Inspiring chemistry for a circular economy? Balancing environmental opportunities and risks

The chemical industry, being positioned at the beginning of many value chains, feels a high responsibility to play a decisive role in the development of new sustainable technologies. This sector has the ambition to realize a 40% reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases by 2030 with respect to 2015. In 2017 a reduction of nearly 20% has already been realized by reducing energy waste and the use of green energy. The remaining CO2 reduction should be realized by circular solutions, like the use of biomass as feedstock and the recycling of end-of-life products. Chemical companies and research institutes are therefore actively searching for bio-based and biodegradable chemicals, plastics and composite materials that more and more have been designed to facilitate easy recycling, the so-called ‘assemble-to-disassemble approach’.

At the Symposium ‘Inspiring chemistry for a circular economy?’ some approaches will be communicated, both focused on biomass-based and/or biodegradable plastics and other materials and on recyclable plastics and other materials designed to be easily disassembled. In addition to the communicated industrial approaches, a politician will share her point of view regarding the circular economy approach.