CO2 emission trade

Companies producing high CO2 emissions in the Netherlands have a legal obligation to participate in the European Emission Trading System (ETS). There are also companies producing substantial amounts of CO2, which participate on a voluntary basis. These two categories of companies are the so-called ‘operators’. Companies participating in the ETS annually receive a certain amount of emission rights. If their CO2 emissions exceed the emission rights allocated to them, they must buy extra rights from other parties in the Netherlands or abroad. If their emissions remain low, they can sell rights to other parties or save them for later.

Apart from ‘operators’, there are also traders (‘persons’) active in CO2 emission rights trading. These companies, institutions or individuals have no legal obligation to participate in CO2 emission trading, but are active on the emission rights market, because they want to trade.