EDITOR ' S LETTER
Sustained effort
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This issue includes a feature on sustainability . In addition to my report from an Evonik press conference that sought how to illustrate how its recent technical advances contribute to the sustainability agenda ( page 44 ), we also have contributed articles on the subject from two of the three largest global distributors of chemicals : Univar Solutions ( page 42 ) and Azelis ( page 46 ).
This is highly appropriate , I believe , because no-one is more aware than major distributors that sustainability is not a subject that any company can , or should , attempt to tackle alone . It involves entire value chains working together , often in unprecedented ways that take some people out of deeply entrenched comfort zones .
This is far from easy . For one thing , different companies are at very different stages of their sustainability journeys . Telling your suppliers that they must comply with certain standards or they will be deselected is one way of dealing with laggards but there must be incentives and help too so that we all come to think about sustainability in the same way .
As Kelly Gilroy and Liam McCarroll of Univar put it : “ To better align industry thinking about sustainability , we recently began piloting a standardised global framework for categorising and characterising the sustainable attributes of ingredients and products .” To this end , the company defines sustainability at product level with input from principals and customers and is working to gather supporting documentation for each sustainability characteristic .
This is all in line with the strategy Univar developed when it first adopted its global sustainability goals in 2017 , the authors add . These were designed “ holistically , as specific and measurable targets that address the most material aspects of sustainability ”. The goals are seen as “ part of a balanced , interconnected ecosystem ”, a way of thinking that helps to ensure that one sustainability goal is not being achieved at another ’ s expense .
This failing is all too easy when you are focusing on just one or a few metrics and it can lead in turn to a lack of clarity about what terms like ‘ sustainable ,’ ‘ green ’ and ‘ natural ’ really mean . That way can in turn lead to greenwashing ( real or perceived ), cynical consumers and more stringent regulations that will cost the industry more to adhere to while not necessarily doing any real good for the environment .
Similarly , Maria Almenar of Azelis describes how the company has made sustainability one of its three core business growth drivers and measures its sustainability performance in the same way as its financial performance . Azelis must know a bit about the subject , given how many awards and high rankings it has picked up in areas like environmental and social governance , and measuring sustainability performance
Coincidentally , recent months have seen the membership of Together for Sustainability ( TfS ) grow to 40 , with Lonza , Allnex and another global distribution giant , IMCD , all joining . TfS seeks to raise corporate social responsibility standards throughout the industry by making sustainability improvements in members ’ own and their suppliers ’ operations . Such initiatives will be essential for the industry in maintaining its credentials in the face of a challenge that will never cease to evolve and grow .
Dr Andrew Warmington
EDITOR – SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE
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