Exploring Digital Transformation’s Impact on Chemical Research with DOW

Exploring Digital Transformation’s Impact on Chemical Research with DOW. CIEX 2024 Speaker Interview with Rui Vogt Alves da Cruz, VP of Core R&D, Dow

Rui Vogt Alves da Cruz, VP Core R&D, Dow

Today, we interviewed Rui Vogt Alves da Cruz from Dow to discuss key insights ahead of his upcoming session at CIEX in Indianapolis this October.

Rui Cruz, vice president for Dow Core R&D, a global Research and Development organization which drives the long-term R&D vision for Dow. Prior to this role, Rui was the senior regional R&D director for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region and Core R&D director for Europe. He joined Dow in Brazil in 2001, having worked in Human Resources, Customer Services, Technical Services, and Research and Development for several different businesses and technologies.

Read the short interview below to learn more about Rui’s session “Impact of Digital Transformation on Research and Development”.


CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Rui: How the digital transformation is impacting and accelerating chemical and material science research.

CIEX: What motivates you to join CIEX this year?

Rui: The ability to meet and discuss industry challenges with other great leaders in the field. I had a great time participating in CIEX in Europe in my previous role.

CIEX: With deglobalization, circularity and the energy transition as key trends currently shaping the chemical industry, what are the challenges to overcome and opportunities to harness?

Rui: The industry can have a great impact to the overall sustainability challenges, both in terms of improving our own footprint and also providing our customers with products and technologies that will support decarbonization and circularity journeys.

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you recently, and why? 

Rui: Our overall decarbonize and growth strategy, and specifically our Path2Zero project with a carbon-neutral cracker and derivatives plant in Alberta, Canada is extremely exciting and demonstrates how technology addresses our sustainability challenges, meets customer and market needs and generates great business.

CIEX: Thank you so much, Rui! We look forward to seeing you at CIEX 2024!


The 10th Annual Chemical Innovation Exchange Summit (CIEX) is created for C-level R&DInnovation and Sustainability experts from the consumer, industrial and speciality chemical sectors.  This intimate event is about creating value – bringing the right people together, creating synergies, and actively connecting with potential partners. CIEX will take place in Indianapolis on October 23-24.  Companies presenting include Dow, Ashland, Cargill, Huntsman, Monument Chemical, US DOE, BASF, The Heritage Group, and many more.

Secure your spot at the CIEX Summit and register today!

Exploring Digital Transformation's Impact on Chemical Research with DOW.

Pioneering Sustainable Innovation: Ashland’s Strategy for a High-Tech, Low-Carbon Future

Pioneering Sustainable Innovation: Ashland’s Strategy for a High-Tech, Low-Carbon Future. Interview with CIEX NA speaker- Osama M. Musa, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Ashland

CIEX: Osama, thank you for joining the speaker panel for CIEX 2024! Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Ashland (NYSE: ASH) is a global, consumer market-focused additives and speciality ingredients company that is responsibly solving for a better world. Through science and a conscious and proactive mindset for sustainability, we invented “new to the world” technology for customers in pharmaceutical, personal care, architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage.

CIEX: What motivates you to join CIEX this year?

Osama M. Musa, SVP & CTO, Ashland

Ashland has launched exciting, new technology platforms aligned to our core that extend to secondary markets with new and differentiated capabilities to unlock organic growth for us and for our customers worldwide. We believe our platform solutions are applicable to CIEX because they bring “new to the world”, sustainable innovations, offering choice to customers, prospects and consumers in personal care, pharma, coatings and more. These technology platforms enable users to reshape global megatrends and respond to various regulatory landscapes. If CIEX C-level R&D, Innovation, and Sustainability experts aren’t familiar with them, or the capabilities they can bring, they should contact us to meet and learn more. 

CIEX: With deglobalization, circularity and the energy transition as key trends currently shaping the chemical industry, what are the challenges to overcome and opportunities to harness?

At Ashland, we are passionate, tenacious scientists who thrive on answering the most complex challenges. We view deglobalization, circularity and energy transition as opportunities and we consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) as part of our strategic business and operating plans. 

Product design and lifecycle management – Ashland takes a holistic innovations approach with environmentally responsible, cradle to grave consideration, incorporating upcycling and circularity models that proactively help customers manage the lifecycle of their products. This includes inception through the engineering, design, and manufacture, through service and disposal, reuse, or biodegradability in the environment. We understand the desire that every product must be accounted for at every stage of its life. 

Innovation and technology – Ashland is at the forefront of the design, synthesis and production of additives and specialty ingredients essential to everyday life and we take an innovative approach to answering our customers most complex challenges. This includes waste and hazardous materials management. As a responsible care company, we strive to mitigate and continuously reduce our manufacturing risk and we have robust management systems to help ensure we are operating responsibly and transparently. 

Ashland is managing our environmental footprint by tracking and working towards science based targets to reduce our manufacturing footprint through renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Our R&D, commercial and manufacturing teams are identifying creative solutions that drive towards lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.   

CIEX: If the future of the chemical industry is high-tech, low carbon – what are 3 essential elements needed today, to realize this?

First, regarding climate change risks and management, Ashland has set near term science-based targets to help continue to reduce our emissions as a part of the broader global initiative to limit global warming to 1.5C. We are both assessing and responding to climate risk in our operations and supply chain because this is an important part of our long-term business continuity. As a global company with sites in many countries around the globe, moving to low-carbon manufacturing is complex yet essential to realizing our goals in the manufacture and delivery of safe products and solutions for customers and the environment.

