European Industry Sets an Agenda

A strategic research agenda aimed at responding to the challenges faced by the European chemicals sector over the next 20 years has been unveiled at a conference in London by the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry, or SusChem.

SusChem is a forum initiated by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) and the European Biotechnology Industry Association (EuropaBio). It is supported by the European Commission.

The research agenda describes concrete goals] of sustainable chemistry in three main areas: health care, using future nano- and biotechnologies and materials; energy-efficient housing, using “smart” materials and energy management; and industrial bioprocesses, for reducing the dependence of industry on fossil resources while reducing industrial waste.

According to Jack Huttner, chairman of EuropaBio’s Industrial Biotechnology Council, the agenda “sends a strong signal to the many enterprises, including young innovative companies that are developing white”—or industrial—“biotech products and processes, to step up their investment to meet the new demands of the chemical industry.”