Circularity & Sustainability Impact

In a circular economy, waste and raw materials are balanced, where existing products and resources remain within the loop. At TNO, we are working on applications to achieve a fully circular economy by 2050. With technical, social, and economic expertise, we help governments and businesses on their way to becoming more sustainable.

We quantify and model the impact of circular economy, focusing on several sectors such as the chemical and refining sector, renewable energy technologies, (high tech) manufacturing industry, biomass (waste) conversion technologies and building and infrastructure.

By combining environmental, economic and social effects of circular and sustainable technologies, strategies and policies we can support industry and local and national governments. By taking a comprehensive look at the possibilities and in collaboration with the various disciplines within TNO, we find the appropriate answer to every question, whether it is a policy dilemma or a technological challenge.

In the future, we want the energy system to be steady, available to everyone, and sustainable. To make this happen and fight against growing climate change, it's important to speed up the shift to an energy supply with zero emissions. We are concentrating on using a mix of new technologies to make this happen. This includes energy made from the sun, wind, and plants, as well as heat from the Earth.

We're also working on creating clean ways to store energy, like green hydrogen, and making sure our energy infrastructure is reliable. Additionally, we're designing plans for an energy system that is dependable, easy to get to, and good for the environment. For this we model new technologies and methods, including electrification, CCS and CCU.

At Circularity & Sustainability Impact we support the acceleration of the system transition to sustainable plastic value chain by independent environmental and techno-economic assessments for governments, associations and industry. We develop and demonstrate innovation in redesigning plastic products and recycling technologies. Additionally, we analyze existing and future value chains for the production, use, and recycling of plastics, including plastic quality. Additionally, we tackle the dark side of plastics and build mitigation strategies to mitigate these adverse impacts.

The tools developed for impact assessment find an application in buildings and infrastructure materials and plastics. Very relevant steps have been taken in developing and applying the methodology for tender procedures for pavement/roads.

To achieve the climate goals of 2050, the manufacturing industry plays a crucial role as there are many factors subject to sustainable change. To make the industry entirely sustainable, there are two interlinked influential factors: sustainable energy and recycling of raw materials. The process and chemical industry face challenges of continuing to create valuable products in the future in a fully sustainable manner.

Within Circularity & Sustainability Impact there is a focus and collaboration with the high-tech industry, to support and acknowledge change in electronics, transport, and packaging. We offer expertise in circularity and business models to tailor sustainable change.

The energy transition goes hand in hand with the material transition. As raw materials are becoming increasingly rare and are highly pollutant for our environment, Circularity & Sustainability Impact strives to optimize the use of materials, and promotes recycling and reduction of waste. The goal is to minimize environmental impact, conserve resources and create a more resilient economic model.