Value Chain Capture

Achieving circularity for the Chemical Industry in the Netherlands remains a top priority. It has been captured in the MMIP6 mission of the 2019 National Climate Agreement and has led to numerous studies to achieve this target. Particularly, quantitative flow charts from national studies have drawn an outline of a future circular value chain, based on chemical conversion processes that are developed at very high Technology Readiness Level (TRL 8-9). However, although these technologies have been well described today in terms of individual process economics, investment cost and eco-efficiency, there is only limited information about the possible competitiveness of these technologies, and the value chains resulting from them, in an international setting.
This project will provide insight into the international competitiveness of new circular processes for one value chain in the bulk packaging industry in the Netherlands. It will review and integrate from literature the cost structure for the various steps from electrons/carbon source to a finished plastic packaging good. To assess international competitiveness, this cost model will be compared to a second cost model for a low-cost sustainable energy hub in the Middle East. The cost for all chemical intermediates and end products in these two value chains will be compared on a landed cost basis.
The result of this project will be a modular Excel model containing a technical/economic analysis for each step in the value chain, and an integrated cost model for the plastic packaging value chains.
The Excel cost model will allow all project partners to analyse and support their business case decisions, scenario planning and communication. A base version of the model (containing only data freely available from literature) will be made available to interested parties in the Netherlands (startups, corporations or investors).