This includes employing Good Manufacturing Practice principles in personal care and life sciences; minimizing quality risk through robust risk assessment and mitigation; increasing natural, nature derived, biodegradable and sustainable in use product solutions and eliminating or reducing hazardous chemicals through innovative processing and manufacturing of products. 

The long-term success for Ashland as well as our customers also must include operating transparently. Credibility over time builds trust. And that trust only comes from clear transparency in everything we do. Therefore, as we solve, we take a steadfast adherence to core values to avoid conflicts of interest and consistently track and hone accounting practices. Our board of director members, committees and ESG work groups focus on ESG transparent management systems.  

Second, Ashland’s business model resilience includes responsibly innovating which means high engagement with customers and industry ecosystems to customize, invest and explore new growth initiatives so we deliver consistent and reliable value for stakeholders. Ashland has a strong innovation culture and capabilities, and we have aligned our technology portfolio where environmental, social and governance (ESG) is a growth and innovation opportunity.  

And third, ethical corporate behavior and safety is at the foundation of everything we do. We strive to be transparent and ethical in all that we do and have a robust system of ethics and compliance controls that ensure we operate in a legal and fully ethical manner. 

Ashland has an effective and active governance structure and mechanisms where ESG is integrated into our board and senior leadership activities and oversight. Our employee and leadership compensation are tied to our sustainability performance to drive ownership, accountability, and continued success in our initiatives.


The 10th Annual Chemical Innovation Exchange Summit (CIEX) is created for C-level R&DInnovation and Sustainability experts from the consumer, industrial and speciality chemical sectors.  This intimate event is about creating value – bringing the right people together, creating synergies, and actively connecting with potential partners. CIEX will take place in Indianapolis on October 23-24.  Companies presenting include Dow, Ashland, Cargill, Huntsman, Monument Chemical, Evonik, Celanese, US DOE, BASF, ACS, AdvanSix, The Heritage Group, and many more.

Secure your spot at the CIEX Summit and register today!

Enhancing Domestic Supply Chains and Recycling Critical Battery Materials 

Enhancing Domestic Supply Chains and Recycling Critical Battery Materials with Cirba Solutions

Interview with CIEX NA 2024 speaker -David Klanecky, CEO, Cirba Solutions

 

CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

David Klanecky CEO Cirba Solutions

David Klanecky
CEO
Cirba Solutions

David: During my session at this year’s CIEX NA, I want attendees to understand the critical need for enhancing our domestic supply chain, ultimately becoming less reliant on foreign entities for critical materials and ensuring we work toward something that is sustainable for all parties in the supply chain.

To do this effectively, we need to shift the paradigm on how we source raw materials domestically and create a closed-loop approach supply of critical battery materials. By sourcing domestically, and specifically recycling and reusing, we can have a significant impact on cost and reduce the carbon footprint. 

The demand for critical, battery-grade materials is rapidly outpacing supply, especially due to the rapid growth of electric vehicles. With EV adoption projections over the next 10 years, recycling is a crucial component to meeting the supply and demand. These materials can be used over and over again, they are infinitely recyclable. And that is where recycling comes in. The largest mine we have today is on our own roads and in our homes – in our junk drawers, the tools in our garage, and even our electric/hybrid cars. 

 

CIEX: What motivates you to join CIEX this year?

David: As chemical engineers and business leaders, we must play an active role in the evolving multitude of transformational changes we are undergoing in society today, including electrification of how we move goods and the creation of sustainable supply chains. These are difficult problems to solve and cannot be accomplished in a vacuum. By joining CIEX this year, those of us in the chemical manufacturing fields can collaborate and share ideas to help in providing solutions for these societal issues. 

 

CIEX: With deglobalization, circularity and the energy transition as key trends currently shaping the chemical industry, what are the challenges to overcome and opportunities to harness?

David: Today, North America produces the 3rd largest volume of end-of-life batteries in the world, and only about 5% are recycled. Batteries that are not recycled often end up in landfills or are shipped to other countries. This improper disposal poses a serious threat to the environment. Landfilled batteries can leak toxic chemicals, polluting our soil and water sources. Additionally, they can cause thermal events.

Approximately 95% of the critical minerals in an end-of-life battery can be extracted and repurposed. These recovered materials can be reused in the production of new batteries, reducing reliance on virgin resources.

If they are shipped to another country, then we lose the opportunity to recover and reuse them, rendering our supply chains vulnerable.

Even as the recycling industry heats up, we are playing a game of catch-up. As new battery chemistry and pack/module designs emerge, recyclers must adapt by the time those cars reach their end-of-life, which could be 8-10 years down the line. Recyclers need to stay ahead of the innovation curve and build foundational recycling processes that can easily adapt to and integrate with the evolving needs of the market and partners. This ensures efficient, sustainable resource recovery that ultimately benefits American consumers. 

 

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you recently, and why? 

David:  Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which is a requirement that some states are adopting to ensure that more batteries are recycled at their end of life. It ensures that there is a longer-term outcome required for each battery (at end-of-life), and companies like Cirba Solutions can become the ‘preferred’ battery recycler to ensure these batteries are recycled and the critical materials are recovered. 

 

CIEX: If the future of the chemical industry is high-tech, low carbon – what are 3 essential elements needed today, to realize this?

