Studies
Digital Technologies for Sustainability in the European Chemical Industry
April 2023
Arthur D. Little and the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) joined forces to prepare this report, which summarises the views of digital technology experts from within and outside the chemical industry.
Recommendations from this report are based on the result of 15 individual interviews with senior digital and sustainability experts (e.g., chief digital officers or chief sustainability officers) as well as a survey of more than 70 experts from 50 companies that are broad representatives of the chemical industry in terms of type of business, size, and region.
To add cross-industry perspectives, the study also took into account input from more than 10 globally recognised digital technology experts outside the chemical industry.
Driving toward the future of materials: Considerations for Europe and the chemical industry
March 2023
The world is seeing a stream of new, innovative materials coming to market, from self-healing materials that can recover from scratches to strong, conformable willow glass that can be used in ultra-thin displays and flexible solar cells. The creation of a range of new materials marks a revolution that is driven by technology-enabled innovation, coupled with increasingly sophisticated end uses and products that require materials with new properties. Accenture has released its latest study which examines the development of new, innovative materials which is creating an estimated US$150 billion growth opportunity for materials companies, including those in chemicals. Find out what opportunities could be in store for Europe and the EU chemicals industry.
The chemical industry’s road to net zero
April 2022
The EU Green Deal, which calls for net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, will affect businesses across the board—but it will have a tremendous impact on Europe’s chemical industry as it brings both significant challenges and huge opportunities. To better understand this impact, Accenture and NexantECA, an energy and chemicals advisory company, conducted a comprehensive, plant-by-plant assessment of 236 chemical plants in Europe. This analysis determined that in order to reach net zero by 2050, the chemical industry will need to cut annual GHG emissions by 186 million tons over the next three decades.
The essential role of Chemicals: Life Cycle Assessment of circular systems
June 2021
An International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and Quantis Report
The environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a widely accepted methodology that evaluates and quantifies the environmental impacts of a product. In this guide case studies are used to illustrate how LCA methodologies can be used to quantify overall emissions, as well as other environmental factors. Future developments in LCA can further strengthen the central role it has to play in decision-making: widening the scope in terms of the environmental impacts considered, increasing availability of process-specific data, and a wider adoption of common approaches. This will further increase the robustness of LCA in evaluating circular solutions.
Sustainable Plastics Strategy
December 2020
A report by SusChem, the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry and its partners – Cefic, PlasticsEurope, European Plastics Converters (EuPC) and the European Composites, Plastics and Polymer Processing Platform (ECP4).
As an industry, we believe plastic waste in the environment is unacceptable and represents a massive loss of a valuable resource. One of the keys to tackling plastic waste is the creation of a circular economy. In this report SusChem, Cefic, PlasticsEurope, EuPC, and ECP4 show the possibilities of making plastics safe and sustainable by design, discuss different recycling technologies, and explore how quality plastics can be produced from alternative feedstock. This publication is a follow up to the “Plastics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda in a Circular Economy”. It includes the research and innovation needs for the plastics value chains in full alignment with the EU Green Deal, Horizon Europe and the Circular Plastics Alliance.
Renewable H2: The emerging prospect for European chemical companies
November 2020
Hydrogen is widely seen as vital to sustainability and to help meet EU goals for the reduction of CO2 emissions. Yet, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. For the chemical industry, the development of renewable hydrogen creates opportunities. For example, hydrogen can be used in place of the combustion of fossil fuels, and in the conversion of CO2 into syngas, which could then be used to synthesize methanol, aromatic compounds or other base chemicals such as ethylene, propylene or benzene. Opportunities exist through the various roles across the emerging renewable hydrogen value chain. Chemical companies that start working with and understanding the challenges and potential of hydrogen now will be in better position to take advantage of it as it evolves.
Accelerating Wind Turbine Blade Circularity
May 2020
A Cefic/WindEurope/EuCIA report
With this report, WindEurope, Cefic and the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) show how wind turbine blade recycling can be taken to the next level. Wind turbines have a recyclability rate of 85 to 90% depending on the component, a number that could be increased if wind turbines were recycled and recovered accordingly. Based on findings of recent workshops held by this cross-sector platform, the report describes wind turbine blade structure and material composition; highlights the expected volumes of composite waste, including wind turbine blade waste; maps the existing regulation governing composite waste in Europe; describes the existing recycling and recovery technologies for treating composite waste as well as innovative applications for using composite waste; and provides recommendations for research and innovation to further enhance the circularity of wind turbine blades.
Winning in a Circular Economy: Practical steps for the European chemical industry
February 2020
An Accenture report with support from Cefic
The concept of the circular economy is not new, but over the last two years, activity related to circularity has increased dramatically – and it is changing the chemical industry fast. In Cefic’s Mid-Century Vision, the European chemical industry sees itself at the centre of Europe’s circular economy. As such, Cefic partnered with Accenture to investigate the unfolding of the chemical industry transition towards a circular economy. In this new report, Accenture develops a comprehensive view on the unfolding industry transition, which they consider to be driven by regulators and consumer demand. In addition to describing the effect of the accelerating shift to circularity, Accenture delves into the building blocks to close loops – such as recycling technologies, reverse logistics, circular product design, and enabling technology – as well as the overall impact on value chain dynamics, business models, and breakeven economics of secondary raw materials versus virgin fossil feedstock-based chemical products.
Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA)
February 2020
The new SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA) focuses on technology priorities towards 2030, across advanced materials, advanced processes as well as the implementation and co-development of enabling digital technologies. Horizontal topics are equally addressed, including sustainability assessment innovation, safe-by-design for chemicals and materials, as well as building on education and skills capacity in Europe. The SIRA is the result of a co-creation process together with stakeholders across the innovation ecosystem. It outlines the strategic Research and Innovation (R&I) priorities, with a strong relevance to sustainable chemistry, linking to Horizon Europe and beyond.
Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain: Insights and Actions for the Chemical Industry
June 2019
An Accenture report with support from Cefic
Digitalization will be a source and driver of transformational change across all industries. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain have the potential to reshape both individual chemical companies and the industry overall. Accenture’s study investigates how AI and blockchain technology are disrupting the chemical industry and provides critical insights for those looking to take advantage. It looks at how the industry is using the technologies today, recommends how the industry can reap benefits from applying both technologies in their business models, and shares how to overcome the challenges and implications involved.
Plastics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda in a Circular Economy
December 2018
A report by SusChem, the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry and its partners – Cefic, PlasticsEurope, European Plastics Converters (EuPC) and the European Composites, Plastics and Polymer Processing Platform (ECP4).
As SusChem and partners’ main input to EU innovation policy on the circularity of plastics, this report identifies the challenges to plastics circularity and defines the types of solutions needed to address them. Future research is required in three main areas: Circularity by design, recycling and alternative feedstock. The analyses from this report have helped to identify priorities, projects and the level of investment needed to achieve full circularity of plastics.
A bridge towards a carbon neutral Europe
September 2018
A report by the Institute for European Studies (IES) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), commissioned by Cefic and 11 European Energy Intensive Industries (Ells)
The energy intensive industrial sector in the European Union (EU) holds strategic importance given that around 80% of the goods produced by the EIIs are consumed all over Europe. The goal of this contribution is to highlight the constructive and solutions-oriented role that the EIIs have been playing, determine a combination of possible key solutions that will help EIIs to significantly reduce their emissions, as well as stress the need to address the necessary conditions to ensure that Europe is at the forefront of the energy and industrial transformation.
Chemistry for Climate: Acting on the need for speed
March 2018
A report by the Royal Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI)
VNCI’s 2050 roadmap points to the need for abundant and cheap renewable electricity and biomass as feedstock to chemicals. It outlines political and investments conditions to enable a lower carbon footprint of the Dutch chemicals industry.
Low carbon energy and feedstock for the chemical industry
July 2017
A report by DECHEMA, commissioned by Cefic
This report represents the joint contribution from 11 European Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) – iron and steel, cement, chemicals and fertilizers, refineries, non-ferrous metals, ferro- alloys and silicon, pulp and paper, ceramics, lime, and glass – to the European Commission’s Strategy for long-term EU greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Taking the European chemical industry into the circular economy
April 2017
An Accenture/Cefic report
Sustainability has become a vital part of many business strategies across industries, and that has prompted growing interest in the circular economy— including among European chemical companies. The advent of the circular economy is likely to lead to significant changes for the industry, along with fundamental challenges. But it could present a major opportunity for the European chemical industry, and for Europe overall. The report looks at how the industry might shift to that type of economy, what it will take to get there, and what it will mean for chemical companies. The report takes a holistic view that goes beyond individual factors and issues—such as CO2 emissions, plastics recycling, bio-based chemicals or landfill policy—in order to create an integrated picture of the industry in a circular economy.
Evolution of Competitiveness in the European chemical industry
January 2015
A Cefic/Oxford Economics report
Cefic/Oxford Economics report concluding on a loss of competitiveness of the industry in Europe compared to other regions. The report sets out recommendations in eight main segments of the EU economy.
Greenhouse gas emission reductions enabled by products from the chemical industry
October 2017
An International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and Ecofys Report
The objective of this study is to assess the global contribution of the chemical industry to selected six solutions in the context of limiting average temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, as agreed on in the Paris Agreement in 2015. Despite the small number of solutions considered, the magnitude of chemical products’ contribution is remarkable. The study on the maximum potential indicates that even a higher reduction seems feasible in 2030 with appropriate and enabling policies in place.
The essential role of chemicals: quantifying the global potential
October 2017
An International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and Ecofys Report
The objective of this study is to assess the global contribution of the chemical industry to selected six solutions in the context of limiting average temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, as agreed on in the Paris Agreement in 2015. Despite the small number of solutions considered, the magnitude of chemical products’ contribution is remarkable. The study on the maximum potential indicates that even a higher reduction seems feasible in 2030 with appropriate and enabling policies in place.