About Leuven 2030

Leuven 2030 is one of the driving forces towards a climate neutral Leuven in 2030. Because we believe that, as an innovative, value-driven city, Leuven has a responsibility to play a pioneering role in Europe. Because we want to seize the opportunities that the path towards a sustainable future entails. And because we are convinced that it is essential for a Leuven where life is and continues to be good. For everyone.

Together with, and for all of Leuven

Since our non-profit organisation was established at the end of 2013, we have brought together all kinds of partners in small and large-scale actions and projects that bring us closer to that goal and prepare us for an accelerated transition. We do this for and together with everyone in our city: inhabitants, organisations, businesses and authorities. The more than 600 members who support us come from all corners of Leuven society and our direction is jointly determined by the Board which is made up of 18 delegates who have been explicitly chosen to represent the whole of society.

Become a member

Join more than 600 progressive and determined inhabitants, organisations and businesses in supporting a climate neutral future for Leuven.

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Farida Tierens

De Lijn

stad Leuven

KU Leuven

Oud-Heverlee Leuven

Simon Sterck

EcoWerf

Hogeschool UCLL

Voka Vlaams-Brabant

Jan Hautekiet

30CC

imec

Sweco

Mobiel 21

STUK Kunstencentrum

Fluvius

KBC

Buurtwerk 't Lampeke

Would you like to know more about what it means to become a member? And what you get in return? Read all about it here.

Why OUr members are so important

Our milestones over the past years

December 2023

Leuven 2030 blows out 10 candles

For 10 years, Leuven 2030 has been uniting everyone in Leuven for a climate-neutral city. Although the way we do it has changed a lot in the past decade. On 7 December, members, partners, founding organisations, (ex-)colleagues and everyone who helped shape Leuven 2030 over the past 10 years follow us on a journey through time. From the very beginning, to our last (shared) achievement: the submission of the pioneering Leuven Climate City Contract. We are happy to add another 10 years to that. With enthusiasm. With commitment. With vision. With you.

November 2023

The first Leuven Climate City Contract

On 23 November, Leuven 2030, shoulder to shoulder with the city of Leuven and in the presence of 400 Leuven key partners, handed over the first Leuven Climate City Contract to the European Commission.

This Climate City Contract contains no less than...

86 breakthrough projects targeting an 80% CO₂ reduction
10 'guiding principles' that serve as a touchstone to put CO₂ reduction at the heart of future initiatives
more than 30 partners taking up concrete commitments

In addition, the Climate City Contract includes a financial section that provides insight into the financial logics and levers needed to finance these breakthrough projects and the Leuven transition.

"Never before have we linked so many perspectives. Never before have we brought together barriers, concrete commitment and the financial sector in this way," said Katrien Rycken, director of Leuven 2030.

During the event, we were joined by Patrick Child and Thomas Osdoba of the European Commission, federal minister Caroline Gennez, mayor of Leuven Mohamed Ridouani, former director of the European Environment Agency Hans Bruyninckx, alderman for climate David Dessers, general director of the city of Leuven Geertrui Vanloo and director of Leuven 2030 Simon Sterck, among others.

View the full timeline

Get to know our organisation

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Every day the Leuven 2030 team works towards making Leuven a city with fewer emissions and a better future. We actively join key actors and civilians from all corners of Leuven society together to translate our Roadmap into real impact in the city. Our board is elected every four years.

Frequently asked questions

The following questions are sometimes asked. If you have those questions too, you will find an answer here.

Is Leuven 2030 part of the city of Leuven?

No, we are a separate non-profit organisation, by and for everyone in our city. This is also reflected in the way our non-profit organisation is organised. We are a membership organisation with six different membership categories: citizens, civil society organisations, businesses, knowledge institutions, authorities and semi-public authorities. Each category has exactly the same number of votes at the general meeting and is represented on the Board by the same number of directors.

This does not mean, of course, that we don't often and gladly cooperate with the city of Leuven. On the contrary. Leuven 2030 has its roots in the city's outspoken ambition to become climate neutral. The city of Leuven is a founding member, took on the chairmanship for the first 4 years, provides a significant part of our funding and is an essential partner for us and the Leuven transition.

But we are an organisation in our own right. With room for everyone in the city, and the freedom to challenge and explore new paths.

Is it Leuven 2030 or Leuven 2050?

Our Roadmap for a climate neutral Leuven works towards 2050, whereas our name has the year 2030? Yes, that's right.

KU Leuven's scientific report from 2013, which forms the basis of our Roadmap, stated from the outset that 2050 was the target year for Leuven's net zero emissions. To do so, we need to drastically reduce our emissions by then. To have a realistic chance of reaching that goal, the plan also strongly suggests firmly scaling back our emissions by 2030. After all, the sooner we reduce our emissions, the less we contribute to global warming in the meantime.

That's soon. To avoid the idea that we still have plenty of time and to maintain a sense of urgency, we therefore - after much debate - deliberately put 2030 in our name.

In April 2022, we were selected by the European Commission as a pioneering city for the mission '100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030'. With this mission, Europe wants to support a number of cities with expertise and financial resources to already strive for climate neutrality in 2030 and to use the experience thus gained to help all other European cities to become climate-neutral by 2050. Since that selection, we have further underpinned the Roadmap with a financial plan and an adapted step-by-step plan to accelerate its implementation.

Do you have any other questions? Let us know.