People don’t like change; they like routine. They like to sit in the same seat in the weekly meeting, they like to go to the same restaurants, drink the same drinks and many even go on holiday to the same places year after year.
Yet change in the chemical industry is ever present, as companies vie for the latest technology, improved processes and better materials to give them a competitive edge. It is an industry in constant change and flux, where R&D expenditure in 2013 for the EU alone topped €8.4 billion.
Conversely, people like sustainability. It is the buzzword of a decade that has moved on to becoming a full-fledged movement; a political, societal, economic and personal goal. It is a target for business that is nowhere more relevant than in the chemical industry. And if you’re not convinced by this then here is what chemical industry leaders have to say on the topic.
For example, in May 2016, Neil Hawkins, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Dow Chemical Company spoke at the Indian Chemical Council conference, stating that, “We must understand and imbibe the fact that sustainability cannot be a separate pillar of strategy; it is the business strategy. I want you to really think over this and know this sentence is more relevant today than ever.”
While the American Chemical Society states that, “ACS believes that support for research to promote sustainability, green chemistry, and green engineering, combined with incentives for the adoption of sustainable technologies and new regulatory strategies that promote sustainable products and processes, will be instrumental in meeting the challenges of protecting human health and the environment, meeting our societal and energy needs, enhancing national and homeland security, and strengthening the economy.”
Political leaders meanwhile, gave their backing for sustainable policies following the Paris Climate Change agreement of 2015. COP21 lead to the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) to declare that, “Sustainability is an overriding priority for the chemical industry and we can do much to change societal production and consumption patterns. We have to promote resource efficient products. Our industry is a key enabler for the advanced innovative products and services that can deliver sustainable solutions throughout the economy.”
This declaration was supported by Carlos Fadigas (CEO of Braskem), Heinz Haller (Executive Vice President at Dow Chemical), Graham van’t Hoff (Shell Chemicals) and Jean-Pierre Clamadieu (CEO of Solvay) among many others.
Richard Northcote, Chief Sustainability Officer at Covestro, understands the reasons for the drive towards sustainability, stating in a recent interview that, “There will be increasing legislation coming through governments around the world as they strive towards COP21 targets; but there is also a growing global market pull from consumers for more sustainable products. When you add in a growing number of investors aligning their investments with the UN Sustainability agenda, we [the chemical industry] find ourselves in the perfect storm for step change thinking.”
Clearly there is a great deal of impetus in making the change in the chemical industry towards sustainability, but it is harder to achieve sustainability than simply making sweeping declarations. For a chemical company to incorporate the ideal into its culture requires hard work, planning and teamwork.
As Northcote says, “Collaboration is key.” He continues to explain how, “…as an industry we can achieve greater impact by working together to address the issues society and our planet face in the coming years.”
Northcote along with other like-minded R&D experts across the chemical value chain will be discussing the challenges and opportunities that the industry holds at CIEX 2016. He will be speaking on the importance of sustainability. He will question what sustainability goals should be incorporated into companies’ CSR policy, so that they can balance output, quality and safety in the innovation process. He will discuss ways that employers can encourage employees to play a role in achieving sustainability. He hopes to, “… attract forward-thinking change agents who believe that science and technology will play a leading role in addressing the challenges we face. I hope to be informative, perceptive and challenging to the status quo!”
You can join Northcote and 20 senior-level speakers from Fortune 500 companies at CIEX on Sep 28-29 in Frankfurt. Companies participating at CIEX include Henkel, L’Oreal, Dow Chemical, BASF, Lonza, Swarovski, Natura, Dupont, Ineos, DSM, McBride and many more!
CIEX is created for R&D and Innovation experts from the consumer, industrial and specialty chemical sectors. By bringing together all players in the chemical value chain, we create a unique platform for participants to learn, exchange ideas and connect with potential partners.
Join us at CIEX 2016 on Sep 28-29 in Frankfurt! Spotchemi readers benefit from 20% OFF!
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