Global Impact Coalition's First Year: Driving Chemical Industry Sustainability
November marked our one year anniversary since spinning off from theWorld Economic Forum. In our inaugural year as an independent entity, during one of the chemical industryâs most challenging economic periods, we have retained all original founding members and added three new companies, expanding our reach globally and along the chemicals value chain.
With a focus on transforming ideas into concrete action, we have already developed multiple projects with engaged member participants. Just one year after spinning off, the GIC is showing clear and measurable progress, with several projects advancing toward a pilot or joint venture.
This month working groups met for in-person sprint sessions to drive progress.
The Automotive Plastics Circularity working group met together with potential value chain partners at the Covestro offices in Leverkusen. This project is progressing well to prepare a pilot for early 2025.
The Direct Conversion project is advancing to a co-investment in an R&D collaboration with a professor from ETH Zurich to assess the processâs environmental impact and techno-economic feasibility.
November was also a big month for conferences. We had the opportunity to speak on several panels together with GIC community members from BASF, Covestro and LyondellBasell at ADIPEC and the Sustainable Chemicals Conference.
Over the past year, the Global Impact Coalition built a solid foundation to drive high-impact projects, expanding our membership and global engagement. One of our proudest achievements has been fostering a strong team spirit, rooted in trust, a shared mission, and a passion for driving sustainability in the chemical sector.
Spin-off Project Update: R&D Hub for Plastic Waste Processing
One of our successful spin-offs from the GIC, the R&D Hub for Plastic Waste Processing, now has a dedicated page on our website. Here you can find information on the project objectives, partners involved and a status update. Managed by our partner TNO, the R&D Hub is open for new members to join and collaborate on these innovative technologies to advance plastic recycling.
In his article Chemical Recycling is Essential for Plastics Circularity, but Faces Challenges,Scott Jenkins writes, "Environmental imperatives drive the development of technologies for the chemical recycling of plastic waste, but significant hurdles â including economic viability, collection logistics and feedstock complexity â need to be addressed for chemical recycling to have a larger impact."
CHEManager International article: Circular Solutions
The path to a sustainable, net-zero future for the chemical industry is paved with challenges â and also opportunities. At the recent Sustainable Chemicals Expo & Conference in Cologne, leaders from BASF, LyondellBasell, Covestro, and GIC discussed how collaboration among competitors can drive the sector toward circularity and reducing carbon emissions.
