Our world is in transition. We no longer live in an era of change, but
are witnessing the change of an era. We see the challenges every day, around us and in the media: climate change, population growth in the cities, digitisation, the emergence of new economies and global powers and the pending exhaustion of our natural resources. Together they pose the greatest challenge to our society since the nineteenth century. That demands a fundamental change to the way we manage our society and our economy.
A roadmap to the next economy
Our journey is called the Roadmap Next Economy (RNE). It includes an integrated assessment of the impact of relevant global trends, resulting in a long term strategy and highly adaptable action program for our regional economy that will stimulate the transition to the next economy, and create an attractive business environment for talents, companies and investors, new business and jobs.
Transition Pathways
Smart digital data | towards zero marginal costs
This pathway deals with all issues dealing with increased digital connectivity, big data platforms, smart logistics, smart mobility, sensors, internet of things, etc. It concerns all actions that need to be taken to establish a sophisticated digital infrastructure.
Smart energy delta | towards zero carbon
This pathway deals with connected smart energy systems, sustainable sources of energy, conversion and storage technologies, energy savings, carbon capture and usage, all electric and hydrogen infrastructure. It concerns all actions that need to be taken to establish a renewable energy infrastructure.
Circular economy | towards zero waste
Dealin
g with the use and re-use of resources and waste streams within the region: recycling, upcycling, bio-based materials, circular product design and business models. It concerns all actions that need to be taken to realize a circular regional hub.
Entrepreneurial region | towards new productivity
Deali
ng with new business models, new products and services, new forms of collaborations like field lab, entrepreneurship from start-ups to scale- ups and a new regulatory framework. It concerns all actions that need to be taken to create an entrepreneurial culture and structure in our region.
Next society | towards an inclusive society
Dealing 
with new labor market arrangements, new skills and new forms of education, bottom-up movements, social entrepreneurship. It concerns all actions that need to be taken to build up a more inclusive society.
Clean Tech Delta and Roadmap Next Economy
Clean Tech Delta was asked to lead the implementation phase of the so called transition path circular economy of the RoadMap Next Economy (RNE).
The last 150 years of industrial evolution have been dominated by a one-way or linear model of production and consumption in which goods are manufactured from raw materials, sold, used and then discarded or incinerated as waste. In the face of volatility increases across the global economy and signs of resource depletion, the call for a new economic model is getting louder. The quest for a substantial improvement in resource performance across the economy has led businesses to explore ways to reuse products or their components and restore more of their precious material and energy and inputs. A circular economy is restorative or regenerative by intention and design.
RNE promotes the transition towards a circular economy by translating the overall vision into tangible steps and projects that, taken together, result in a transition path that includes large scale iconic projects and scaleable smaller initiatives to either keep products “alive” or extract optimal value from these products after their useful life. A working group of talented specialists, including members of CTD, will work on this project portfolio the coming months.
Workgroup members:
-Chris Bremmer (TNO)
-Sander van der Wal (Bloc)
-Pr. Ruud Balkenende (TuDelft)
-Eveline Buter (Wittenveen & Bos)
-Eva Gladek (Metabolic)
-Niels van der weerd (Erasmus Universiteit)
-Florens Slob (Nexus value propositions)
-Ger Kwakkel (Gemeente Den Haag)