'The central government crazily thinks raw material production in the Netherlands is no longer needed'

"2023 is going to be a tough year. Maybe even a crucial year," says Leonie van der Voort, director at Cascade, the trade association of the surface mineral extraction industry in the Netherlands. "We have so many huge tasks in construction and infra in our country. AND, we are facing an energy transition. That means the demand for primary raw materials will remain very high. Unfortunately, the government seems to be under the impression that all needs can simply be met with recycled materials, but nothing could be further from the truth. We won't make it with that for a long time. That puts a strain on the future."

It is an important lobbying challenge she is taking up on behalf of the 18 members. "We are the engine of area development in the Netherlands. If we grind to a halt, there will be enormous consequences. I think it is hugely underestimated what we will need in terms of steel and concrete in the coming years. I do not have the idea that this is on the radar in The Hague. There is too much wishful thinking on the part of the government. People really assume that the demand will not be that great. So for us it is a daily challenge to try to convince on the basis of good research, clear figures and strong arguments. I hope that in the coming year 'realism' will return in The Hague. If it doesn't, we could be sorely disappointed within a few years."

Van der Voort outlines the context. "Around the turn of the century, people had the idea that the Netherlands had run out of land. The 'deforestation policy' that had been deployed to rebuild our country after World War II thus 'ended.' It was all left to the market. In addition, it was decentralized to the provinces. However ... you cannot delegate a national task to provinces. Moreover, it is not only about the question "where are you going to build?", but... almost more important now: "with what are you going to build?". For example, in 2025 all production of gravel in
Netherlands. A big risk, because that means the production of concrete will also stop!"

"Not to mention the very long permit processes. Don't get me wrong: those are good. They are a relevant part of the democratic decision-making process and it is complex. You can't just speed that up. But if no more new extraction permits are issued because we're under the assumption that "everything can be done with raw materials from recycling," that's disastrous. You don't just make up for lost time. I do not exclude the possibility that in the Netherlands we will unfortunately have to deal with the collapse of companies in the concrete and steel sector."

"So we need (re)new(d) realism again," Van der Voort concludes. "Despite the fact that we are not there yet, however, I do see a shift in thinking. Therein lies the hope for 2023. For the first time I see the central government behaving somewhat like a problem owner again regarding the availability of raw materials. A good thing, because our problem - with national impact - seemed to have no owner. So we continue to drive the discussion and thus awareness in this crucial year. Because the stakes are high: the future of the BV Nederland."