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!

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

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

Pierre 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?

Pierre 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

Prof. 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?

Prof. 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!

Redefining the Chemical Landscape: From Tradition to Sustainable Transformation

Transitioning to Sustainability: Insights from Walmir Soller at CIEX Europe 2023

Walmir Soller is CEO of Braskem Netherlands BV, International Holding and Trading for Braskem SA, and VP Olefins/Polyolefins Europe and Asia, having under his responsibility the international trading of Feedstock, Chemicals and Polymers, Global Chartering, production sites in Germany (Polypropylene) and Netherlands (Recycling) and the Green Polyethylene Global business. Walmir Soller is a Chemical Engineer by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro with MBA by the University of Michigan and has been working in the petrochemical industry for 32 years, being the last 22 years with Braskem in several leadership positions and businesses.

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

Walmir Soller: The chemical industry is going through an unprecedented transition to become more sustainable and that will demand innovation not only in technology but also in business models to combine competences and assets to accelerate the process and minimize costs and investments.

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

Walmir Soller: This is my third time participating in CIEX, and I believe it’s an excellent opportunity to exchange views with relevant stakeholders in the chemical industry and get an overview of the latest trends in innovation.

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

Walmir Soller: The chemical industry will remain pivotal in providing materials and solutions to meet society’s current and future demands. However, the prevailing model, which relies on fossil feedstock, faces challenges. Industry players must seek ways to enhance the circularity and sustainability of products and feedstocks. The task ahead involves reconfiguring the current setup and re-engineering the entire industry. Such a complex transition necessitates robust public policies to back the essential investments.

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

Walmir Soller: I believe the European Chemical Industry can seize the opportunity to become more flexible and nimble, accelerating its transition to a carbon-neutral circular economy. This shift will require either new competencies or a combination of existing ones, along with reconfigured assets. Traditional setups and business models will need reevaluation. With its vast and diverse asset base, a comprehensive technology portfolio, and a leading role in the global sustainability agenda in recent years, Europe is well-positioned. Thus, the region’s successful model should leverage these strengths, bolstered by a clear regulatory framework to mitigate risks during the transition.

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

Walmir Soller: Natura & Co, the Brazilian cosmetic giant (Avon, Natura, The Body Shop e Aesop), has a program to develop alternatives that are economically viable in the Amazon region based on social and environmental principles. The program focus on preventing deforestation and promoting the well-being of the local communities.

Limited Seats Available! CIEX is taking place on 25 & 26 Oct – secure your ticket now!

From Challenge to Change: How SMEs are Shaping the Future of Chemical Innovation

The Role and Challenges of SMEs in Chemical Innovation

Marius Mühlenberg has been CEO of the LEVACO Chemicals Group, based at Chempark in Leverkusen, Germany, for about 2 years. LEVACO is a manufacturer of specialty process chemicals for agrochemicals, fiber production, cable industry and food production as well as for paper manufacturing and coatings. Today, Marius is primarily responsible for sales, production, R&D and supply chain. After studying economics and chemistry at the University of Passau, San Diego and the Technical University of Munich, Marius took his first steps at Clariant. However, he was soon drawn to medium-sized companies and, after various stations, finally to LEVACO Chemicals. LEVACO was founded in 2014 after several intermediate stops as a former part of the Bayer Group and is now part of the Diersch & Schröder group of companies.

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

M. Mühlenberg: One of the core messages is that the industry understands the potentially different challenges SMEs face in this “revolution” compared to larger companies and groups. SMEs continue to play an important role in the overall value creation of the whole chemical industry. Especially in today’s environment, the change in perspective is crucial: we can only be successful as an industry with more collaboration within the branch. Participants will take away that SMEs are also able to react quickly to these changing conditions in the industry and that they can contribute innovative ideas and elements to the transformation process.

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

M. Mühlenberg: First of all, it is always nice to have the chance to speak in such a highly decorated forum and audience. Once again, a big thank you for that.
In my opinion, the need for the voice of SMEs to be heard gets more and more important, especially in discussions about the changes taking place in the chemical industry nowadays. If we risk that our SMEs are not functioning well, it would strongly influence the entire industry and therefore needs to be reconciled. We must be aware that in Germany in particular, the majority of the chemical industry is made up of SMEs.

