In early September in Busan[1] The annual Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation was held in South Korea, where I was able to participate as part of the Dutch delegation and as a representative of the Integrated Biorefineries Mission. Given the societal uncertainty, I was curious about the current global perspective on the energy transition. I was pleasantly surprised that virtually all countries, albeit with their own distinct perspectives, recognized the need for the transition and are actively working on it. Or, as Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, put it: "We are currently seeing investments in renewable energy technologies that are twice as high as those in fossil fuels."
More acceleration is needed, in particular market creation and the recommendation from IRENA[2] The idea was to use public procurement for hard-to-abate sectors like cement, steel, and chemicals. This appears to be working well in many countries, and we're seeing it happen in the Netherlands as well, for example, with biobased construction and the use of sustainable materials. International agreements can also be tightened to achieve climate goals. The UN has launched the Global Climate Action Plan for this purpose.[3] Brazil is now working on formulating agreements and ambitions regarding Future Fuels, as well as Biobased Chemicals, so that they can be recorded and monitored.
The question now is how we can play an active role in this from the Netherlands and also position ourselves well in these international developments. We already held a workshop on this topic in June.[4] organised to explore with the sector what role bio-based raw materials and biorefinery can play within international cooperation.
The participants at this workshop were able to help each other well with suggestions:
- Inform yourself well, e.g. the websites of the IEA Bioenergy[5] tasks
- Information about potential countries; see the RVO international web pages
- Position your work within the framework of the government's green carbon policy
- Work through existing networks, such as IEA Bioenergy, CEM or Mission Innovation
- Existing RVO instruments can be improved, especially for start-ups
- In terms of application, SAF is an excellent opportunity for international collaboration
- For biopolymers, there is particular demand for application possibilities that appear to be developing strongly internationally
- Via Integrated Biorefineries Mission and B2Match[6] Dutch parties have access to international biobased innovations.
- A full report of this workshop is available from me.
Important steps are being taken as a follow-up. A Biomass Export Guide will be published, allowing many biobased companies to present themselves internationally. The European Biomass Conference will also be held.[7] We'll be coming to the Netherlands (The Hague) in May 2026, and we'll be able to welcome international participants (around 1500 participants each year) and showcase what the Netherlands has to offer. You can submit an abstract for this (including industry) until October 30th. In short, by working together, the international community has something to offer everyone.
[2] https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2024/Apr/IRENA_G7_Decarbonising_hard_to_abate_sectors_2024.pdf
[4] International collaboration crucial for accelerating integrated biorefineries – platformbioeconomie.nl
[6] Home | Mission Innovation Integrated Biorefineries Community Network
[7] EUBCE 2026 | 34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition – European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
About the author
Kees Kwant
Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)
Kees Kwant is a Senior Expert on Bioenergy and Circular Biobased Economy at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), a department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate in the Netherlands. He primarily links researchers and industry to help develop the circular biobased economy and bioenergy in the Netherlands and abroad. He is Member CEM Biofuture Initiative and leads the Mission Innovation Mission Integrated Biorefineries as Mission Director.
