Work

Roots and dynamics of Dutch foreign plant-oil demands 1920–2020

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Dutch harbours became key notes in European foreign fat supply in the twentieth century. These imports of oils and fats have had significant economic, social and environmental impacts worldwide. Demand for these resources was driven by food industries, intensive livestock farming and fossil fuel mitigation, and linked domestic practices to global supply chains. This paper investigates the development of Dutch imports of oils and fats over the past century. It examines (1) the scale and geographical distribution of these resources, analysing growth, decline and spatial shifts in supply; and (2) the dependencies between the Netherlands and supplying regions. The study further explores the developments in technology, governance and knowledge that shaped these developments. The article thus highlights the bittersweet global consequences of Dutch reliance on imported oils and fats. This article was published open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Source: Global Environment

DOI: 10.3828/whpge.63881453971806

Authors: Frank Veraart, Maliene Kip, Janine Glas, Dulce van Vliet

Institutions: Eindhoven University of Technology, Utrecht University

Language: English

Topic: Oil Palm Production and Sustainability

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

Awards: G5866100518, Sustainability Trade-offs in the Netherlands’ Entangled Modernisation (STONEM), 1900-2020.