The possibilities of balancing gas supply and demand with a green gas supply chain were analyzed. The considered supply chain is based on co-digestion of cow manure and maize, the produced biogas is upgraded to (Dutch) natural gas standards. The applicability of modeling yearly gas demand data in a geographical region by Fourier analysis was investigated. For a sine shape gas demand, three scenarios were further investigated: varying biogas production in time, adding gas storage to a supply chain, and adding a second digester to the supply chain which is assumed to be switched off during the summer months. A regional gas demand modeled by a sine function is reasonable for household type of users as well as for business areas, or a mixture of those. Of the considered scenarios, gas storage is by far the most expensive. When gas demand has to be met by a green gas supply chain, flexible biogas production is an interesting option. Further research in this direction might open interesting pathways to sustainable gas supply chains.
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Our current dependency on the oil and gas (O&G) industry for economic development and social activities necessitates research into the sustainability of the industry's supply chains. At present, studies on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices in the industry do not include firm-internal factors that affect the sustainability strategies employed by different functional areas of its supply chains. Our study aims to address this gap by identifying the relevant internal factors and exploring their relationship with SSCM strategies. Specifically, we discuss the commitment to and preparedness for sustainable practices of companies that operate in upstream and downstream O&G supply chain. We study the impact of these factors on their sustainability strategies of four key supply chain functions: supplier management, production management, product stewardship and logistics management. The analyses of data collected through a survey among 81 companies show that management preparedness may enhance sustainable supply chain strategies in the O&G industry more than commitment does. Among the preparedness measures, management of supply chain operational risks is found to be vital to the sustainability of all supply chain functions except for production management practices. The findings also highlight the central importance of supplier and logistics management to the achievement of sustainable O&G supply chains. Companies must also develop an organizational culture that encourages, for example, team collaboration and proactive behaviour to finding innovative sustainability solutions in order to translate commitment to sustainable practices into actions that can produce actual difference to their SSCM practices.
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The DPP4CD project, “Digital Product Passport(s) for Circular Denim: From Pilot to Practice,” focuses on delivering pilot and scalable Digital Product Passports (DPPs) in the circular denim industry. This aligns with the upcoming European Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), making DPPs mandatory for textiles from 2027. A DPP for circular denim should clearly detail material composition, production methods, repair records, and recycling options to meet EU rules like ESPR, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). It combines dynamic lifecycle data into a standard, interoperable system that boosts traceability, cuts SME admin burdens, and supports sustainable, circular practices. Led by Saxion and HvA, the multidisciplinary project is based on a real-world Dutch use case with MUD Jeans, a leader in circular denim. The project combines circular economy principles with existing digital technologies, working with partners such as tex.tracer, Tejidos Royo, bAwear, Denim Deal, MODINT, EuFSI and, GS1 Netherlands. Instead of developing new tools, the project applies scalable technologies (augmented DPP extension) and methods e.g. blockchain, life cycle assessments, and traceability standards to denim supply chains. The project defines legal, environmental, technical, and user requirements for DPPs in circular denim and designs a modular, data-driven, and ESPR-compliant system that integrates offline and online components while ensuring interoperability, affordability, reliability, accountability, and scalability. It develops a data framework for material tracking, supported by interoperable digital solutions to improve data-sharing and transparency. A pilot DPP with MUD Jeans will cover the full lifecycle from production to recycling, enabling scalable DPP. The project aims to address societal challenges related to circularity, ensure scalable and implementable solutions, and create a digital platform where knowledge can be developed, shared, and utilised. By combining circular practices with digital technologies, DPP4CD will help textile businesses transition towards sustainable, transparent, and future-proof supply chains.
In the Netherlands the business community is pretty active in the biobased economy because it offers plenty of economic opportunities. Innovation and chain development are stimulated towards the development of the bi-obased economy, bioenergy and to biobased materials. The Netherlands is strongly investing on improving inno-vative business and development, developing business cases and removing obstacles of non-technical origin. Importantly, the Dutch business community have recognised that many activities will depend on biomass imports as domestic production is mostly limited. In the Netherlands there is a large demand for biobased biomass, and it is estimated that in the year 2030 about 60-70% of the required biomass will have to be imported. The Dutch Platform Biobased Raw Materials has emphasised the importance of the imports of biomass, and has focused on developing guidelines for transition paths, where international cooperation with biomass-producing countries is essential. The Netherlands has identified Spain as an important provider of biomass resources (19 million ktoe), Spain holds the third position in European ranking of biomass potential. The autonomous community Galicia is the most important forest region in Spain, where the agroforestry sector has been considered as an alternative to yield economic benefits as well as to bring ecological advantages. However, the potential of Galicia as a pro-ducer and supplier of (waste flow) biomass is underdeveloped and underutilised. There is a need for a better un-derstanding of the potential business models that Dutch companies and Spanish stakeholders can apply to devel-op a biobased value chains that lead to the triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit. To realise this goal, our project focuses on identifying the linkages between the Galicia agroforestry sector and the Dutch biobased industries, and explore the potential business opportunities towards the strengthening of both the local and the Dutch biobased markets. To achieve the latter we centred on the following questions: I. What are the potential new business models that can be applied for a profitable and sustainable biobased chain from the waste flows of the agroforestry sector of Galicia for a steady production and supply to the local and the Dutch markets, leading to a sustainable transition path? II. What are the institutional frameworks required to develop new and profitable biobased value chains within the agroforestry sector in Galicia?