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

M. Mühlenberg: It is very important that we find out which new paths will actually bring us to the goal of a sustainable chemical industry. The big challenge will be to define feasible, realistic and goal oriented targets together with authorities. In my view, this orientation is still lacking at many levels.In addition, it is important that effective political and economic conditions are created so that the green transformation can also be implemented. The level of bureaucratic obstacles is immense. Above all, the slow political decision-making processes is not supporting this path.
Most likely the associated costs for a majority of companies will be very high. Accordingly, the bottom line is that the transformation will only be successful from a position of economic strength. Therefore we have to reconcile ecological and economic goals. Otherwise, I see a significant dissonance that is impairing to the process.

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

M. Mühlenberg: Basically, I can see regions where the goals of the industry and the political level are far more closely aligned than it is currently the case in Europe. We see that faster reaction times are possible and that the agility needed in such challenging times is available. We have many great companies in Europe that could bring great innovations to the market in a shorter time. This needs to be supported if we want to continue to play an important role in the long term.

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

M. Mühlenberg: The TFS initiative is a fairly broad attempt to define a standardization of goals and work on them accordingly. This is the right signal and a very good initiative from my point of view. I also see many great approaches in the chemical industry in replacing questionable raw materials with green alternatives, for example, in our surfactant chemistry market. Although not all approaches can be implemented commercially yet, it shows what great approaches can be developed in such a short time. I am very sure that if we promote innovations even more intensively, many products can be placed on the market from European companies that will amaze us. I would like to see more of this confidence in our industry, especially from official sources.

Clean Energy – Evonik’s transition from fossil fuel

Evonik: Transitioning from fossil fuel to clean energy – presentation Highlight from CIEX 2022

[yotuwp type=”videos” id=”g8wKVEITOUg” ]

Transitioning from fossil fuel to clean energy as a consequence of the current crisis

Becoming more energy independent and less vulnerable to commodity price shocks driven by supply and demand with renewable energy
Reducing the use of fossil fuels and boosting innovation towards alternative sources of energy: The step by step pathway
Rebuilding a more innovative industry based on renewable and circular feedstocks: Developing new supplies and accelerating green chemistry

Dr. Steffen Hasenzahl, Senior Vice President, Head of Creavis, EVONIK

Watch all CIEX 2023 presentations for free in our Video Archive.

Full abstract below. (Note: This is an AI generated summary, it may contain inaccuracies)

The presentation discusses the need to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and highlights the environmental challenges we face. The speaker emphasizes the importance of reducing our environmental footprint and taking action to address global warming and other challenges. They provide examples of how Evonik, a leading manufacturer of special chemicals, is making progress in reducing emissions and transitioning to clean energy. They also discuss the cost involved in transitioning to clean energy and highlight the potential of photovoltaic energy. Overall, the video promotes the importance of sustainability and the need for companies to focus on their carbon footprint and strive for a positive impact.