David: Sourcing Domestically: It is estimated that in some cases, critical battery metals for cathode active materials travel over 50,000 miles before they reach a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility. If we change our approach to how we source critical materials, we can reduce nearly 96% of logistical movement and the CO2 associated with it by sourcing critical minerals domestically. 

Recycled content in EVs: By using premium upgraded recycled metals, we will make an additional impact on CO2 emissions. With recycled materials, we see:

  • A 40% reduction of CO2 per ton of Lithium produced when using recycled materials compared to mining.
  • 10% reduction of CO2 per ton of Nickel produced when using recycled materials compared to mining.
  • 8% reduction of CO2 per ton of Cobalt produced when using recycled materials compared to mining

Continued legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act: With legislation, we can promote the development of a domestic, circular battery supply chain, which will be critical in pushing forward EV and battery manufacturing growth.

  • Initiatives like this which aim to address climate challenges by providing tax credits and grants are a critical component in pushing forward a transition and securing our domestic lithium supply chain.
  • This is significant because responsible and sustainable domestic sourcing and processing of the critical materials used to make lithium-ion batteries will strengthen American supply chains, accelerate battery production to meet increased demand and secure the nation’s economic competitiveness, energy independence, and national security.

 

CIEX: Thank you so much, David! We look forward to hearing more from you at CIEX 2024!


The 10th Annual Chemical Innovation Exchange Summit (CIEX) is created for C-level R&DInnovation and Sustainability experts from the consumer, industrial and speciality chemical sectors.  This intimate event is about creating value – bringing the right people together, creating synergies, and actively connecting with potential partners. CIEX will take place in Indianapolis on October 23-24.  Companies presenting include: Dow, Ashland, Cargill, Huntsman, Monument Chemical, Evonik, Celanese, US DOE, BASF, ACS, AdvanSix, The Heritage Group, and many more.

Secure your spot at the CIEX Summit and register today!

CIEX NA 2024

Driving Sustainable Chemistry: Overcoming Challenges and Harnessing Opportunities in the Chemical Industry

Driving Sustainable Chemistry: Overcoming Challenges and Harnessing Opportunities in the Chemical Industry

Speaker Interview with Joel Tickner from Change Chemistry

 

Joel Tickner, Executive Director, Change Chemistry

CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Joel: Commercialization and adoption of sustainable chemistry are challenging given the incumbency of existing chemicals that are integrated into global supply chains, capitalized and whose uses have been optimized over decades. Add to this the fact that R&D and manufacturing CAPEX costs are high and value chains are reluctant to absorb the higher cost of more sustainable options.  Notwithstanding this, manufacturing value chains MUST transition to safer and sustainable chemistry – our very future depends on this.  We will discuss the investments, incentives, coordination, and collaboration needed to incentivize this transition and accelerate the market uptake of safer and sustainable chemistry.

 

CIEX: What motivates you to join CIEX this year?

Joel: There is a seismic shift happening in the chemicals sector right now driven by global environmental challenges such as climate change, chemical and plastics pollution and resource depletion as well as supply chain and feedstock disruptions post-pandemic.  These present unique opportunities to reshape the trajectory of this industry and the sectors that depend on it.  Progress against every dimension of sustainability – GHG reduction, circularity, plastics pollution, biodiversity protection, elimination of toxic substances and environmental justice – depends on the availability of safer and sustainable alternative chemistries that perform, are available at scale and are cost-competitive. Understanding the challenges the industry faces to reshape itself in the next decades as well as key levers and enablers for change will provide critical insights into the types of programs, incentives, and collaborations necessary for this transformation.

 

CIEX: With deglobalization, circularity and the energy transition as key trends currently shaping the chemical industry, what are the challenges to overcome and opportunities to harness?

Joel: Circularity is certainly a key trend shaping the future of the chemical industry.  Importantly, this industry’s ambitious and necessary circularity goals will require unprecedented levels of R&D spending to fuel innovation and public and private sector investment to build out novel manufacturing capabilities.  However, this can be at odds with this industry’s relatively low levels of R&D spending and investment when compared to the pharma and high-tech sectors.  For progress to be made, governments and the finance sector will need to be willing to take risks and invest in new safer, more sustainable chemical processes and products available at scale.  It is also important that we move forward on our efforts to de-fossilize this industry and address the toxicity of many incumbent chemistries, the vast majority of which were designed for cost and performance, not health and safety.  This is a critical issue, particularly in the US where environmental justice is an increasingly important Administration priority.

Circularity, deglobalization, de-fossilization and toxics reduction will require new frameworks to increase value chain collaboration, new funding programs to enhance innovation,  public-private sector partnerships to deploy risk capital along the various stages of technology commercialization and incentivizing policy frameworks that facilitate market entry of safer and sustainable chemistry technologies.

 

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you recently, and why?

Joel: The US EPA Safer Choice program is a critical driver in the development and incorporation of safer chemicals into consumer goods.  I see this program as an opportunity for everyone from chemical manufacturers to formulators and brand owners to be recognized for their commitment to sustainable innovation and to benefit from their Safer Choice-branded products being distinguished within their competitive peer group.  Safer Choice imparts economic value to sustainability. In parallel, the SCIL list provides a clear recognition of safer chemistries for specific functional uses.

