Breaking New Ground: Partnership with DSV and the Road to Davos
December is a time for reflection, transition, and fresh opportunities—and at the Global Impact Coalition, we’re closing out the year with exciting news. This month, we’re proud to announce our new partnership with Deep Science Ventures (DSV), a London-based deep-tech venture creator. This ground-breaking collaboration unites the chemical industry’s expertise with DSV’s pioneering venture creation model, setting a new benchmark for sustainable innovation. This partnership is the first of its kind in the chemical sector—a consortium working hand-in-hand with a venture studio to explore early-stage opportunities to redefine industry norms and accelerate impact.
While this marks an exciting milestone, it’s far from the only highlight of the season. Our team is also gearing up for our Annual General Meeting with the GIC CEO Advisory Board and Executive Committee—a pivotal moment for alignment during the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos. In just a few weeks, we’ll be on the ground hosting sessions, meeting industry leaders, and charting the path for 2025. Please reach out to connect if you are attending.
As we wrap up the year, we wish you a happy new year and look forward to driving progress together in 2025!
Save the Date: Accelerating Impact session in Davos
Collaboration is essential to accelerate sustainable transformation in the chemical industry, but aligning priorities, methods, and contributions is no simple task.
In this dynamic morning session, executive leaders will share practical insights and lessons from real-world collaborations. Attendees will then move from ideas to action, engaging in break-out discussion groups to identify opportunities for overcoming barriers to achieving net zero circularity.
Why is collaboration critical to achieve the chemical sector’s sustainability goals?
“Collaboration is critical because it increases the speed to achieve economies of scale. It helps de-risk the massive investments that will be required to reduce emissions and to transition to a circular economy."
What is the benefit of working with the Global Impact Coalition?
"With the GIC, I get opportunities to work on accelerating the industry's shift toward sustainability by connecting and collaborating with fantastic peers. I am looking forward to working on even more impactful projects over the next year."
Project Update: R&D Collaboration on Direct Conversion
The GIC Direct Conversion project is advancing research into processes that convert waste (from biomass or plastic) directly into C2+ compounds for use in the chemical industry. This approach, if successful, could offer a low-energy, low-emission, and cost-efficient route for waste-to-chemicals conversion. This project has already progressed to a co-investment in an R&D collaboration with a professor from ETH Zurich to assess the process's environmental impact and techno-economic feasibility. If deemed viable, the partners plan to pursue further development by piloting this potentially transformative technology.
Revving up Resource Recovery in End-of-Life Vehicles
The EU’s draft of the new End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive aims to spur the transition to more plastics circularity in the automotive industry. Currently, the lack of circularity in design and production mean that valuable resources are being lost from the production cycle. Increasing plastics recycling rates can be achieved by improving ELV dismantling and shredding practices.
Driving net zero emissions in the chemical industry through collaboration
The chemical industry, responsible for approximately two billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, faces mounting pressure to adopt sustainable practices. This emissions figure, poised to rise with increasing global demand for chemical products, means that, without intervention, the sector may exceed its carbon budget by 2029. Against this backdrop, the founders of the Global Impact Coalition recognise that meaningful progress toward net zero emissions requires a collaborative platform.
