EU long-term plan for chemical industry includes investment, innovation and regulation to support green transformation. The new EU “Transition Pathway for the Chemical Industry” is a 75-page short- and long-term plan to transition to Green Deal objectives, including, technology objectives, a regulatory calendar and some 200 actions. Key themes are innovation, clean energy supply and feedstock diversification, with objectives of circular economy, use of waste and bioresources and increased supply resilience, despite the recognised complexity of international chemicals supply chains. Investment support will refer to the EU Taxonomy, which will define criteria for which processes can benefit from green funding. Proposed actions include targets for recycled and bio-based content of feedstocks. The regulatory roadmap includes Taxonomy to support the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, CLP – GHS and REACH revisions, Restrictions Roadmap and Generic Risk Management approach, SSbD (Safe and Sustainable-by-Design chemicals), EcoDesign, Industrial Emissions Directive revision. Cefic has said that the Transition Pathway is a milestone for the sector towards meeting Green Deal goals and that the chemical industry in Europe stands ready to help make it happen, underlining that tens of billions of investment will be needed.
“Transition Pathway for the Chemical Industry”, European Commission, January 2023 https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/chemicals/transition-pathway_en
“A milestone moment for the European chemicals industry: The EU Chemical Industry Transition Pathway helps define the sector’s path to 2050”, Cefic, 27 January 2023 https://cefic.org/media-corner/newsroom/a-milestone-moment-for-the-european-chemicals-industry-the-eu-chemical-industry-transition-pathway-helps-define-the-sectors-path-to-2050/