Sector-wide efforts, such as the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) and Clean Electronics Production Network (CEPN), are demonstrating that downstream sectors are willing to collaborate to create unified demand signals that change chemistry.  These closer-to-consumer and brand-conscious companies can create the demand or pull that engages the chemicals sector more effectively in developing solutions.  As those solutions often require significant investment, organizations like Change Chemistry can help to understand the barriers at a sectoral and systems level and drive the investments and collaborations necessary to effect change.

 

CIEX: If the future of the chemical industry is high-tech, low carbon – what are 3 essential elements needed today, to realize this?

Joel: The future of the chemical industry is not just high-tech and low-carbon, it also has to be low toxicity.  Three essential elements needed today include:

  • Investment in demonstration, deployment and adoption of safer, more sustainable chemistries – reducing the “green premium” for these products.  Chemical suppliers can make safer, more sustainable chemistries but if they aren’t purchased and there is no market, then they can’t grow.  We have seen in certain sectors – consumer products for example, that there is an appetite for sustainable chemistry and consumers are willing to pay more to protect their families and communities.
  • Greater government coordination and public-private collaboration to drive growth in sustainable chemistry. Change Chemistry built a coalition to advance the passage of the US Sustainable Chemistry R&D Act that established an interagency strategy team and requires the development of a strategic roadmap to coordinate sustainable chemistry R&D and investments across the federal government.  The soon-to-be-released strategic roadmap needs to create clear directions for future coordination and investment.
  • Greater supply chain coordination to advance sustainable chemistry.  We have found through 18 years of Change Chemistry that there is often a disconnect between actors in the value chain and collaboration is key to accelerating innovation and addressing barriers.  Change Chemistry’s first-of-its-kind Collaborative Innovation Challenge for Safe and Effective Preservatives in Consumer Products, which engaged 11 brands, 2 retailers and 6 chemical suppliers demonstrated the value of “collaborative innovation” to drive solutions in a pre-competitive space. The effort not only reshaped R&D in preservatives, it also accelerated the development of more sustainable solutions. 

CIEX: Thank you so much, Joel!


The 10th Annual Chemical Innovation Exchange Summit (CIEX) is created for C-level R&D, Innovation and Sustainability experts from the consumer, industrial and speciality chemical sectors.  This intimate event is about creating value – bringing the right people together, creating synergies, and actively connecting with potential partners.  CIEX will take place in Indianapolis on October 23-24. Among attending companies: Hexion, Lubrizol, Monument Chemical, Celanese, US DOE, BASF, ACS, Advansix, The Heritage Group, and many more.

Secure your spot at the CIEX Summit! Connect with industry leaders and innovate together. Register today!

Driving Sustainable Chemistry: Overcoming Challenges and Harnessing Opportunities in the Chemical Industry

Revolutionizing the Chemical Industry with Lubrizol

Revolutionizing the Chemical Industry: Interview with CIEX 2024 speaker –Abhishek Shrivastava, VP of Innovation & Decision Science, Lubrizol

CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to

Abhishek Shrivastava,VP Innovation & Decision Science Lubrizol

Abhishek Shrivastava,
VP Innovation & Decision Science
Lubrizol

remember?

Abhishek: To continue to innovate in the chemical industry, we must work together and be amenable to change. Those who stay relevant are agile—we must think differently about data, keep sustainability at the heart of the entire value chain and work together to enable progress.

 

CIEX: What motivates you to join CIEX this year?

Abhishek: I am excited to join CIEX this year because I believe it is a great opportunity to learn from and network with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking leaders in the chemical industry. I am eager to hear about the latest trends, challenges and solutions that are shaping the future of our sector. I am also looking forward to sharing my own insights and experiences on how to drive digital transformation and sustainability in the chemical value chain. Together, we can create more value and impact for our customers, society, and the environment.

 

CIEX: With deglobalization, circularity and the energy transition as key trends currently shaping the chemical industry, what are the challenges to overcome and opportunities to harness?

Abhishek: Adapting to these trends requires building more resilient and flexible business models, as well as collaborating with stakeholders across the value chain to ensure compliance and efficiency, including:

  • Leveraging digital technologies and data analytics to optimize production processes, reduce waste and emissions, and enhance customer experience. 
  • Investing in innovation and R&D to develop new products and solutions that meet the evolving needs and expectations of the market.
  • Accelerating the transition to renewable energy sources and low-carbon feedstocks, such as bio-based or recycled materials, to reduce the environmental footprint and improve the industry’s sustainability. 

 

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you recently, and why? 

Abhishek: I am really inspired by an adjacent industry, Pharma. What inspires me is how Pharma uses data and AI to accelerate drug discovery with readily available libraries of molecules and key properties needed for docking with a target protein. It is a great example of how AI and data can be used for speed to market in other industries. 

Another example is Agricultural Tech. It is very inspiring to see the use of advanced technologies like drones and computer vision in initiatives like precision farming, leading to more sustainable farming practices.

 

CIEX: If the future of the chemical industry is high-tech, low carbon – what are 3 essential elements needed today, to realize this?

Abhishek: Three essential elements that are needed today are:

  1. Innovation: The development and adoption of new technologies and processes that can reduce emissions, increase efficiency, and create value from waste streams. 
  2. Collaboration: The cooperation and coordination among different stakeholders, such as key industry players, policymakers, customers, suppliers, academia, etc., to foster a supportive environment and facilitate the scaling up and deployment of low-carbon innovations.
  3. Transformation: The strategic and systemic shift in the business models, markets and culture of the industry to embrace circularity, decarbonization and customer-centricity.

