News item | 18-12-2025 | 10:45
The Dutch state has entered into a binding tailor-made agreement with the international agrifood cooperative Cosun and will contribute a maximum of 73 million euros to accelerate the future-proofing of the production process. Minister Sophie Hermans (climate and Green Growth) and State Secretary Thierry Aartsen (Public Transport and Environment) wrote this to the House of Representatives.
Cosun is an international agrifood cooperative of around 8,000 Dutch growers and processes vegetable raw materials, such as sugar beets and potatoes, into food, nutritious ingredients and circular solutions. Cosun is one of the largest biogas producers in the Netherlands.
The company will make major investments in electrifying its production locations in Vierverlaten (Groningen) and Steenderen (Gelderland). In Venray (Limburg), in addition to electrification, investments are also being made in the production of certified green gas. The financial contribution from the State amounts to a maximum of 73 million euros.
In 2030, this tailor-made agreement will reduce 167 kilotons of CO₂ emissions compared to the reference period 2018-2021. This reduction is comparable to the natural gas consumption of approximately 70,000 households. In addition, a significant reduction in nitrogen emissions is achieved for these 3 locations together (44 tons per year) and ammonia emissions in Groningen are decreasing (42 tons per year). The company thus reduces its impact on local residents, the living environment and nature.
Although Cosun is not one of the 20 largest emitters of CO₂ in the Netherlands, it is one of the companies with which the government also wants to make agreements through the tailor-made approach, because of the important contribution that Cosun can make to the future-proofing of the industry and agri-food sector in the Netherlands.
Minister Sophie Hermans: “With these investments, Cosun is taking a big step towards making its production locations future-proof. This financial support not only contributes to the sustainability of industrial production in the Netherlands, we also ensure a solid foundation for important agricultural value chains and that is pure profit.”
State Secretary Thierry Aartsen: “This tailor-made agreement is a wonderful example of how a healthy economy and a healthy living environment can go hand in hand. Less emissions of ammonia and nitrogen oxides means less odor nuisance and better air quality for local residents. It is good that the government can support an ambitious company like Cosun to accelerate sustainability. It shows that the tailor-made approach produces a win-win-win.”
Hans Meeuwis, CEO of Cosun: “At Cosun we are building a future-proof, sustainable company. Three elements are crucial for this: a strong revenue model, a relevant plant-based portfolio and a future-proof chain. A customized approach, cooperation with the government and preconditions to remain competitive are indispensable to realize our sustainability goals in a responsible manner.”
The agreement between the Dutch state and Cosun is part of the tailor-made approach in which the central government supports companies in becoming more sustainable and reducing the impact on the living environment.
Last year, a tailor-made agreement was concluded with the largest salt manufacturer in the Netherlands, Nobian. This year, letters of intent followed with chemical company AnQore and with steel manufacturer Tata Steel (TSN). Discussions about the customized approach are currently underway with Alco Energy, Zeeland Refinery and OCI. In addition, waste processing companies (WIPs) AEB and AVR are examining whether a customized process is feasible.