A return to reason
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Welcome to the March-April 2021 edition of Speciality Chemicals Magazine . As ever , we feature a diverse array of feature articles from across different industries . Last month , you may have noticed , we did not have an Events page . This month we do ( page 62 ) but even so , the vast majority of those that we list as happening over the next few months are taking place virtually . Only a couple of exhibitions in Asia were still – at the time of going to press – meant to happen on a traditional face-to-face basis . As we report in the news , the COVID-19 pandemic continues to play havoc with the industry ’ s calendar . Some key events scheduled for 1H 2021 have been effectively cancelled , while others have been postponed until the autumn , creating what we must hope will be a very busy time for us all . This is a time of cautious optimism , with the development of multiple vaccines against COVID-19 offering hope of a way out . It was all done staggeringly quickly , thanks in large part to good old-fashioned chemistry , with CDMOs playing key roles . Nonetheless , the effects of the pandemic on our industry have been marked . In early March , European Chemical Industry Council ( CEFIC ) reported that EU27 chemical production fell by 1.9 % from 2019 to 2020 . It expects 3 % and 22 % growth in 2021 and 2022 respectively . However , the association said , “ longer-term economic outlook remains highly uncertain due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its continued economic impacts ”. The fall in production reflected the pandemic ’ s wider effects on EU manufacturing , as almost all manufactured goods require chemicals . With this being 8.2 % down in 2020 , there was a decline in chemicals output in almost all areas , slightly offset by increased demand in chemicals used in goods critical to public health , such as PPE , medicines and disinfectants . The overall capacity of the EU27 chemical industry dropped by about 6 % in 2020 on 2019 . For the first 11 months , sales were € 34.8 billion down and exports were € 7.4 billion ( 4.5 %) down . In the circumstances , that seems a remarkably small drop . CEFIC itself certainly thought so . “ 2020 has proven the chemical value chains to be among the most resilient in Europe ,” commented CEFIC Director General , Marco Mensink . “ The industry stood up , rose to the expectations and has delivered valuable support on , for example , disinfectants supply .” One definite positive to come out of all this – which has been seen not just in the chemicals industry but also in adjacent , equally unfairly maligned industries like pharmaceuticals and plastics - has been a change in public attitudes . Even the most vehement critics have been forced to realise that disinfectants they put on their hands every day are chemicals ; that protective visors are made of plastic for a reason ; and that Big Pharma companies both developed these life-saving molecules and made them available at affordable prices . Perhaps they might also reflect that pandemics show Mother Nature to be a ruthless killer ! Of course there are some nutty conspiracy theories doing the rounds , as they always do , but there is enough evidence from opinion polls to show a more rounded appreciation of the aforementioned good old-fashioned chemistry . If and when we ‘ get back to normal ’, whatever ‘ normal ’ is by then , it is for all of us to capitalise on the goodwill and put science at the heart of a greener , brighter future .
Dr Andrew Warmington
EDITOR – SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE
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