CIEX: Thank you very much – we look forward to hearing more at CIEX 2024 in Indianapolis!

 

 

Join us at CIEX Summit 2024 on October 23-24 in Indianapolis, USA to hear from Abhishek and other industry experts from Dow, Braskem, Cargill, Huntsman, Ashland, Levaco Chemicals, Cirba Solutions, and many more. Global chemical innovators will showcase cutting-edge technologies, organizational transformations, and mindset shifts in an evolving industry. Access the full agenda and registration details here: https://ciexsummit.com/. 

Chemical Innovation Exchange Conference 2024

Creation of a human-centric organizational design to drive innovation

Establishing a human-oriented framework to catalyze innovation

Sibel Selcuk is the Executive Vice President of Research & Development for The Heritage Group. She previously served as VP, Global R&D and Strategy for Monument Chemical, and is also President of Heritage Turkish Holdings. Sibel served in leadership roles at the American Chemical Society, is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Interaktif Cevre, is a member of the US-Turkiye Business Council and Dean’s Advisory Board for the School of Science at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. She earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Middle East Technical University and a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science and Chemistry from Louisiana State University.

CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Sibel: Thoughtful and human centric creation of organizational design is critical to support and drive innovation. Shifting from being the only source of support to operational needs to a more balanced portfolio of projects that includes not only core but adjacent and transformational projects has its own complexity. Each business has a different definition of innovation, what is yours? Is your definition is
same as your employees or your stakeholders?

CIEX: What motivates you to join the Chemical Innovation Conference – CIEX Europe this year?

Sibel: Last year I really enjoyed the conference, the discussions and made great connections. I am hoping for a similar experience.

CIEX: How do you envision the future of the chemical industry? What are the key challenges to overcome and the opportunities to harness?

Sibel: Sustainability and green chemistry will continue to challenge the chemical industry for the better. A financially feasible way to execute will be the biggest innovation for chemical industry. The second most important future that waits for the chemical industry is Artificial
Intelligence. What would be the impact?

CIEX: When looking to other regional markets, what lessons can the European chemical industry learn, adapt or perhaps even use to differentiate itself?

Sibel: I am not clear on the efforts of AI in Europe. If not already adopting, we might be late.

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you, and why?

Sibel: I have attended an Innovation Conference in the US. How they are incorporating design thinking and Artificial Intelligence was very inspiring. Not easy to wrap around but needless to say very inspiring.

Join 20+ senior chemical executives including CxOs from Braskem, Levaco, Dude Chem, SCI, Solvay, Domo Chemicals, BASF. Limited Seats Available! CIEX is taking place on 25 & 26 Oct – secure your ticket now!CIEX Chemical Innovation Conference 2023 EU

The Green Energy Transition in the Chemical Industry

From Green Electricity to Chemical Resources

 

The Green Energy Transition in the Chemical IndustryDr. Andreas Kicherer is Vice President Sustainability at Brenntag Group. An award winning executive leader in sustainability management, corporate sustainability strategy development and implementation by developing and using quantitative assessment tools. More than 25 years of experience leveraging in-depth chemical industry expertise and exceptional insights to support and implement corporate vision of risk mitigation, greenhouse gas as well as plastic recycling strategy. Proven ability to successfully consult internal and external top-level executives and evaluate businesses to determine areas to improve and generate additional sales with sustainability. Demonstrated track record of leading international collaboration across multiple sectors and businesses to promote wide-spread cooperation on sustainability initiatives. Renowned public speaker and presenter with multiple published papers and books on various industry principles and sustainability methods. Consistently seeking areas for business enhancement.

The Green Energy Transition in the Chemical IndustryMarianne Lyngsaae has been a Chemical Engineer at Brenntag for 26 years. Chemicals, safety and legislation have been key words all the way. Since 2017 I have been highly involved in eco-innovation projects on chemicals in a circular economy and the potentials to save resources, prevent waste and reduce CO2 emission via collaboration across supply chains for a more sustainable future. Chairman for Fecc’s (The European Association of Chemical Distributors) Committee for circular Economy. Located in Denmark.

CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Dr. Andreas & Marianne: A value chain ecosystem is jointly finding innovative circular solutions to save chemical resources at their highest possible value and reduce CO2 emission – this is a good way to move forward in the green transition process. Options exist to obtain grants from funds to support the process and projects. Chemical distribution connects 100 thousand customers with 10 thousand producers of chemicals. Therefore, we are gaining insights into the sustainability needs of various industries and can build ecosystems to offer more sustainable solutions.

CIEX: What motivates you to join the Chemical Innovation Conference – CIEX Europe this year?

Dr. Andreas & Marianne: A vision to inspire – and get inspired. It motivates me to share information from a successful eco-innovation project completed this summer. Chemical innovation based on new business models is very exciting.

CIEX: How do you envision the future of the chemical industry? What are the key challenges to overcome and the opportunities to harness?

Dr. Andreas & Marianne: Interdependencies between companies in the industry will increase, supportive legislative framework and further digitalization play some vital roles. Circular business models, where chemical resources are re-utilized, are crucial to ensure a competitive and sustainable industry and society. Decarbonization and reduction of dependencies from fossil raw materials

CIEX: When looking to other regional markets, what lessons can the European chemical industry learn, adapt or perhaps even use to differentiate itself?

Dr. Andreas & Marianne: Collaborating closely throughout the value chain is an important key to developing a more circular business.

