Industry & business in the climate action plan for Gelderland
The industry and business sector is responsible for 41% of Gelderland’s non-energy greenhouse gas emissions. Almost all of that comes from landfills: roughly 1.2 Mt CO₂-eq per year, about 87% of it methane. This sector analysis, part of the Climate Action Recap for Gelderland, calculates which Drawdown solutions reduce that most.
This sector analysis is part of the climate action plan for Gelderland, which compares four sectors on reduction and sequestration potential by 2030.
Emissions and sources
The industry and business sector causes 41% of Gelderland’s non-energy greenhouse gas emissions. Those emissions arise mainly in waste processing, specifically at landfills. In Gelderland this amounts to roughly 1.2 Mt CO₂-eq per year from landfills, most of it methane (87%). That makes landfills the single largest emission factor: 21% of all non-energy carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the province.
Refrigerants are an additional source. Of Gelderland’s non-energy and other emissions, 2.32% (0.13 Mt per year) comes from stationary refrigeration, freezing and air conditioning, and 0.77% (0.04 Mt per year) from mobile air conditioning in road traffic.
The Gelderland Climate Plan targets a reduction of 1.8 Mt CO₂-eq for industry by 2030 and focuses broadly on the circular economy. That plan does not single out landfills, even though that is precisely where the largest non-energy source lies.
| Gelderland Climate Plan reduction (p. 83) | Gelderland Climate Plan sequestration | Drawdown solutions reduction | Drawdown solutions sequestration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6–2.4 Mt CO₂-eq | 0 | 0.077–1.2 Mt CO₂-eq | 0 |
Potential reduction and sequestration within the industry and business sector based on Drawdown solutions (2030). Sequestration does not apply for this sector.
Three interconnected solutions. Landfill gas capture, recycling and composting are modelled interactively: more composting and recycling means less organic material going to landfill, and therefore less landfill gas. Refrigerant management is named as a fourth solution, but falls outside the modelled reduction potential because its role is smaller than that of landfills.
Landfill gas capture
Project Drawdown defines landfill gas capture as capturing methane generated by anaerobic decomposition of solid municipal waste at landfills, and burning the captured biogas to generate electricity. That generation replaces conventional technology based on coal, oil or natural gas. Wherever landfills exist, capturing methane is a significant improvement over uncaptured landfilling.
Benefit: capture prevents methane emissions and the landfill gas replaces fossil fuels. Drawback: pollutants released during combustion worsen local air quality, though that effect is less harmful than burning fossil fuels.
Landfill gas, recycling and composting in Gelderland
Landfill capacity: roughly 20% of the Netherlands’ used landfill capacity is in Gelderland.
Active landfills: four still active, plus nearly 800 former landfills still emitting greenhouse gases.
Aftercare: the province is responsible for the perpetual aftercare of these landfills.
Opportunity: capturing landfill gas is promising, combined with more recycling and composting, which reduces landfill gas formation.
The effect strongly depends on landfill closures. Four scenarios have been outlined:
| Scenario | Assumption |
|---|---|
| Conservative | One small landfill closes |
| Conservative+ | Three small landfills close |
| Progressive | One large landfill closes |
| Progressive+ | All landfills close |
Recycling less waste to landfill
Project Drawdown defines recycling as increased recovery of recyclable materials, excluding paper and organic material, from the industrial and residential sectors. That recovery replaces landfilling of recyclable waste and reduces production of new materials. Recyclable waste such as metals, plastic and glass makes up roughly 37% of global solid municipal waste.
The effect runs mainly through a reduction in material heading to landfill. Currently, 71% of landfilled waste is organic material. The reference scenario assumes 600,000 tonnes of landfilled waste, made up of 35% municipal waste, 20% industrial waste, 3% sewage waste, 5% garden waste, 6% food waste, 6% construction and demolition waste and 25% landfilled soil.
| Scenario | Assumption |
|---|---|
| Conservative | No change from the current situation |
| Conservative+ | Current trend: 15% less waste |
| Progressive | Improved implementation: 33% less waste |
| Progressive+ | Circular, matching Gelderland’s targets: 50% circular by 2030 and 100% by 2050, organic waste fully out of landfill, and 50% less waste by 2030 |
Composting diverting organic waste
Project Drawdown defines composting as converting biodegradable waste into a usable soil amendment, avoiding landfill emissions. Organic waste accounts for 46% of global solid waste and contributes on average 469 tonnes CO₂-eq per million tonnes of organic solid waste through anaerobic decomposition. Composting is a flexible, scalable approach that reduces emissions by more than 50%.
