Plastic waste management remains a critical bottleneck in the transition to a circular plastics economy, as current recycling technologies cannot match the scale and material quality needed to displace virgin plastics. Recent bankruptcies among European pioneering recycling firms show that technological invention alone does not guarantee market acceptance. In this thesis, I have examined the conditions needed for the system surrounding the pioneering recycling firms, referred to as innovation ecosystems, that enable the commercialisation of Dutch inventions in plastic waste management.
Methodologically, the study operationalises relational economic geography as a framework for analysing which conditions shape commercialisation across multiple scales. In doing so, a multi-scalar contextual analysis is combined with patent mapping of Y02W30-classified technologies between 2000 and 2025.
The results show that innovation activity in this domain is concentrated in (petro-)chemical firms rather than pure recyclers, and that patent activity is dominated by a small number of large applicants located in the Antwerp–Rotterdam–Rhine–Ruhr (ARRRA) meta-cluster. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that the failure of innovative firms in plastic waste management in the Netherlands stems from an accumulation of several constraints, at its basis, high energy costs, the lack of offsets, and the use of non-targeted taxes and tax exemptions. As well as a lack of steering in policies and industrial policy. Combined with persistent labour shortages in STEM, long and complex food-approval permit applications.
For these inventions to commercialise, cluster embeddedness and regional specialisation, in addition to economies of scale, infrastructural co-location and vertical integration are important pillars. Co-location facilitates strategic coupling between firms, infrastructure and feedstock flows, enabling resource efficiency and reduced energy costs; conditions that are necessary to realise cost parity with virgin plastics. In addition, alignment through licensing, joint ventures, and open-innovation networks is a critical mechanism for scaling these technologies.
In sum, commercialisation is not determined by the invention itself, but by the relational conditions embedded in specialised industrial chemical clusters. Without alignment of infrastructural, economic and institutional conditions, inventions are unlikely to mature beyond the demonstration stage, particularly in contexts lacking targeted industrial support, as currently observed in the Netherlands.
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The EU Green Deal aims to ensure a socially just energy transition, but the shift towards renewable energies often replicates the centralized, top-down approach of traditional fossil fuel systems, negatively impacting rural areas. This report reimagines this paradigm by advocating for decentralized energy communities, particularly in regions experiencing the neglect often seen in ‘shadow agglomerations.’ It argues for a shift where decentralized energy production empowers both cities and rural areas, enabling them to attain energy self-sufficiency and ownership. The research uses a multicriteria analysis to explore the Eurodelta and Zeeland regions, forming a vision that supports the strategic development of energy communities in Zeeland and Rotterdam. This approach aims to facilitate a more spatially equitable and just energy transition, enabling regions overshadowed by major urban centers to become essential in achieving sustainable energy production, thereby reshaping the energy landscape towards a more distributed and participatory model. ... Read more