Sustainability In The Chemical Industry

It’s the new rock and roll. It’s the new black. Sustainability is trendy, and not just among hipsters and pop stars. The uncool chemical sector helped pioneer it, and today, companies inside and outside the sector have embraced it. But what have they embraced? Surely not the Brundtland definition of meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainability describes a change in the chemical industry’s approach to the external world: to regulators, to greens, to neighbors, to investors and to the general public. Displacing the adversarialism of the 1970s-80s, sustainability is a new approach to social/political conflict, and an attempt to rebuild the industry’s long-suffering public image. In practice, it consists of: A ‘stakeholder’ approach to communications and external relations A rebranding of regulatory compliance and risk management, with the emphasis on their benefits to stakeholders Recognition (and even celebration) of the opportunities, not just the costs, of environmental and social protection The core of this book is a survey of the world’s 29 largest chemical companies: how they put sustainability into action (six of the 29 do not), and the six ‘sustainability brands’ they have created. It begins with a history of stakeholders conflict, before looking at various definitions of sustainability – by academics, by the public and by investors. After the survey and analysis, the book covers sustainability and ‘greenwash’ plus the ROI of sustainability, and it gives five recommendations.

Through innovative design, creation, processing, use, and disposal of substances, the chemical industry plays a major role in advancing applications to support sustainability in a way that will allow humanity to meet current environmental, economic, and societal needs without compromising the progress and success of future generations. Based on a workshop held in February 2005 that brought together a broad cross section of disciplines and organizations in the chemical industry, this report identifies a set of overarching Grand Challenges for Sustainability research in chemistry and chemical engineering to assist the chemical industry in defining a sustainability agenda. These Grand Challenges include life cycle analysis, renewable chemical feedstocks, and education, among others.

"A highly informative and brilliant contribution to the growingsustainability literature." -Dr. Brian and Mary Nattrass Managing Partners of SustainabilityPartners and authors of The Natural Step for Business and Dancingwith the Tiger The goal of sustainable development, a recent focus in thecorporate world, is to "ensure a better quality of life foreveryone today and in generations to come." The challenge facingindustry leaders is how to reconcile economically competitivestrategies with environmentally sound and socially responsiblepractices. Transforming Sustainability Strategy into Action: The ChemicalIndustry presents proven practical techniques to help managers inthe chemical industry identify and assess options for improving thesustainability of their organizations, with a pragmatic emphasis onoperational aspects, decision support, and guidelines for measuringprogress. Employing a systematic approach and introducing globallyproven problem-solving and decision-making tools designed toprovoke questioning and creative thinking, the authors address someof the most challenging issues for the industrial worldtoday. The authors' combined expertise and extensive experience intranslating sustainability strategies from theory into action makethem uniquely qualified to deliver the kind of hands-on, responsivebusiness solutions that will give corporate leaders the competitiveedge in preparing for tomorrow's socially and environmentallyconscious marketplace.

Through innovative design, creation, processing, use, and disposal of substances, the chemical industry plays a major role in advancing applications to support sustainability in a way that will allow humanity to meet current environmental, economic, and societal needs without compromising the progress and success of future generations. Based on a workshop held in February 2005 that brought together a broad cross section of disciplines and organizations in the chemical industry, this report identifies a set of overarching Grand Challenges for Sustainability research in chemistry and chemical engineering to assist the chemical industry in defining a sustainability agenda. These Grand Challenges include life cycle analysis, renewable chemical feedstocks, and education, among others.

This book features in-depth and thorough coverage of Minimum Impact Mill Technologies which can meet the environmental challenges of the pulp and paper industry and also discusses Mills and Fiberlines that encompass “State-of-the-Art” technology and management practices. The minimum impact mill does not mean "zero effluent", nor is it exclusive to one bleaching concept. It is a much bigger concept which means that significant progress must be made in the following areas: Water Management, Internal Chemical Management, Energy Management, Control and Discharge of Non-Process Elements and Removal of Hazardous Pollutants. At the moment, there is no bleached kraft pulp mill operating with zero effluent. With the rise in environmental awareness due to the lobbying by environmental organizations and with increased government regulation there is now a trend towards sustainability in the pulp and paper industry. Sustainable pulp and paper manufacturing requires a holistic view of the manufacturing process. During the last decade, there have been revolutionary technical developments in pulping, bleaching and chemical recovery technology. These developments have made it possible to further reduce loads in effluents and airborne emissions. Thus, there has been a strong progress towards minimum impact mills in the pulp and paper industry. The minimum-impact mill is a holistic manufacturing concept that encompasses environmental management systems, compliance with environmental laws and regulations and manufacturing technologies.

Based on a workshop that brought together a cross section of disciplines and organizations in the chemical industry, this report identifies a set of overarching Grand Challenges for Sustainability research in chemistry and chemical engineering to assist the chemical industry in defining a sustainability agenda.

Approaching sustainability from the perspectives of engineering and multiple scientific disciplines, this book incorporates the concepts of intergenerational equity and ecological capabilities, while promoting scientific rigor for the analysis of sustainability and the use of appropriate metrics to determine the comparative merits of alternatives. The chapters are organized around the key non-technological themes of sustainable industrial chemistry and provide an overview of the managerial principles to enhance sustainability in the chemicals sector. The book strives to provide an intellectual forum and stimulus for defining the roles chemical engineers can play in achieving sustainable development. Suitable for industry and graduate education, this is the one-stop guide to greener, cleaner, economically viable and more efficient chemical industries.

In February 2001 UNEP, in partnership with a variety of industry associations and organizations launched a reporting initiative to gauge progress by the private sector towards sustainable development. This effort contributes to the wider review of progress with the implementation of Agenda 21, under the framework of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. These volumes present sectoral reports on the progress towards sustainable development.