00:00:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the need to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and highlights the environmental challenges we face. They mention the increasing frequency of floods and the impact of expensive electricity in Europe due to the energy crisis. They also discuss the historical development of the chemical industry and the significant changes it has undergone. Overall, the speaker emphasizes the importance of reducing our environmental footprint and taking action to address global warming and other challenges.
00:05:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the global energy and emissions problem caused by the extensive use of fossil fuels. They highlight that approximately 13 billion tons of fossil fuels are used annually, with the majority being used for energy production and only a small fraction for chemical production. The emissions from the chemical industry alone account for 0.16 billion tons, and when considering all greenhouse gases, the total emissions amount to 58 billion tons. The lack of significant progress in reducing emissions in the past 17 years is also highlighted. The speaker emphasizes the need for six technical avenues, including the use of renewables, bio mass, and energy efficiency, in order to effectively reduce emissions.
00:10:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, using Evonik as an example. Evonik is a leading manufacturer of special chemicals and has organized its business into four divisions—Smart Materials, Specialty Additives, Nutrition & Care, and Performance Materials. They have a strong focus on sustainability and aim to make a real contribution to making the world a better place. The speaker mentions that it is important for companies to focus on their carbon footprint and also strive to have a positive handprint, meaning making a positive impact in their operations. The speaker highlights that Evonik has made progress in reducing its emissions, but there is still work to be done, particularly in the upstream supply chain.
00:15:00 In this section, the speaker discusses Evonik’s transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. They focus on one specific site, Rheinfelden, which produces various products for industries such as batteries, coatings, paper, and solar cells. The site’s energy balance reveals that 80% of its primary energy consumption comes from natural gas, while 20% is derived from hydro power. The speaker emphasizes the need for green electricity to meet their energy demands and highlights the significant carbon footprint associated with the production of certain materials, such as silicon metal. Scope 3 upstream emissions, including the production of materials like sand, also contribute to Evonik’s overall carbon footprint.
00:20:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the cost of transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy. They explain that there is a significant amount of money involved in reducing CO2 emissions and implementing clean energy solutions. They mention various expenses, such as heat pumps, green electricity usage, and the capture and utilization of bio-gas. The chemical industry is also reluctant to make the move to clean energy. Additionally, the speaker highlights the forecasted energy costs and the potential for generating electricity through photovoltaics. They note that with ample sunshine in southern Germany, photovoltaic energy could meet a significant portion of the energy needs.
00:25:00 In this section, Evonik discusses their transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. They mention their efforts to reduce emissions and their focus on green technologies. One example they provide is the production of green hydrogen using electrolyzers and water. They highlight the benefits of this process, such as not requiring precious metals and expensive materials. Another example they mention is the use of carefully selected bacteria in fermentation to produce special chemicals. They are currently running these processes in pilot plants and aim to scale up production in the future.

Join us at CIEX 2023 for cutting edge stratgies on innovation, sustainablity and product development. Limited seats available at https://ciex-eu.org/.

Creating a sustainable future for personal care products

This year the CIEX conference will be held in Frankfurt, Germany on the 5 & 6 October. Leading up to the event, we speak to Coralie Alonso, Ashland R&D Leader for Hair Care and Home Care to give you a glimpse of what to expect from her session: The challenge of balancing performance and sustainability in personal care products.

“The future is exciting, bringing new challenges, new puzzles to solve. No one can do it alone therefore industry leaders need to be collaborative and open minded.”

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

Coralie Alonso: The chemical industry has a major role to play to enable the change in consumer habits for a sustainable future in personal care. With increasingly greater emphases going forward on cleaner, safer technologies including the use of biotechnologies for example, the future innovations increasingly require multidisciplinary skills / diverse teams from the outset. Lots of scope for innovation/ideas in the coming together of such skills/varied backgrounds. We as an industry have to (collectively/collaboratively) play a leading part in addressing the challenges of climate change.

CIEX: Why did you choose the topic of your talk?

Coralie Alonso: Every change brings opportunities. I strongly believe this is an amazing time to work in the industry. The chemical industry is undergoing a fundamental change, having to address new demands on sustainable approaches. To be successful we need to be creative, innovative and collaborate more than ever. I think this is very motivating.

CIEX: What motivates you to join CIEX 2022 and what are your expectations?

Coralie Alonso: The personal care industry needs new solutions, I hope to get inspired by innovative ideas from other parts of the chemistry world, and exchange ideas. Our CTO at Ashland recommended CIEX to me as a great platform for networking.

CIEX: The need for innovation has been a continued topic for the chemical industry –how would you sum up the current state of the industry, specifically with a focus on its innovation efforts?

Coralie Alonso: From my vantage point of view in personal care, it looks like the industry in on the verge of a revolution or a re-invention at least. We need to bring new solutions, sometimes to problems that have already been solved. That requires new ways of thinking, and this is difficult, but we are getting there. And with the help of in silico tools, we will get there faster than anticipated. The innovations reaching the market now are more and more creative. The future looks bright.

CIEX: What must (chemical) industry leaders do to remain competitive and prepare for the future?

Coralie Alonso: The future is exciting, bringing new challenges, new puzzles to solve. No one can do it alone therefore industry leaders need, in my opinion, to be collaborative and open minded. Good ideas can come from anywhere, we need to stay connected. We need to keep investing in Innovation – it is key. The chemical industry needs to continues to embrace the advances in clean technologies including biotechnology, and work collaboratively to make them work on industrially relevant scales. The adaption of biotechnology driven advances offers new areas of opportunity or exploration for new chemical products and/or for cleaner ways to make them, or to make existing products.

