Plastic is one of the most versatile and widely used materials in the modern world, found in everything from clothing and cosmetics to packaging and food products. But the very strength that makes plastic so useful also causes it to persist for decades in the environment, where it contributes to a growing global pollution crisis. Traditional, fossil-based plastics accumulate along roadsides, in forests, and even deep in the oceans, raising urgent questions about how to handle plastic after its use. As environmental and resource challenges mount, the shift toward circular plastics has become critical. In the Northern Netherlands, this transition is accelerating, driven by a unique regional ecosystem of researchers, entrepreneurs, and public partners who are building one of Europe’s most advanced clusters for circular plastic innovation. 

From Vision to Structure: The Rise of Greenwise Circular Plastics 

What began as an ambitious regional initiative has evolved into a long-term innovation program: Greenwise Circular Plastics. This structure formalizes and extends the work of dozens of partners committed to creating a leading European plastics cluster focused on circularity. The initiative brings together companies, governments, knowledge institutions, and civil society across the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe. It tackles the full plastics lifecycle, from collection and sorting to washing, recycling, and re-manufacturing—enabling systemic change. 

Greenwise Campus relies on a dual approach: improving plastic recycling and scaling up the use of bio-based feedstocks. Both strategies are essential to break the dependence on finite fossil resources and to minimize the environmental impact of plastic production and waste. The Northern Netherlands is emerging as a testing ground and launchpad for these innovations, offering fertile ground for applied research, high-tech processing, and collaboration across the value chain. 

Three priority domains guide the region’s innovation agenda: 

- Biopolymers – Renewable alternatives to fossil-based plastics, produced from agricultural or organic waste streams. 

- Biocomposites – Hybrid materials combining bio-based plastics with natural fibers to deliver high-performance, low-impact alternatives. 

- Recycling Techniques for Hard-to-Recycle Plastics – Advanced mechanical and chemical processes that target the fractions of plastic waste that current systems cannot handle efficiently. 

Each focus area builds on the existing strengths of the region. Emmen is advancing in biopolymer research and chemical recycling. Delfzijl brings expertise in biomass and green chemistry. Heerenveen leads in material sorting and mechanical recycling. Together, they form a powerful, interconnected ecosystem. 

The Innovation Culture 

The Northern Netherlands is not only a hub of technological innovation, but also of education and talent development. In 2021, the region launched the Netherlands’ first hybrid research group on Sustainable Polymers, combining university professors, applied scientists, and soon also vocational-level research (MBO). This integration ensures that new knowledge and skills flow quickly from labs to factories, and from classrooms to startups. At the heart of this knowledge-driven development is Greenwise Campus, an initiative uniting institutions like NHL Stenden, Drenthe College, the University of Groningen, and public partners from the Province of Drenthe and the Municipality of Emmen.