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you, and why?

Dr. Andreas & Marianne: A company in another sector was looking for a buy-and-take back solution. Investigation of the human brain and social behavior shows that when realizing others have got a good idea, humans are eager to copy it. This is in fact one of the keys to our success as a species. Electricity companies started some decades ago to offer green electricity via a mass balance approach. That is also applicable to chemicals.

Join 20+ senior chemical executives including CxOs from Braskem, Levaco, Dude Chem, SCI, Solvay, Domo Chemicals, BASF. Limited Seats Available! CIEX is taking place on 25 & 26 Oct – secure your ticket now!CIEX Chemical Innovation Conference 2023 EU

 

 

 

Adaptation agility in a rapidly changing market by Dr. David Hatrick

Adaptive Methods in a Rapidly Changing Market

Dr David Hatrick is Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Innovation at Huntsman Advanced Materials, located in Huntsman’s headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas. David leads the strategic planning and R&D activities for the division, from development of market insights, strategy development through to creation of new technology platforms and new product development. As well as the strategic planning team, his responsibilities cover the three major R&D centers, with marketing and technology teams operating in automotive, aerospace, adhesive, composite and electronic and electrical power markets. In parallel, David is responsible for an internal start up focused on scaling up a new form of carbon nanomaterials for diverse markets such as batteries, composites and concrete. He is also heavily involved in the divisions M&A activities and has been a key member of the due diligence and integration teams of three new businesses over the last 5 years.

CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Dr David Hatrick: The key message is around creating agility in the innovation process. The requirements for new products are changing more rapidly than ever, with market needs and regulatory changes creating ever more complexity. In parallel, the time available for new developments is shrinking as customers demand new solutions at an ever-increasing rate. As an industry, we need to increase our agility to be able to adapt to changing circumstances whilst improving speed of delivery. This talk will look at the options & tools available to improve adaptability and improve speed of delivery.

CIEX: What motivates you to join the Chemical Innovation Conference – CIEX Europe this year?

Dr David Hatrick: The wide-ranging background of the attendees brings insights that are difficult to get in other forums. I value the learnings that the other delegates bring, and it provides a great platform for identifying better ways to innovate.

CIEX: How do you envision the future of the chemical industry? What are the key challenges to overcome and the opportunities to harness?

Dr David Hatrick: The future certainly has its challenges, with difficult economic environment, climate change and regulatory pressures all coming to bear simultaneously. The only way to create a bright future is to be adaptable and innovate quickly to address the major opportunities in front of us. An overall improvement in how we understand future market needs is essential to enable us to anticipate and prepare for future product requirements.

CIEX: When looking to other regional markets, what lessons can the European chemical industry learn, adapt or perhaps even use to differentiate itself?

Dr David Hatrick: The European industry has been known for the strength of its technology, the quality of its products and its ability to collaborate. Other regions have the benefits of lower cost energy, lighter regulatory regimes as well as a more entrepreneurial culture. Europe needs to continue to play to its core strengths around innovation and, in parallel, develop a more agile, flexible way to do business.

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you, and why?

Dr David Hatrick: I’ve been inspired by the speed at which electrification has been occurring in the automotive industry. Electric vehicles have gone from a niche market to mainstream incredibly quickly relative to typical technology cycles in that industry. The chemical industry has quickly pivoted to supply the key materials needed to make the change. The speed of development is still very rapid in this area, and as an industry, we need to maintain the momentum.

Join 20+ senior chemical executives including CxOs from Braskem, Levaco, Dude Chem, SCI, Solvay, Domo Chemicals, BASF. Limited Seats Available! CIEX is taking place on 25 & 26 Oct – secure your ticket now!CIEX Chemical Innovation Conference 2023 EU

From Challenge to Change: The Sustainability Journey of the Chemical Sector

A Sustainable Future in Sight? Overcoming Barriers in the European Chemical Landscape

CIEX Chemical Innovation Conference 2023Pierre Joris is an Engineer in Physics, holding a M.Sc. from the University of Stanford, and an Advanced Executive degree from Kellogg’s School of Management, Chicago. Pierre has 36 years of international experience in the Chemical Industry. He built his career for 29 years at Solvay, where he held different leadership positions in R&D, Corporate and Global Business Management. He completed his career as Chief Innovation Officer for the group and was then recruited as Senior Executive Advisor to the Chemical division of Daikin for more than 6 years. Pierre holds now non-executive roles as Senior Partner at JF Chemical Associates, an M&A boutique house, Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group, and is independent board member at various companies in the field of materials and chemicals, including Prayon and Domo Chemicals. It is in this last tenure that he was elected chairman of A.SPIRE in March 2019.

CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Pierre Joris: The sustainability challenges that the Chemical Industry is, and will be facing in Europe are enormous. Bringing our Industry to climate neutrality and in a circular economy, means huge transformation investments, revision of our business models and reskilling of our workforce.

It is clear that to succeed, development and scaling-up of very disruptive innovations has to continue and accelerate and the right environment needs to be maintained to foster the same.

But this is not enough since time is running, and deployment plans have to be initiated. Development of infrastructure for, and access to, massive quantities of green electricity, green hydrogen and  CO2 has therefore to be planned and executed on time. In addition, appropriate framework conditions and incentives to create market opportunities and de risk the massive deployment investments needed will have to be elaborated and clarified.