Join us at CIEX 2022 on the 5 & 6 October to hear more from Coralie Alonso and other industry experts from Solvay, Clariant, Nobian, Evonik, GFBiochemicals, Pryme, Dow discuss game-changing innovation through collaboration. Tickets are available at ciex-eu.org.

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Partnership and collaboration through Open Innovation with Croda

At CIEX 2021 Nick Challoner, President Life Science at Croda talked about the company’s strategy to unlock innovation through partnerships and collaboration. The below is a summary of Nick’s presentation.

Introduction

Everyone would agree that there have been long-term alterations to the pattern of the weather and temperature. These alterations can be natural, like the variations in the solar cycle. However, these alterations could be biological or influenced by man’s activities. The solar process causes naturally influenced changes, but human activities have been the primary driving force.

Climatic Changes

Since the 1800s, anthropogenic events have led to the revolution in the world today. Similarly, burning fossil fuels like oil, coal, and gas drives climatic changes. Burning these fuels produces emissions that deplete the ozone layer, trap the heat from the sun, and increase the temperature of the earth. Significant examples of greenhouse gas emissions are carbon dioxide and methane.

Deforestation, burning coal, or driving a car that uses gasoline will increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment. Gathering garbage in landfills is the major contributor to methane release. The use of energies, emissions by industries, transportation, buildings, and agriculture do the most to the devastating state of the world we experience.

However, people have not been able to answer all the questions that surround the problems of climatic change. The urgency to fix the issue of the world is becoming intense considering the degrading effects of climatic changes. As a result, Open Innovation seems pivotal at this point.

Open Innovation

Open Innovation collaborates with people to solve this common issue of man. Every individual does not have all of the answers to these problems. However, there is strength in unity; this is where collective innovation power is needed. People have simple solutions but can be agglomerated into practical solutions for all.

Why should we innovate?

Innovation helps to have specific purposes and targeted goals. Innovations aim at permanent solutions rather than providing solutions for a temporary fix. As a result, different people and organizations have innovated several solutions to deliver these solutions. These innovations come as New and Protected Products (NPPs).

Technology Readiness Levels

New and Protected Products (NPPs) arise from synthesis, application, and manufacturing. The ecosystem of partnership brings organizations together to solve the common problem – having a green community. Also, organizations can enjoy a competitive advantage from these partnerships. With the innovation method, you can measure performance outcomes.

Skin science has contributed immensely to this new revolution as it has developed a long-term relationship. Skin science focuses on healthy products rather than using some products that could increase the unpleasant gases in the atmosphere. As a result, they have an excellent effect on the body and, eventually, the environment.

Also, partnerships bring smart science to the market. Many organizations with good intentions are becoming known because the world now pays attention to its global problem. For example, entekno provides sunscreen with UV protection over traditional spheres. Also, Glass flakes are environmentally friendly for the industrial and coating market.

Industrial contribution

Nautilus is another collaborative partner in Open Innovation. The company offers a natural source of personal care actives for the skin. Enza Biotech AB builds a platform of sugar-based surfactants which are degradable by the body. Also, the surfactants are biodegradable and do not increase the number of pollutants in the environment.

Another top organization that should be commended for its efforts to achieve a green society is Novel Process Development. Their effort includes the use of safe plants for economic benefit and carbon dioxide reduction. These plants help to purify the atmosphere and make it healthier for life. In addition, plants use Carbon dioxide for their activities and release oxygen into the environment. This reduces the toxicity in the environment and the materials therein.

Also, Supercritical CO₂is another innovation that helps achieve a safe environment. They contribute to the environment by replacing the typical carbon dioxide, which increases global warming. Global warming or the greenhouse effect refers to a high temperature making the world inhabitable for life. Supercritical CO₂replaces atmospheric carbon dioxide and eliminates the adverse effect it may cause to the world.

Agricultural contribution

Finally, another company with immense contribution is Agrochemical drift reduction technology. The focus is on agricultural products that help agriculture but help the environment. They are biodegradable purifiers that remove the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The agricultural products are friendly to human lives and animals. Eventually, it reduces the existing pollutants in the environment.

