The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) aims to address the growing demand and supply chain disruptions of critical raw materials essential for energy and digital transitions. While the Act emphasizes enhancing processing, recycling, and extraction activities within Europe, it does not address the significant spatial and environmental impacts of establishing these facilities. This issue is further complicated by our consumption patterns, which drive increased material use for a better quality of life, thus necessitating more extraction and processing activities.

This thesis examines these implications by focusing on neodymium, a rare earth element, and develops a circular supply chain for neodymium magnets in the Netherlands. Beyond addressing supply chain disruptions, the research critiques the current economic system by exploring different processing capacities within alternative growth paradigms.

The primary method used is scenario building, which illustrates four potential futures for the Netherlands. These scenarios are influenced by various factors such as processing capacities, economic conditions, societal values, and different supply chains. By comparing and evaluating these potential futures, their implications were understood. Key strategies from these extreme scenarios were then integrated to develop a national vision for the Netherlands. This vision is showcased through five strategic locations, each demonstrating the benefits of the vision.

This thesis highlights that the CRMA, which follows the green growth model, may lead to spatial and economic lock-ins, proving unsustainable in the long term under the current socio-economic framework. It emphasizes the necessity for a holistic approach that integrates environmental and spatial considerations, along with long-term planning, into policy-making to ensure socio-ecologically resilient supply chains. Additionally, while building capacities is seen as environmentally taxing this transition can be used to revitalize existing locations by addressing their current issues.

The Earth is experiencing an increase in global surface temperature due to a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly caused by the production of fossil-fuel-based energy using non-renewable resources. The heavy industries, predominantly comprising refineries, are the primary contributors to these emissions. As the primary source of energy for these industries is also fossil-fuel-based, the European Green Deal emphasizes the need for an energy transition. However, renewable energy production requires a large area, and the current energy grids are overloaded due to the lack of energy storage possibilities. A potential solution to the storage issue could be the implementation of green hydrogen. As refineries are expected to be decommissioned soon, hydrogen plants could be established in their locations, repurposing the existing infrastructure of pipelines and storage facilities. These plants would enable circular energy systems, converting hydrogen to energy using the green hydrogen production method of electrolysis, and vice versa, using fuel cells. Moreover, these redevelopments could be implemented on a larger scale, resulting in the creation of a hydrogen backbone in the Eurodelta, connecting the industrial clusters within this area and making the energy system more resilient. For the execution of a hydrogen energy system in the Netherlands, a strategy has been proposed that involves a centralized main hydrogen production and storage zone in the Port of Rotterdam, including new industries with hydrogen input and future high energy-consuming industries. Renewable energy production would be installed using offshore vertical-axis wind turbines and onshore horizontal-axis wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, and biomass. This approach would also allow for the introduction of additional green areas, improving working conditions and air quality for the re-educated industrial workforce. In addition, a second strategy involves the implementation of a decentralized energy system in an agricultural landscape in the Municipality of Zutphen. These exemplary areas can be used as models to implement this idea in similar regions across Northwest Europe. Future research could focus on technological innovations, economic feasibility, and additional limitations of the introduction of hydrogen energy systems, ensuring the return of industries as new green hubs.