterse is co-owner of Komercon BV, director of Platform Bio-Economy and member of various working groups that deal with various issues and policies regarding the use and sustainability of biomass. Based on his expertise, John works every day to give waste and biomass a new high-quality purpose and from this perspective he looks in these blogs at the special developments and possibilities that biomass offers and the challenges that come with it.
