Progress in ‘Smart and Sustainable’

1 minute read

Twenty transport organisations and centres of expertise published an action plan together in 2018 for reducing CO2 emissions in aviation entitled ‘Slim én duurzaam’ (Smart and Sustainable). This was followed by two addenda giving a picture of the activities and the results achieved. A third update has been made available today reflecting the current state of affairs.

NLR Hybrid Electric Plane

The coronavirus crisis has hit the aviation sector hard but people’s desire to see each other and travel the world is still strong. The task for the aviation sector is to resolve the dilemma between the need for travel on the one hand and a sustainable future on the other. The sector in the Netherlands wants to be in the vanguard of sustainability in aviation and remains committed to the targets set for achieving that. To that end, twenty leading transport organisations and centres of expertise drew up ‘Smart and Sustainable’ in 2018. These parties believe that CO2-neutral aviation is possible by 2050 and that flying can remain one of the greenest, most comfortable and rapid means of transport.

The goal of this joint action plan is to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation in the Netherlands by 2030 back to the levels of 2005. CE Delft has validated the calculations and assumptions made in the ‘Smart and Sustainable’ action plan. Their assessment is that the plan is ambitious and specific, concluding that the objective as formulated is achievable.

You can download the action plan here (in Dutch):

Latest news

NLR corporate

18 June 2026

Fifty years of German-Dutch Wind Tunnels: a success story of European cooperation

On 18 June 2026, a milestone is celebrated in the Noordoostpolder, an area of the Netherlands reclaimed from the sea. The German-Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW), a collaboration between the German and Dutch research organisations DLR and NLR, will have been in existence for fifty years. During this time, DNW has grown into a leading organisation for aerodynamic and aeroacoustic experiments for research institutes and industry worldwide.

Sustainability and Environment

03 June 2026

NLR and TU Delft link simulation models in new lab focused on climate-neutral aviation

How do you make an entire aviation system more sustainable, rather than just a single flight or a single aircraft? That is what Royal NLR – Netherlands Aerospace Centre – and TU Delft are investigating in the newly established Dutch Aviation Systems Analysis Lab. Last week, the organisations demonstrated connecting their simulation models for the first time. An important step towards being able to find the answers to tomorrow’s questions.

Defence and Security

08 May 2026

NLR-Marknesse host of NATO exercise TIE26

From 12 to 22 May, NLR-Marknesse will serve as the host location for NATO's annual exercise dedicated to improving drone counter-measures. During this event, military personnel, tech experts, and innovators from across the Alliance will gather in the Noordoostpolder for a counter-drone exercise.