Join us for a week-long series of Digital Dialogues! In a series of expert panel discussions, we will bring together some of the leading voices to deep dive into some of our most crucial debates on Europe’s pathway to 2050. 

Tuesday 26th October

Safe and Sustainable-by-Design: a global competitive boost for the European industry

12:00-13:15 (CEST)

Under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), the concept of Safe and Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) offers the potential to accelerate chemical innovations that are safe, deliver greater consumer confidence, while setting a global benchmark for Europe. Our chemicals industry wants to engage in the pathway to define the concept and framework, one which supports the achievement of the CSS and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, while accelerating the transition to a climate-neutral, circular Europe in 2050, with a globally competitive European industry.

This dialogue brings together representatives from the European Commission, Member of the European Parliament, downstream user and a trade union to examine:

• What is SSbD and what does the concept mean for European industry, consumers and products?
• How can the concept further stimulate growth in chemical innovations and collaborations across value chains towards products that are safe, sustainable, circular and climate neutral?
• With increased expectations from European industry, how can Europe ensure a level playing field with non-EU manufacturers and ensure enforcement at EU borders?

Join us to discuss the concept of Safe and Sustainable-by-Design and debate concrete actions to advance in a way which supports chemical innovation in Europe, while also boosting European industry competitiveness on the global market.

Speakers

• Anne-Sofie Bäckar, Executive Director, ChemSec
• Martin Hojsik, Member of the European Parliament
• Ian Malcomber, Programme Director Chemical Safety, Unilever SEAC
• Joel Tickner, Professor of Environmental Health, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Jürgen Tiedje, Head of Industrial Transformation Unit, Directorate General for Research and Innovation, European Commission

Moderator: Leigh Stringer, Managing Editor, Europe

Note for Cefic members: the full programme and registration details have been sent by email. Please check your inbox or contact us.

Responsible Care Awards Ceremony

14:00 – 14:20 (CEST)

Discover the winner of the Responsible Care Awards Ceremony 2021!

Join Cefic’s President and other guest speakers at the Responsible Care Awards ceremony and find out who the winners of this year’s awards are.

Following the “Caring in COVID-19 times” awards programme launched in 2020, this year, the Responsible Care awards will continue to show the industry’s commitment to support during the crisis; by caring for the mental health of company employees or accelerating the production of medical devices, while also recognising projects that support climate neutrality, circularity, resource efficiency and more!

Speakers

• Martin Brüdermuller, Cefic President (CEO BASF)
• Marco Mensink, Cefic Director General
• Pierre Quiblier – Programme Officer at the Chemical and Health Branch of the United Nations Environment

Note for Cefic members: the full programme and registration details have been sent by email. Please check your inbox or contact us.

Powering a competitive European chemical industry: How can the EU access abundant supplies of renewable energy by 2050?

15:00-16:15 (CEST)

Our European chemicals industry will need abundant supplies of reliable renewable energy at a competitive price to enable Europe’s industrial transformation. With electricity demand picking up speed in Europe, this sessin will examine a policy framework that ensures the trillions of euros in investments enables our industries to thrive towards a circular and climate-neutral future.

This dialogue will bring together representatives from the Commission, an NGO, as well as the renewables and chemicals sectors to discuss:

• How to enable a coherent and holistic policy framework, from energy and climate, to competition and trade?
• How can we fast track innovation to deliver clean and affordable energy?
• How to seize the opportunities to develop home-grown solutions on European soil?

Join us to debate how Europe’s demands for clean and affordable supplies of renewable electricity can be scaled up, making European industry Fit for 55.

Speakers

• Giles Dickson, CEO, WindEurope  
• Bas Eickhout, Member of the European Parliament
• Pete Harrison, Executive Director European Climate Foundation
• Shradha Abt, Deputy Head of Office, EU Government Relations, BASF

Moderator: Laura Shields, Red Thread EU

Note for Cefic members: the full programme and registration details have been sent by email. Please check your inbox or contact us.

Wednesday 27th October

Chemistry: the engine of future mobility?

10:00:11:15 (CEST)

Climate neutrality will require a 90% reduction in transport emissions by 2050. To achieve this, we will need to advance the uptake of e-mobility and alternative fuels, like hydrogen. As a major hydrogen producer and consumer, along with being a solution provider for batteries, our chemicals industry would like to engage in a discussion on how to advance these alternatives towards achieving Europe’s 2050 goals.

This dialogue will bring together the European Commission, European Parliament, civil society and industry to examine how the chemical industry can drive future mobility by:

• Presenting the EU vision of mobility towards a transport sector fit for a clean, digital and modern economy
• Showcasing how the chemical industry contributes to innovations in batteries and the role of hydrogen, as a promising energy source
• Examining the policy framework and conditions needed to accelerate the shift towards cleaner and more sustainable transport solutions

Join us to debate how the European chemical industry and transport industry can work together to accelerate the shift to cleaner and sustainable mobility.