All this requires an urgent dialogue based on trust between all the stakeholders, certainly the Industry, the European Commission and Member States, Funding agencies, regulatory authorities, and social partners, but also within the Industrial world, between the actors that will have to increase their producer-user inter-dependencies and efficiencies.

CIEX: What motivates you to join the Chemical Innovation Conference – CIEX Europe this year?

Pierre Joris: Our association, A.SPIRE represents the Process Industry (of which Chemical Industry is a very large and leading representative) towards the European Commission. Our main mission is to partner with the European Commission to support the development of the critical innovations needed by our industries to succeed in the climate and circular transition.

We launched A.SPIRE in 2014 and then Processes4Planet Partnership in 2021 to provide a framework for the right innovations to be supported and developed, to contribute our share to Europe’s goals. In the current context, it is even more important to sum up industrial voices for the dialogue with the European Commission and the Parliament, to overcome our industries’ innovation hurdles and boost the development of disruptive innovation.

Although we have already several prestigious members of the chemical industry in our association, including CEFIC itself, it is therefore important for me as President to keep reaching out to as many companies as possible in the field, making sure our work and directions are known, but also listen to their main preoccupations.

CIEX, with its dedicated orientation towards innovation and sustainability and the specific audience that it is gathering in this regard, makes it an ideal place for such purpose.

CIEX: How do you envision the future of the chemical industry? What are the key challenges to overcome and the opportunities to harness?

CIEX Chemical Innovation Conference 2023Pierre Joris: As indicated above, the transition to a climate neutral and circular economy is a formidable challenge in itself. And it is not only about complying with regulations and targets that always become more stringent, but also going into the directions that our customers and our employees are more and more requiring. So in a summary, there is not much choice.

It means disruptive innovation, huge investments, changing business models including cooperative models, reviewing portfolios, reskilling workforces, ensuring access to the renewable energy and carbon etc… And all this in a global competitive environment that doesn’t always play along the same rules.

But it doesn’t stop there as, unfortunately what is specific to the chemical industry in Europe, is that at the same time, it has to face another substantial challenge through the increasing number of regulatory initiatives and legislation towards the Net Zero Pollution ( Chemical Sustainability Strategy, REACH revision, Safe-&-Sustainable-by-Design framework etc….), which doesn’t make life easier.  And all this in a local environment where Energy prices are substantially higher than in other regions.

So frankly, in my opinion, the future of the chemical industry as we know it today, will be very difficult on this continent and we cannot exclude that some segments would disappear especially in areas where the global competitive environment will bring the reality check, or simply in areas not properly connected.

But for those who can lead the game in the transition, be fast and smart and eventually claim a competitive advantage through the sustainability of their products where the market supports it, I think there are formidable opportunities to grasp in their own markets or in proliferating their IP. I see also great opportunities for those chemical players taking the lead in developing the key innovative materials or products that will be needed to enable these sustainable technologies, not only for our own Process Industry, but for the rest of the society, be it in mobility, energy, or agriculture.

CIEX: When looking to other regional markets, what lessons can the European chemical industry learn, adapt, or perhaps even use to differentiate itself?

Pierre Joris: Honestly, if we think in terms of sustainability, I think that the European chemical industry should not be shy of its competences and know-how in the field. And, whether we like it or not, the European market is also probably one of the most advanced when it comes to the requirement in terms of sustainability or more largely, environmental impact.

What is missing however or at least less pronounced that in other regions, is a fast, pragmatic, and efficient incentive environment to encourage the large-scale investment needed in our industry to succeed in the transition, especially considering the other hurdles that we have to face in Europe as indicated in the previous section?

The European Union has programmes to support innovation. We have seen the European Commission has tried to build complementary programmes to innovation towards market. These efforts need to continue and be strengthen towards impact.

But the funding and incentives schemes available for large industrial investment, including risky first-of-a-kind plants, are scattered among Member states and EU, come with a few conditions and questions that can discourage more than one, and generally take too much time to be developed.

We see initiatives such as the IRA in the US that go much more to the point and succeed in attracting significant investment outside of Europe.  It would be wise for Europe and Member States to implement more flexible mechanisms, unified approach, and embrace supporting risky projects at different TRL levels which, if successful, will have de risked disruptive innovation bringing more investments and keeping jobs in Europe. But as resources are limited, all this probably require first a deliberate selection of the value chains that the EU wants to keep on its soil.

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you, and why?

Pierre Joris: There are a lot of very courageous and inspiring initiatives in the Chemical Sector, from electrical crackers to large scale recycling plants, through power-to-methanol plants etc…. But in order not to make any jealous within your readers and in the chemical industry at large, the one that I would like to mention will be within another Industrial Sector.

I would like to highlight the decision by ThyssenKrupp Steel to invest in the first large scale direct reduction plant to produce clean steel in Germany. This is inspiring because we are talking of a bold step, more than 2 bn EUR investment and significant contribution to the transformation of the European steel industry with a 2.5 million metric tons plants. This is risky but is susceptible of putting this company at the forefront of green steel production, a key enabler for other downstream segments of the society

Of course German subsidies are available to support this initiative and have been agreed by the European Commission, but this is part of the game and of “building trust and dialogue between the stakeholders” and this, also in itself, is a feature that should inspire other initiatives.

 

Join 20+ senior chemical executives including CxOs from Braskem, Levaco, Dude Chem, SCI, Solvay, Domo Chemicals, BASF. Limited Seats Available! CIEX is taking place on 25 & 26 Oct – secure your ticket now!

