Deadline: 11 February 2025 (23:59:59 CET)

Through the NetZeroCities City Expert Support Facility, NetZeroCities / Climate-KIC are requesting quotation for urban food policy innovation expertise (individual or team) to support the City of Amsterdam in its integrated climate neutrality efforts.

About the request

Across the Mission for 100 Climate Neutral Cities by 2030, many cities recognize that scope 3 emissions are critical to address. In Amsterdam, about 80% of CO2 emissions is due to material use (Monitor Circulaire Economie Technische toelichting (2022)). Amsterdam already has an aspiring circular economy ambition1 and wants to use the opportunity of the Mission to align and integrate its policies and strategies across climate ambitions and material economy. It is focusing part of its efforts in its Climate City Contract (CCC) ambition on this connection.

Amsterdam’s circular economy monitor2 has shown that Amsterdam’s food consumption is critical in its carbon emissions. Amsterdam aims to address this in its food strategy, focusing amongst other actions on the protein transition (shifting away from animal-based protein towards plant-based protein with the target of shifting from a 42:58 ratio towards a 60:40 ratio by 2030), and to pursue this as part of climate Mission activities. In doing so, it could be a frontrunner amongst Mission cities, many of whom are increasingly looking at scope 3 emissions in general and at food strategies in particular.

The city of Amsterdam acknowledges it’s limited influence of 42% on the emissions that are targeted by the EU City’s Mission. Structural barriers such as grid congestion or a financial gap (of about 30%) in district heating further limits the city’s capacity to accelerate local actions in the energy sector. To compensate for these limitations, Amsterdam explicitly commits in their CCC to include scope 3 emissions and refers to their ‘Monitor Circulaire’ to indicate these added emissions from concrete, food and other materials account for four times the amount of scope 1 and 2. This strategy, including scope 3, is more challenging. Though through it the city hopes to overcompensate the gap they can’t close on scope 1 and 2.

Amsterdam has a food strategy and implementation program 2023 – 20263 yet is aware that its ‘policy toolbox’ and set of approaches, programmes etc. is still nascent. Therefore, it is seeking to understand better what policy interventions genuinely have the most leverage in shifting consumption across households and businesses, what levers the municipality has alongside other layers of Government and other partners, and what actually works. In particular, it seeks to gain a better understanding of options for strengthening and evolving its policy mix including policy measures ranging from research & innovation, start-up support, networks & innovation ecosystem development, and behaviour change strategies such as cultural influencing to regulatory and procurement mechanisms, including policy mandates, taxation, regulations on advertising, etc.

The city is therefore seeking policy innovation expertise to undertake an in-depth analysis of evidence and comparative studies of what policy measures work at municipal and other policy levels. We envisage that in a next stage this evidence could lead to a contextually relevant, practical policy innovation trajectory that explores and targets breakthrough multi-level governance, policy and regulatory measures and / or experimental approaches like living labs.

Hence the request for quotes at this stage is for an individual or organisation familiar with both the domain of food systems and specifically the protein transition, and the Dutch multi-level policy landscape, to:
1. review the evidence of ‘what works’ to achieve the protein shift in urban food systems transition across cities in Europe (and, where relevant, beyond), in particular in the balance between different policy measures in an effective policy mix, and multi-level governance approaches. This should build on already existing knowledge within the City and local partners, and NetZeroCities. The evidence gathered should:

  • cover both directly relevant evidence and case study examples in terms of policy efforts on the protein transition where they exist, and indirectly relevant evidence and case study examples showing transferrable lessons from other food policy innovations and / or other complex behaviour change initiatives. In the evidence review it should highlight both policy opportunities and obstacles for an accelerated transition, and explore options for overcoming them;
  • present findings and recommendations on tailored possible next steps that the City of Amsterdam can take to advance its policy ambitions through concrete measures, building on the current policy framework, within the Dutch multi-level policy landscape and the position cities have within this landscape, including their policy and regulatory mandate, tasks and possibilities;
  • include an overview of relevant organisations and stakeholders that may be relevant to involve in subsequent steps, both Dutch and international experts / stakeholders;
  • keep in mind the need for coherence with Amsterdam’s other policy priorities regarding food policy (links with just transitions, health, local/regional supply chains, food waste, the circular economy etc.).

2. be available for one or more peer-to-peer learning sessions, to learn from and with other Mission cities to enhance collective knowledge development on this topic, and communicate this for new iterations of Mission cities’ Climate City Contracts, for not only those cities already working on scope 3 / food emissions and protein shift, but also for cities who are not doing so yet.

For clarity, the following services are specifically “Out of Scope”:

  • The development / delivery of a tailored policy innovation trajectory is out of scope in this phase, though recommendations for next steps following the evidence review will be required.

Please find all further relevant information including full scope, out of scope, milestones, and all related information below.

Timeline and additional information

Interested parties are invited to submit their proposals by 11 February 2025 (23:59:59 CET) to Radka Reil, CESF Manager [CESF@netzerocities.eu]. Proposals should include and address all specific requirements related to the request which can be found below.