SusChem members have welcomed the Transition Pathway for the EU chemicals industry released in January by the European Commission. This roadmap outlines the conditions required for the EU chemicals industry to undergo the biggest transformation in its history as it goes climate neutral, circular, digital while transitioning to safe and sustainable chemicals, all in less than 30 years. The Transition Pathway sets out almost 200 actions for EU institutions, Member State governments, industry and academia.
The release of the Transition Pathway is just the start of the journey. All actions must now be implemented, and SusChem, together with its broad community of SMEs, startups and research organisations, stands ready to do its part. Driving investments in innovation; supporting the development of chemicals and materials that are sustainable and safe-by-design; and finding new ways to produce chemicals and materials, are just some of the ways SusChem and its members can make significant contributions to the Pathway.
“SusChem supports the sustainable-by-design framework as a key factor in achieving the double-twin transition, i.e., decarbonizing energy generation of the chemical economy and adopting a circular development model as an area in which we are currently contributing to”, said Josef R. Wuensch, SusChem Chairman, Senior Vice President at BASF SE. “Yet, we have to be cautious, not to generate a twin bureaucracy having SSbD safety criteria next to REACH regulation” Wuensch emphasized.
Geopolitical developments and economic consequences for industry are also well reflected in the Transition Pathway. “This is crucial to improve the autonomy and competitiveness of the European chemical industry globally, especially in the context of an energy crisis as one of the consequences of the current war in Ukraine”, added Wuensch.
Want to learn more? Join the SusChem Stakeholder event, on 21 February 2023, in Brussels, for a keynote speech on the topic, to be delivered by Hans Ingels, Head of the Single Market Policy, Mutual Recognition and Market Surveillance Unit, DG GROW, European Commission. Register here.