Conclusion from industry speakers at the Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Berlin.

Rowarth, attended the second Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Berlin in May this year. Over 50 countries were represented by 200 delegates from research, industry, policy, industry and lobby groups.

In a 100 years’ time there will still be a chemical industry, but it will be very different from the one that exists now. 

This was the conclusion from industry speakers at the Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Berlin. Of course, they would say that… but it is likely to be true because the world is constructed from chemicals. And the industry is already working on making the difference. 

The focus is on green and sustainable chemistry. It has the potential to change life as we know it. It could replace a fossil carbon economy, renewable in millions of years, with a bio-based carbon economy, renewable in perhaps 400 years. 

Green chemistry is about developing products using fewer resources, with non-hazardous waste substances, which work at least as well as the traditional products, and are cheaper.

However, doubts were expressed that all points could be achieved at once, particularly given the reduction in research budgets for new product development. 

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