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Chemical Engineering
By Pang Soo Mooi
Collaboration in Chemical Industry Essential to COVID-19 Response and Recovery - The APEC Chemical Dialogue 2020
The APEC Chemical Dialogue , the premier forum for the chemical industry in the Asia-Pacific , strengthened co-operation on regulatory affairs in order to facilitate trade in essential goods and assist the recovery effort by APEC member economies by creating jobs and promoting sustainable development .
The Asia-Pacific region represents more than 45 % of the global chemical manufacturing business or an equivalent of 7 % of global gross domestic product . Of the 120 million jobs supported by the industry , more than 69 % of them are in the Asia-Pacific , according to the American Chemistry Council .
“ Chemicals are a critical part of many essential goods . In fact , 96 % of all manufactured goods rely on chemistry ,” said Sergio Barrientos , industry cochair of the APEC Chemical Dialogue . “ From masks and other personal protective equipment to hand sanitiser and crucial disinfectants , the chemical industry plays an essential role in producing important supplies in the fight against COVID-19 ,” he added .
Government and industry representatives convened virtually in early November 2020 and discussed top priorities in the chemicals sector as well as a plan of action moving forward , including prioritising collaboration between public and private sectors to develop innovative solutions for sustainable economic , and environmental and social development through the application of good regulatory practices .
Through its virtual working group , the APEC Chemical Dialogue forum advances APEC ’ s agenda on trade and investment by promoting regulatory alignment and convergence to the globally harmonised system of classification and labelling of chemicals and encouraging the sharing of information and best practices on the sound management of the industry .
“ One of the key areas of interest in the forum is good regulatory practices ,” said acting Government co-chair , Renee Hancher . “ When applied uniformly and consistently , good regulatory practices produce more effective and efficient regulatory outcomes , prevent unnecessary obstacles to trade caused by regulations and provide a more predictable regulatory environment that encourages trade and investment .”
The forum promotes cross-cutting collaboration to bolster development of and investment in innovative solutions to land-based waste management and ensure coherence on marine debris initiatives with the APEC Oceans and Fisheries Working Group and other APEC fora .
Global Pursuit of Sound Management of Chemicals – World Bank
All living and inanimate matter are made up of chemicals . Virtually every man-made product involves the use of intentionally produced chemicals in some manner and thousands are produced and new ones developed every year in response to demands for new and improved products . Some chemicals are unintentionally produced as by-products in manufacturing , industrial and combustion processes . Once released into the environment , chemicals may undergo short or long-range transport as a result of natural environmental processes , transformed
38 VOL 86 APRIL-JUNE 2021