Background and relevance

Limburg wants to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, but lacks an accurate picture of the material flows passing through the regional economy and their associated environmental impact. Together with Maastricht University’s ERCE Centre of Expertise, Structural is mapping these flows and impacts. This will provide ERCE and its partners in Limburg with a data-driven foundation on which to build in the coming years.

Research question

Which material flows pass through the Limburg economy, what is their associated environmental impact, and which flows, sectors and activities should be prioritised in the circular transition?

Method

The analysis combines two approaches for the reference year 2024, with the province of Limburg as its scope. The use and production of materials per sector have been estimated using a top-down approach: information on employee numbers has been linked to material intensities per employee from the CBS Materials Monitor. In addition, information from ‘Regional Goods Flows by Province’ (CBS) has been used to estimate the ratios between imports and exports from the region itself, nationally and internationally.

Waste streams have been determined using a bottom-up approach based on registered reports in the National Waste Notification Bureau (LMA). Scope 3 environmental costs (CO₂ equivalent, land and water use) have been calculated using impact factors, primarily from Ecoinvent. 

Important for interpretation: the materials per sector are estimates based on national figures, whereas the waste figures are based on actual records held by LMA.

Insights

The three regions in Limburg (North, Central and South Limburg) each have their own distinct material profile. In North Limburg, the ratio between foodstuffs, construction materials and other materials is virtually equal, due to the relatively large agricultural sector. In Central Limburg, there is a significant increase in construction materials, partly due to the local extraction of sand and gravel, but also because of the large construction materials processing industry. In South Limburg, a large quantity of other materials is evident due to Chemelot, with chemical products and fertilisers being the dominant components. Material use in South Limburg is more than three times as high as in North and Central Limburg.

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