The goal of creating a circular economy is one of many initiatives with the aim of reducing our environmental impact. Within the refining and chemical industries, there is an increasing focus on how technology and research can be applied to support the re-engineering of many product value chains, thereby reducing the environmental impact of specific products throughout their entire lifecycle.
As a lynchpin in the supply chains of multiple other industries, the chemical industry is at the forefront of solving today’s most pressing issues: climate change, water and food scarcity, global health, and poverty.
In January 2021 fuel suppliers are required to increase the amount of renewable fuel they use to comply with latest updates to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
As C&I went to press in early December, current affairs discussions focused on the welcome news that the UK government has authorised the first Covid-19 vaccine following approval by the independent medicines agency MHRA for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, expected to be made available before Christmas.
Harry Swan, CEO of UK chemical manufacturer Thomas Swan, is urging businesses to act now to be ready for new trading rules between the UK and EU. He says his firm has already taken action to prepare for the end of the Transition period on 31 December 2020, and he’s calling on others to do the same. Read the comment in C&I magazine.
As the regulatory framework for cultured meat evolves, we can expect stringent biosafety standards to emerge and, if inventors are able to obtain patents ... they could be in a strong position to license their portfolio for significant royalties. Read the comment in C&I Magazine.
In-house resources with the relevant capacities are lacking in most companies, and the process is both time and resource consuming. When outsourced, most often to consulting houses, the process generally proves expensive and lengthy. Read the comment in C&I magazine.
The future companies will look drastically different from today. Companies that do not evolve and invest in sustainability initiatives and digital transformation will not survive the change. Read more in C&I Magazine.
Decarbonisation of industry – responsible for nearly one quarter of total carbon emissions – is crucial to meet the UK’s commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Read in C&I Magazine.
Mass balance is a mechanism to help phase out the large scale use of fossil raw materials. It is about mixing fossil raw materials together with recycled or renewable raw materials in existing systems and processes, while keeping track of their quantities and allocating them to specific products. Ultimately, the goal will be to deliver a chemical industry that has been fully converted to using recycled and renewables.