Speciality Chemicals Magazine JAN / FEB 2022 | Page 64

SUSTAINABILITY
‣ the technology , it can be scaled up “ so much faster than we ever could do alone .”
Sustainability contribution
“ Sustainability is not a hype . It marks a turning point for the global economy ,” added Keijzer . Under the Paris Agreement in 2015 , he noted , 195 countries signed a binding agreement to limit global warming to no more than 2 ° C above pre-industrial levels by 2050 . The EU , the US and China have all adopted ambitious legislation and made massive financial commitments to achieving this target . Among these , the European Green Deal envisages spending over € 1 trillion to enhance lower carbon business models . About one third is to come the private sector , including investments such as the one at Podari . Massive and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions , Keijzer said , are integral to all this . “ The chemicals industry plays an important role in achieving those reductions . It is also a clear call for Clariant . Sustainability has been firmly anchored in our strategy for more than eight years . Now we are taking additional steps to contribute to climate neutrality .” Key aims in this include a 40 % reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emission reductions from a 2019 baseline , in line with the best-inclass companies in the industry . For Scope 3 ( downstream ) emissions , the company is seeking to “ develop products and technologies that provide a measurable and impactful leverage for our customers ’ GHG reductions ”. The means include increased energy efficiency and use of biotechnology . Other ways in which Clariant claims to contribute to its customers ’ sustainability footprint include high performance catalysts and renewable materials .
Wider cooperation
All this came the day after Clariant and nine other major global chemical
Keijzer - Sustainability marks a turning point for the global economy
sector companies – BASF , Dow , DSM , Solvay , Covestro , Mitsubishi Chemical , Air Liquide , Sabic and Sibur – signed an agreement with the World Economic Forum to formalise their existing Low-Carbon Emitting Technologies ( LCET ) initiative into a stand-alone entity by the end of 2023 . This will take the form of a project development company ( PDC ), which will share early-stage risks and co-invest in developing and scaling up low-carbon emitting technologies . It will seek ” to foster creative public-private partnerships and to enable pre-competitive cooperation , especially on common challenges for the industry , to drive sustainable solutions and collectively solve challenges on the path to netzero emissions ”. The first two initiatives are in the commodity field , but further technological building blocks – such as hydrogen , ammonia and methanol generation in low-carbon emission processes , using alternative feedstocks like CO 2
, plastic waste and biomass as feedstock for chemicals and fuels and the electrification of chemical operations – are said to be in the PDC pipeline . The LCET initiative aims to foster alliances , which could be structured as joint ventures or startup companies , to innovate , share knowledge and reduce investment risks , including through shared IP schemes . Parallel project teams are addressing technology , regulatory , funding , market and collaboration challenges to accelerate the rollout of specific projects . The initiative is supported by the Mission Possible Partnership , which hosted a podcast on ‘ The Blueprint for Decarbonising Industry ’ on the same day . Speakers from the apex of high-carbon industries , including shipping , aviation and steel as well as chemicals , discussed the challenges of reaching net zero by 2050 . Keijzer was among them . The chemicals industry , he said , is responsible for about 5-6 % of world GHG emissions . About 60 % of its carbon footprint is associated with energy consumption , the rest with process emissions . Multiple actions are needed to reduce that footprint . As regards the 60 %, the industry must electrify its plants , replacing gas-fired crackers and furnaces , and sourcing greener energy , ideally solar , wind- or hydro-powered . For the 40 %, the industry must make its processes more efficient . Catalysts help to make this possible by enabling reaction processes to take place at lower temperatures and with higher yields . “ The technology is there , it can be done ,” Keijzer said The scale of the challenge is vast and mind-boggling , speakers agreed . Collaboration with customers , suppliers and others on a scale never seen before will be essential . In this context , Keijzer cited what Clariant is doing with Sunliquid in licensing it out – “ a mindset shift ” was needed . Many more will no doubt be needed in the years to come . • * - sunliquid is a registered trademark of Clariant IPM
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Stephanie Nehlsen
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
CLARIANT stephanie . nehlsen @ clariant . com www . clariant . com
64 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981