The technology uses drying droplet analysis to produce healthy chemicals that are compatible with the crops. Also, they are friendly with the environment.

Another collaboration is with Advanced Therapeutics. It brings us closer to our competition in a comfortable way. Many efforts are improving medical and pharmaceutical formulation to provide a better world for all.

Conclusion

Achieving a stable and clean environment should be everyone’s effort. The world is dying, and we are responsible for it. In the same vein, we can be more accountable for our solution to make it green. A safe world is precious to life and growth. Open Innovation is the solution to achieve it all.

You can find all recorded presentation on our CIEX Portal. It also contains past case studies and images captured from past CIEX conferences. Your next chance to join our CIEX live is in Frankfurt, October 5 & 6, 2022.

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Developing new business models and eco-design actions at Elkem

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Synthesis gas: A technology suite key to a low-carbon footprint production of chemicals

Developing new business models and eco-design actions at Elkem

The annual CIEX conference is taking place again on October 5&6 in Frankfurt, Germany. In the run-up to the event, we are talking to some of our key speakers. In our latest blog, Louis Vovelle, at Elkem speaks about his company’s climate roadmap, circular economy, the importance of open innovation and the need for increased agility.

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

LV: Elkem has developed an ESG strategy for a long time and last year, we presented our climate roadmap, of which the circular economy is one of the components. Circular Economy is a quite new domain for us but behind this subject, we are gradually discovering that it is not a question of providing simple technical solutions but of operating a systemic shift in our product/process design and also in our relationships with our partners (suppliers/customers). In brief, what are the fundamentals of a lean and smart circular economy strategy? Can we keep an organizational agility in a such complex domain? How to onboard everyone and to convince them of our approach? How to be sure the chosen topics are the most material and how to avoid greenwashing?

CIEX: Why did you choose the topic of your talk?

Louis Vovelle: The urgency for action on these subjects and a personal appetite for risk taking. It is important for us to compare our ideas with our peers and receive their feedback.

For one, companies and governments are setting ambitious targets for the next decades, through this presentation, we would like to stress that, beyond carbon emissions considerations, collaborations and partnerships will be key to anticipate, prevent and adapt.

In addition, Open Innovation is a strong focus for Elkem and a key lever for growth, we believe that developing this kind of ecosystems on this domain is and will be a strong enabler and a competitive advantage.

CIEX: What motivates you to join CIEX 2022 and what are your expectations?

Louis Vovelle: Sharing initiatives, creating new links and strengthening our ecosystem is mandatory if we want to succeed on Circular Economy. Things are moving too fast and we don’t have all the competences and answers inside to find the best and more sustainable solutions. Then, we have to develop these transitions from linear to circular and only partnerships and an open mindset with suppliers, customers, academics will allow us to find the best models and best practices. Looking at the CIEX agenda, my expectations are very simple – To have “shaking” days, great contacts and new projects first at the European level.

CIEX: The need for innovation has been a continued topic for the chemical industry –how would you sum up the current state of the industry, specifically with a focus on its innovation efforts?

Louis Vovelle: If we look at the current state of the chemical industry and its efforts around Innovation, the words that come up are collaborative projects, acceleration and awareness. We all know that we have to change our practices if we want to develop sustainable growth that is acceptable to society as a whole. Innovation in the broad sense involving new business models, new organizations will be one of the key elements of success. Results of innovation to date has been judged mainly on amount and speed of economic success, innovation also now needs to ensure that it focuses on delivering sustainable success. Seeing that companies in the chemical industry have taken up this subject makes me very optimistic but also responsible of our role for the future.

CIEX: What must (chemical) industry leaders do to remain competitive and prepare for the future?

Louis Vovelle: The answer is not so obvious because it must respond to divergent imperatives depending on the time scale. In the long term, the obligation of a “greener” industry will prevail. So, we have a starting point and a strategy for the next 5-10 years. There is of course a way to get there, but the impact of externalities (different regulations depending on the region, Energy balance, Governmental policies, etc.) is more difficult to grasp. One of the ways to maintain our competitiveness is certainly to de-risk our initiatives with even more collaboration and great agility and simplicity in our decision-making

CIEX: Louis, thank you very much. We look forward to hearing more at CIEX 2022!

