Sharing our latest activities, project progress, upcoming events and a Q&A with some of the people working behind the scenes as we collaborate to enable a net-zero and circular chemicals future.
Heading to "sprint mode" after an energizing GIC Community Meeting
During our recent 2-day meeting at Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Sittard-Geleen, around 50 GIC members & partners convened to connect with other member companies, advance on projects to reduce emissions and increase circularity, get an update on broader GIC progress and plans, and align on the best ways of working going forward.
The GIC working groups met together with the Executive Committee to discuss and advance on current projects covering critical topics including automotive plastics recycling, pyrolysis oil BI platform, Carbon Capture & Utilization (CCU), and direct conversion/gasification. A key outcome of the meeting was the decision to push harder to advance projects faster by working in a series of in-person sprints and ensure a closer alignment with leadership via the Executive Committee. Going forward, project working groups will each have an ExCom sponsor and will meet every 6-8 weeks for the sprints.
The workshop also served to explore new ideas for future projects. Guided by pre-work done by BCG with input from members, the group explored topics including battery recycling, how to improve traceability of chemicals along the value chain, and using AI for material testing. Out of the ideation session, the group found particular interest in advancing the topic of AI-driven material testing for toxicity & compliance. This idea will be explored further in the upcoming ExCom meeting and ideation session in September. To prepare, GIC will engage with AI specialists from member companies, relevant organizations and visionary start-ups operating in this space.
working hard to help us advance towards a net-zero and circular future for chemicals:
GIC working group member Gokce Ugur Erinc from Kordsa (Sabanci Holding)
What does sustainability mean to you?
“I see sustainability as a big challenging fight against climate change. We are in a climate emergency. It is like ‘code blue’ protocol in the hospitals when a patient has a life-threatening condition.The planet is our patient. We need to take immediate action as individuals, communities, governments, companies and everybody working together. As a reward for this action, we will have a safe future for our communities, families, and kids."
As we work to advance automotive plastic recycling towards circularity, the working group has clarified the specific pain points we need to address to utilize the 80% of End-of-Life Vehicle plastics that are incinerated or landfilled today:
Single part retrieval for material recycling is expensive
Shredding leads to contaminated mixed plastic fractions
Sorting is expensive and demand for recycled plastics is limited today
While the challenges our clear, our Automotive Plastics Circularity working group is forging ahead, looking to grow the market by building a closed loop plastic supply and optimizing the ecosystem economics. Now we are looking to bring on partners from ELV dismantlers, shredders, sorters, recyclers and OEMs to build a pilot.
As a growing organization, the Global Impact Coalition jumps on opportunities to co-present with our members and partners in trade shows, conferences, events and congresses. Please let us know if you have colleagues attending any of the following events (or any others!) so we can meet up and connect in person.
Internal event: GIC Ideation session, project sprints & ExCom meeting, Sept 19-20, Clariant Innovation Center in Frankfurt
Climate Week NY presence and panel participation, Sept 23-26, NYC