CIEX Europe 2023: Navigating the Future of the European Chemical Industry

Unpacking CIEX Europe 2023’s Vision from Chemicals R&D to innovation

 

CIEX Chemical Innovation Conference EU 2023Prof. John Metselaar has turned his 30-year global VP-level leadership responsibilities at Procter & Gamble into expertise in leadership, innovation, strategy, and organizational culture. He now serves as Professor at Solvay Brussels School for Economics and Management and is Director of The Conference Board’s (NYC) Innovation & Digital Transformation Institute, as well as its Innovation Councils across Europe, Asia, and the Gulf region. John teaches, speaks, inspires, and advises broader audiences living his purpose of passion for innovation, fascination with leadership, and the power of connecting. He is founding partner of “EI4I – Ecosystem Intelligence for Innovation” and “Includers – unleashing innovation through inclusive leadership

CIEX: Without giving too much away – what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Prof. John Metselaar: I’m moderating, not presenting, but during my contribution I’ll try to highlight and emphasize that what Europe needs is more innovation not more R&D. Europe is very strong in R&D but continues to find it hard to extract value from all this great effort.  “

Innovation converts creativity and knowledge into new value” – is the definition of innovation I use in my class. And this value that needs to be delivered has multiple dimensions: for consumer/customer, for company, for stakeholders, for planet.

So, how do you turn R&D into Innovation into new Value. What’s the role of Chemical Industry’s leaders in this? How do you envision the future, and communicate this effectively? How do you enable your organization toward excellent execution? And, often ignored and/or overlooked, how do you engage your people and empower your teams to deliver on your goals and strategies?

CIEX: What motivates you to join the Chemical Innovation Conference – CIEX Europe this year?

Prof. John Metselaar: Ah, I go back with CIEX for some seven years now. I love the combo of “insights and network” which this forum does uniquely well, I have found. As a chemical engineer but having moved on over the years, CIEX keeps me in touch with where I started. And I’m keen to contribute to a better industry hence better economy, hence better society, in particular for Europe who needs it badly these days….  Last, I want to help my friends at Merlien 😊.

CIEX: How do you envision the future of the chemical industry? What are the key challenges to overcome and the opportunities to harness?

Prof. John Metselaar: Well, this is the elephant in the room today. The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence™ for Europe polls the Members of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) – the CEOs and Chairs of some of the best-known European industrial and technology companies with operations worldwide. Our (disclosure, I contributed to this work) spring 2023 reading reflected, dramatically, that over 80 percent of CEOs believe Europe’s competitiveness as a base for industry is weakening. And this perception also helps explain why nearly 60 percent of them plan to shift investments and/or operations from Europe to North America within the next two years.  Now this is something to lose sleep over when one’s future is linked to Europe’s success.

Martin Brudermüller, Chair of ERT’s Committee on Competitiveness & Innovation, and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF stated “The results of this latest survey put Europe’s competitiveness front & centre in the spotlight. The findings are clear and urgent evidence that Europe’s future as a leading base for industry remains at risk. Geopolitical tensions are having huge repercussions – and we in Europe are in the middle of this. So all of us – companies and policymakers alike – have to fight even harder to maintain our competitive edge and our leadership in innovation. Our people, our ideas and our Single Market are our natural assets – but they need better conditions to compete globally.”

Crisis is a combination of danger and opportunity. How can we take today’s crossroads into an opportunity. What role can the chemical industry play, as individual companies but also when they come together as community and influence the EU Commission’s direction in a way that allows them to thrive. CIEX could play a meaningful role in helping to achieve the necessary turnaround…..

CIEX: When looking to other regional markets, what lessons can the European chemical industry learn, adapt or perhaps even use to differentiate itself?

CIEX Chemical Innovation Conference 2023 EUProf. John Metselaar: As I said earlier, Europe, including the Chemical Industry, needs to gets much better to turn its R&D into Innovation, and into new value.  It needs more investment, more agility, more elan, and it needs help by the European Commission and its national governments to achieve this with, for instance, supportive, enabling, not stifling, regulation.

Let me quote Martin Brudermüller, upon the spring 2023 ERT results, once again: “We can still turn this around – if our institutions and governments take up this challenge. The next survey will take place in the autumn – when the European Commission’s proposals to simplify and reduce reporting requirements by 25% are due to be announced – a step which will hopefully bring more optimism and make it easier for Europe to attract investment and jobs in all-important emerging sectors.”

CIEX: What is one project or initiative in the industry, outside of your own company and associations that really inspired you, and why?

Prof. John Metselaar: At The Conference Board Europe we did a piece of research early this year to see how companies and their functional leaders in the US and in Europe were looking to integrate the digital opportunities with the needs for sustainability.

Our “Digital for Green” report shared a helpful framework and powerful illustrations and cases for leaders to pull from and explore for their own companies.

How can the Chemical Industry become a cutting-edge force to reinvent Europe’s industrial base through effective embrace and adoption of the “Twin Transition” of digital transformation and responsible, balanced Sustainable?

CIEX: Thank you John, we look forward to hearing more at CIEX 2023!

 

Join 20+ senior chemical executives including CxOs from Braskem, Levaco, Dude Chem, SCI, Solvay, Domo Chemicals, BASF. Limited Seats Available! CIEX is taking place on 25 & 26 Oct – secure your ticket now!

 

CIEX Chemical Innovation Conference 2023 EU