Transition Paths

Saving energy in production chains
The focus is on entire production chains, from raw materials to the final products. For example, the petroleum chain starts with the winning of crude oil and, through various processes with intermediate products like plastics, solvents, resins etc. finally ends with consumer goods. The wasted energy and materials from one process can be the source of energy and materials for another process: CO2 from the petrochemical industry, for example, can be used in greenhouses for atmospheric enrichment.

Sustainable paper chain
The energy-efficiency of paper production, from raw materials to consumer products, can be improved through more efficient processing, recycling and more efficient logistics. The goal is to halve the total energy required per product by 2020. The central task is to create a situation that promotes the transition. This depends on the government and industry giving this transition high priority and solving the problems due to conflicting regulations and laws.

Sustainable agricultural chain
The agricultural chains, including the dairy, meat and fish industries, can be made more efficient by using green basic materials, recycling waste products and improving logistics. A promising path is precision agriculture; by means of ITC models, sensors, GPS systems, cruise control, soil conditions and state of the art agriculture equipment crop gets exactly the right amount of fertilizer and pesticide. This results in a reduced use of fertilizer and pesticides, a higher quality and a larger quantity of the crop.

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