Welcoming the publication of an updated EU Industrial Strategy, Cefic Director General Marco Mensink said: “The Industrial Strategy is a timely update that brings the EU’s industrial vision more in line with the goals of the Green Deal and ongoing COVID crisis. The pandemic has highlighted the indispensable role of chemicals in many essential value chains. So fast-tracking chemical innovation – designed in Europe and made in Europe – will be instrumental for achieving the European Green Deal goals. Therefore, we are pleased to see that the Strategy recognizes chemicals as one of the priority ecosystems, which would benefit from a sector-specific pathway for industrial transformation.

Unlike other sectors that are facing a twin ‘digital and green’ transition, our industry’s challenge is in fact quadruple. In addition to climate neutrality and digitalization, we must also factor in circularity objectives and implementation of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability – all happening at the same time. That makes a coherent and consistent sectoral approach for the chemical industry not just a “nice-to-have” but “a need-to-have”.

We are therefore pleased to see that later today Commissioner Breton will take part in the first meeting of the High-Level roundtable on the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. It confirms that if we want to turn Europe into the green growth engine of the world, our industrial ecosystems can’t be governed in policy silos. More than anything else, coherent implementation of the Chemicals Strategy will be  needed to build a business case for a strong and sustainable EU chemical industry of the future.”