Hear more from Louis Vovelle and the chemical industry’s innovation strategies and decarbonisation efforts at CIEX 2022. Speakers include C-level representatives from Solvay, Clariant, Nobian, Evonik, GFBiochemicals, Pryme, Dow and many more. Tickets are available at ciex-eu.org.

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Synthesis gas: A technology suite key to a low-carbon footprint production of chemicals

The annual CIEX conference is taking place again on October 5&6 in Frankfurt, Germany. In the run-up to the event, we are talking to some of our key speakers. Today we are speaking with Maurits van Tol, CTO for Johnson Matthey who will analyse the role syngas can play in decarbonisation efforts.

CIEX: Maurits, thank you very much for being with us at CIEX 2022. Without giving too much away –what is the core message of your talk and what would you like delegates to remember?

Maurits van Tol: Our world relies on chemicals – everything from cleaning products to jet fuel, food packaging to building materials. To tackle climate change, it’s vital that we decarbonise their production, decarbonising in the sense of us using non-fossil carbon sources and keeping carbon atoms “in the loop”. Synthesis gas or ‘syngas’, a key building block of many important chemicals and fuels, is the gateway to this decarbonised world.

We can enable our customers in the industry to shift away from traditional fossil fuels and make syngas from more sustainable feedstocks like biomass, and even waste, utilizing renewable energy to the maximum extent. Using our suite of technologies, this syngas can then be transformed into the chemicals we need to maintain our current standards of living. The message is that there can be a more sustainable future for the chemical industry, for all of us, and syngas is at the centre of it.

CIEX: Why did you choose the topic of your talk?

Maurits van Tol: As the impacts of climate change increase, the chemical industry is under increasing pressure to deliver on net zero targets. There is technology available now, and more in development, that can help the industry transition and meet this need. As a leader in the syngas value chain, at Johnson Matthey we recognise the important role syngas has to play in a decarbonised world. This talk is an opportunity to share that vision and highlight some of our exciting newly launched technologies that are key pieces in the decarbonisation puzzle.

CIEX: What motivates you to join CIEX 2022 and what are your expectations?

Maurits van Tol: Collaboration is hugely important in innovation, now more than ever with the transition to net zero happening at pace. We need to work together to deliver the solutions that we need, that the planet needs. CIEX brings together leaders and experts from across the value chain and is a great opportunity to combine expertise and share ideas. I expect to hear some engaging talks and be part of some great discussions. And I expect to leave the conference inspired, with a list of potential partners and collaborators that we can work with to build a net zero future.

CIEX: The need for innovation has been a continued topic for the chemical industry –how would you sum up the current state of the industry, specifically with a focus on its innovation efforts and decarbonisation?

Maurits van Tol: Innovation has always been extremely important to the chemical industry. However, traditionally chemical corporations had huge R&D/Innovation departments, inventing many technologies and solutions in quite an isolated fashion. However, with very material transformations going on in the fields of mobility, energy, the development of low-carbon emitting technologies for the production of chemical building blocks, chemicals and fuels for example, this insular approach does not work anymore. The urgency to combat climate change is such that it is “all hands on deck” in a wide variety of collaboration models. Outside-in, collaboration and consortia are key words describing innovation at the chemical industry going forward.

CIEX: What must (chemical) industry leaders do to remain competitive and prepare for the future?

Maurits van Tol: We need to diversify our approach to innovation and that means building external partnerships with innovation ecosystems to complement our internal R&D. Working with universities, start-ups, and other industry leaders, we can work together to evaluate new technologies and accelerate the commercialisation of viable solutions. Through this collaborative approach we can also tap into external capabilities and increase the pace of our innovation through access to cutting-edge digital tools. All of this requires agility and flexibility and is a shift in culture for large corporates, but we’ve seen the value that embracing ‘outside-in’ innovation can bring.

Hear more about the chemical industry’s innovation strategies and decarbonisation efforts at CIEX 2022. Speakers include C-level representatives from Solvay, Clariant, Nobian, Evonik, GFBiochemicals, Pryme, Dow and many more.

Get your ticket at ciex-eu.org

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