Green Deals – Sustainably Emerging from the Crisis

In a short period of time, ongoing initiatives were accelerated during the corona pandemic (2019-2021). Interesting coalitions were created or existing coalitions strengthened of parties willing to engage in themes such as circular textiles, the region as a bicycle metropolis and new housing made of wood. The starting point was to develop concrete investment propositions or other solid agreements for employment and a smart, green and healthy region for various themes.

Green Deal Bicycle

The comfort of the car … with the pleasure of the bicycle. Bicycle accelerator leading to growth of the economy, employment and a vital population.

Powerful cooperation between companies, knowledge institutions and governments to remain the international Bicycle Metropolis by offering innovative integrated services and services at neighborhood, city and regional level.

As of 2022, the Green Deal Bicycle is an initiative of Amsterdam Economic Board. Read more about our initiative Green Deal Bicycle.

Green Deal Circular Textiles

A circular textile industry causes less environmental impact and provides additional employment.

Within the Green Deals Circular Textiles various parties commit to the ambition to work towards a circular approach to textiles over the next three years. This means developing circular collections, longer use, repair and regional reprocessing into new yarns. This means investing in qualitative and quantitative improvement in the processing of discarded textiles, knowledge building and dissemination of circular principles, raising awareness among end users and using procurement of circular textiles as a strategy.

• ‘Denim Deal’ for cleaner jeans – Amsterdam Economic Board
• Green Deals Circular Textiles signed
• ‘No more textiles in the trash!’
• Circular textiles: creating scale together
• Circular Textiles in the MRA: here’s what we’re doing

Starting in 2021, the Green Deal Circular Textiles is an initiative of Amsterdam Economic Board. Read more about our initiative Green Deal Circular Textiles.

Housing production to 20% in circular timber construction

To add new homes faster and more sustainably, parties in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area worked toward a Deal with the goal that at least 20% of housing production be done in wood from 2025. This will yield an annual reduction of approximately 220,000 tons of CO2 (equivalent to the average emissions of 22,000 households) and a significant reduction in nitrogen emissions.

The prerequisite for such a deal is continuity in supply of sites for circular, bio-based wood-built homes. Benefits: lead time in construction is reduced, homes are more affordable and there is less construction waste. In addition to governments, the development of the deal involves relevant stakeholders in the real estate and construction sector (from startups to the big companies), the housing sector, educational institutions, knowledge institutions, existing platforms and networks.

From 2020, wood construction is invested in the Metropolis Amsterdam governments. Read more about timber construction in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area here (in Dutch).

Results

• Draft agreements by the Metropolitan Amsterdam governments for Sustainability Summit 2021. Read more about the agreements.
• On December 2, 2020, during the State of the Region event, the first results of the Green Deals Sustainable Out of the Crisis process were presented for a number of themes. View the State of the Region report and the speech by Femke Halsema, president of Metropolitan Region Amsterdam and of Amsterdam Economic Board.

Role of Amsterdam Economic Board

Initiating, stimulating partners, setting the agenda