Scaling up sustainability: Cefic launches its 2021 Sustainability Progress Report

Change is encouraged to make Europe greener, more digital, and more resilient. Change is needed to make the products and processes of our industry climate neutral and more circular. And sustainability is at the centre of this change. Cefic’s 2021 Sustainability Progress Report highlights how we scaled up our sustainability actions to work towards the ambitions of the EU Green Deal. 

“Central to all our sustainability actions is outreach and collaboration” says Ann Dierckx, Cefic’s Sustainability Director. “Whether its defining criteria innovating for Safe and Sustainable-by-Design, developing indicators to drive and monitor our sustainability progress, or taking circularity to the next level, we need inputs from all stakeholders”. 

In 2021, our journey to sustainability drove us to share our views on the concept of Safe and Sustainable-by-Design, we outlined circular carbon as a means of driving circularity, and we reflected on how to use Sustainable Development Indicators to reflect that the chemicals sector is contributing to the transition towards a safe, resource efficient and circular economy within a climate-neutral Europe. 

But our journey does not end there. The chemical industry is convinced that defining the concept of Safe and Sustainable-by-Design, as well as making chemical products and technologies Safe and Sustainable-by-Design, is not a standalone exercise. As such, Cefic calls on all stakeholders to join us in our journey to define the Safe and Sustainable-by-Design process and criteria. The Future Chemistry Network, and its LinkedIn group form one means for all stakeholders with an interest in accelerating innovations which are Safe and Sustainable-by-Design to share their views.   

In 2022 Cefic will continue to monitor and drive progress towards Cefic’ s ambitions and the ambitions of the EU Green Deal and further develop the Sustainable Development Indicators.