“The chemical industry is committed to playing a leading role in the transition to a true Circular Economy model”.
This was the message Cefic Presidentand CEO of Versalis (Eni) Daniele Ferrari conveyed to the audience of more than 1,500 peopleat the annual IHS World PetrochemicalConference in San Antonio,Texas.
In his speech Ferrari said the EU chemical industry has the technological background to lead the transformation towards a more sustainable society and to stay competitive within a challenging scenario, shaped by major changes such as the increase in the world population and demand for consumer goods.
Yet this growth needs to take into account the scarcity of natural resources and waste issue. The EU chemical companies are now globally in the avant-garde of this new circular thinking, as more of them are developing innovative solutions led by sustainability and circular economy principles, and further efficiency opportunities deriving from digitisation.
For example, a large proportionof waste can be recovered in order to obtain new raw materials for polymers bydeveloping chemical recycling.This represents one of the most ambitious targets for many players in the chemical industrysector, as it isfundamental to overcome the efficiency limits of mechanical recycling.
Fully embracing new technologies andembedding circularity in whole products’ life cycle — from production processes to end of life — is a challenging task,and the chemical industry must be at the forefront of this transformation. But there is no doubtthat the futureindustry growth in Europe will be driven by low-carbon and circular solutions. Achieving such ambitious goalsrequires the commitment of citizens, institutions and associations andpowerful industry chain alliances, concluded Ferrari.