Speakers

• Pascal Chalvon , Chief Sustainability Officer, Solvay
• Kristian Hedberg – Head of Unit, Sustainable and Intelligent Transport, European Commission
• Eric-Mark Huitema, Director General ACEA
• Dr.-Ing. Stephan Neugebauer – Chairman, European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC)
• William Todts , Director General Transport and Environment

Moderator: : Jen Baker, EU Policy and Tech Reporter

Note for Cefic members: the full programme and registration details have been sent by email. Please check your inbox or contact us.

From waste to resources: how can chemical recycling accelerate the creation of a circular economy for plastics?

11:45 – 13:00 (CEST)

The European chemical industry is at the heart of the transition to a European circular economy. The EU institutions already agreed that the potential of emerging recycling technologies, such as chemical recycling, need to be further explored. In that context, our industry wants to contribute to the ongoing discussions by providing data and concrete examples of chemical recycling projects. To reach a circular economy for plastics, the right regulatory framework should be put in place, going from a waste orientation to a resource orientation.

This session will bring together policymakers, civil society and industry to:

• Examine how chemical recycling technologies can contribute to reducing the 85% of plastic waste in Europe that ends up in incineration and landfill
• Deep-dive into what policy framework would be needed
• Showcase the latest examples of chemical recycling across the industry and discuss how to accelerate them to the next level

Join this dialogue to find out how Europe can accelerate the circular economy for plastics.

Speakers

• Youssef Chtourou – Global Circular Economy Director – Packaging, Danone
• Mattia Pellegrini, Head of Unit, DG ENV, European Commission
• Inari Seppä – Director – Circular Economy Advocacy, Eastman
• Olivier Stemler– Projects Director “Chemistry, Water, Biotechs”, French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery
• Janek Vähk -Climate, Energy and Air Pollution Programme Coordinator, Zero Waste Europe

Moderator: Jen Baker, EU Policy and Tech Reporter

Note for Cefic members: the full programme and registration details have been sent by email. Please check your inbox or contact us.

Collaborating towards better enforcement of chemicals legislation: learning from the textile and fashion sector

14:30 – 15:45 (CEST)

Circularity, innovation in new materials and technologies and traceability are major drivers of change in the European textiles and clothing industry, an industrial ecosystem already recognised with potential to pave the way towards carbon neutrality and sustainability. As the EU sets to raise its regulatory bar to further safeguard people and the environment, the challenge will be to ensure any product entering the EU complies with EU laws. Evidence suggests that an overwhelming majority of articles non-compliant with the EU chemicals safety laws come from outside the EU. The findings therefore confirm an urgent need for EU member states to step up enforcement of EU safety laws particularly in imported goods.

With more than 23 billion garments entering the EU every year and an increasing number of restrictions on chemicals used in clothes, this dialogue will examine:

• How to ensure all players, both the EU producing and importing textile and clothing companies as well as online sales, respect the same rules?
• Considering the growing a list of restrictions in the textiles sector (CMRs, skin sensitisers), how can we ensure that such wide spanning restrictions can be enforced?
• What is the role of partnerships and collaborations between companies, civil society and governments to enhance enforcement activities?

Join us to examine current challenges and opportunities to step up market surveillance to boost protection of European consumers and safeguard European industry competitiveness.

Speakers

• Baptiste Carriere-Pradal, Chair – The Policy Hub
• Dunja Drmac – Manager Chemicals Legislation (REACH), Cefic
• Matthias Schmidt-Gerdts – Head of Unit DG GROW– Market surveillance, European Commission
• Dirk Vantyghem , Director General – EURATEX

Moderator: Jen Baker, EU Policy and Tech Reporter

Note for Cefic members: the full programme and registration details have been sent by email. Please check your inbox or contact us.

Friday 29th October

The Future of Chemistry

11:15 – 12:30 (CEST)

With the European Green Deal, Europe has presented its growth strategy that will transform the Union into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, economic growth is decoupled from resource use, and no person or place is left behind. This spotlight session will present futuristic tools to help us to predict the world in 2050, the evolution of chemistry and its role in supporting Europe’s transformation, along with the considerations of a corporation striving to remain sustainable and competitive in the long term.

Speakers

• Prof. Lee Cronin, Group Leader, Regius Chair of Chemistry – University of Glasgow
• Alexa Dembek, Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer – DuPont
• Anab Jain, Co-founder and Director – Superflux

Moderator: Bjorn Hansen, Executive Director, ECHA

Note for Cefic members: the full programme and registration details have been sent by email. Please check your inbox or contact us.