2030 reduction potential: 1.2 Mt CO₂-eq. Sequestration does not apply to composting in this analysis, since potential carbon storage through compost as a soil amendment is excluded from the calculation.
| Scenario | Assumption |
|---|---|
| Conservative | No change |
| Conservative+ | Improvement: halving organic material going to landfill |
| Progressive | Matching Gelderland’s circularity targets (50% by 2030, 100% by 2050): organic waste fully out of landfill, 50% less waste by 2030 |
Refrigerant management
Project Drawdown defines refrigerant management as controlling leaks of refrigerants from existing equipment, through better management practices and through end-of-life recovery, recycling and destruction. Drawdown distinguishes five approaches:
- Reducing demand for and use of equipment, and therefore refrigerant production.
- Replacing refrigerants with low-warming HFCs, new refrigerants or non-HFC substances.
- Managing leaks from existing equipment through good management practices.
- Securing end-of-life recovery, recycling and destruction.
- Improving equipment cooling efficiency, reducing the refrigerant needed.
Refrigerants in Gelderland
Stationary cooling: 2.32% (0.13 Mt per year) of Gelderland’s non-energy and other emissions comes from stationary refrigeration, freezing and air conditioning.
Mobile air conditioning: 0.77% (0.04 Mt per year) comes from mobile air conditioning in road traffic.
Existing policy: for the Netherlands, emissions from cooling and refrigerants are expected to fall by 79% through 2030 due to existing policy. The same percentage was assumed for Gelderland.
2030 reduction potential: 0.098 Mt CO₂-eq. Refrigerant management is named as a fourth solution, but was not included in the sector’s modelled reduction potential, since its role is smaller than that of landfills.
Method and sources
The sector analysis combines the Drawdown methodology with a Pareto analysis of Gelderland’s non-energy emissions. Recycling, composting and landfill gas capture are modelled interactively, since they influence each other. Figures come from the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA) and the Gelderland Climate Plan 2021–2030. This sector analysis was carried out in collaboration with Climate Cleanup and the Drawdown Europe Research Association (DERA).
When waste is landfilled, organic matter converts into landfill gas, a mixture of methane (45 to 60%), carbon dioxide (40 to 55%) and other components. A rule of thumb is that roughly 4.8 kg of methane per tonne of waste is generated per year in the first five years after landfilling, 2.4 kg in the following five years, 1.3 kg in the second decade and 0.6 kg in the third. Each kilogram of methane equals 28 kg CO₂-eq. Gelderland landfills roughly 600,000 tonnes of waste annually; at a constant volume and composition, emissions would remain fairly stable over the next fifty years. Since 1990, landfill emissions have fallen by nearly 80%.
| Landfills | Mt CO₂ emissions |
|---|---|
| Emissions from landfills | 1.15 |
| Captured landfill gas, utilised | 0.02 |
| Captured landfill gas, flared | 0.018 |
Indicative, for prioritisation. Assumptions, system boundaries and source references are set out in full in the sector PDF. The figures organise opportunities and are not project-specific guarantees.
Download the analysis
Full figures, scenarios, assumptions and sources per solution are in the sector PDF. The complete bundle contains all four sectors.
- Industry & business (PDF) Sector analysis Gelderland. Download
- Climate Action Recap Gelderland (PDF) All four sectors. Download the full bundle
Insights from this project
Frequently asked questions
The industry and business sector causes 41% of Gelderland’s non-energy greenhouse gas emissions. Almost all of it comes from landfills: roughly 1.2 Mt CO₂-eq per year, about 87% methane.
Three interactively modelled Drawdown solutions: landfill gas capture, recycling and composting. Refrigerant management is named as a fourth solution, for emissions from cooling and air conditioning.
The reduction potential of the Drawdown solutions ranges from 0.077 to 1.2 Mt CO₂-eq by 2030. Sequestration potential does not apply to this sector.
Gelderland has four active landfills and nearly 800 former landfills still emitting greenhouse gases. Roughly 20% of the Netherlands’ used landfill capacity is in Gelderland.
New Economy, as part of the Climate Action Recap for Gelderland, based on the Drawdown methodology and the Gelderland Climate Plan.
Further reading
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