SusChem commits to lead Europe out of crisis!

Today, the European Technology & Innovation Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem), underlined its commitment to lead European growth through innovation initiatives, by its engagement with the bold declaration by European manufacturing industry to support innovation and address the societal and economic challenges faced by the European Union. The declaration was the climax of the European Commission’s Industrial Technologies 2012 Conference that took place in Aarhus, Denmark where SusChem took a leading role.

The declaration was signed by major industrial sectors employing over 19 million people in Europe: industries involved in initiatives such as Green Cars, Sustainable construction and Factories of the Future. The declaration outlines a path to revitalise the European economy through realising the full innovative potential of industrial technologies such as the chemical and biotechnology sectors.

“SusChem has built a track record of connecting key industrial partners and offering technologies and products that are vital to many industries,” said SusChem Board chairman and Senior Vice-President Bayer Technology Services Dr. Klaus Sommer, who signed the declaration on behalf of the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE) PPP consortium. “This very specific role across numerous value chains makes us forefront contributors in major European innovation initiatives such as urban living, water, resource and energy efficiency, and raw materials.”

A proposal for huge positive impact on growth and jobs

SusChem is a leading proposer of one of the first innovation-driven Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP) to be developed in the European Union: the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE) initiative. This cross-sectorial proposal unites all major process industries and aims to reduce fossil energy intensity in industrial processes by up to 30% and reduce non-renewable, primary raw material use by 20%. SPIRE was the main focus of the ‘Resource Efficient Process Industries’ session at the Industrial Technologies 2012 conference and this SusChem inspired initiative could have a huge positive impact on European growth and jobs.

To download the SusChem press release, click here.

Industrial Technologies 2012 - Day 1

The SusChem inspired SPIRE (Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy efficiency) PPP was a prominent component of many contributions at the first day of the Industrial Technologies 2012 conference in Aarhus Denmark. The SusChem stand (see below) was complemented by neighbouring booth dedicated to SPIRE and SusChem stakeholders contributed to a number of sessions.

Pierre Joris of Solvay (below) contributed on behalf of SusChem to the morning plenary session on Industry and Horizon2020.

In the afternoon SusChem board member Peter Nagler from Evonik (below) introduced SPIRE and outlined its remit and current status to delegates in the Resource Efficiency session. On 28 June SPIRE will assume a legal identity in Belgium.

Rudolf Strohmeier, deputy director-general of European Commission's DG Research & Innovation was a visitor to both the SusChem and SPIRE stands in the afternoon. He is pictured below (left) at the SPIRE stand with Gernot Klotz of Cefic.

On Wednesday evening the conference Gala Dinner will take place. The highlight of the evening will be a competition to select the Industrial Technologies project with the highest impact. The FP6 project IMPULSE (Integrated Multiscale Process Units with Locally Structured Elements) is one of the ten projects selected for the gala final and it is a SusChem-inspired project.

Project coordinator Mike Matlosz (above) is pictured preparing for a video recording where he explains the project.

The SusChem team is looking forward to Day Two at Aarhus. To keep up to date with SusChem inspired activities at the Industrial Technologies 2012 conference follow SusChem tweets via @suschem.

 

SPIRE, F3 show Sustainable ‘Cleantech’ Solutions

Both the SPIRE and the SusChem inspired F3 Factory project will feature at a lunchtime event at the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) office in Brussels on 21 March. The theme of the event is ‘Resource Efficiency. Novel Approaches – Products and Processes for a Sustainable Society’.

Global chemicals and manufacturing industries consume large quantities of non-renewable fossil-based raw materials and energy, but are at the core of our modern industrial society, developing and producing the key chemicals, materials, medicines and products that allow us to achieve ever better standards of living.

Current research and innovation trends offer significant opportunities to transform these industries into eco-efficient high-tech solution providers, by, for example, switching to bio-based feedstock, improving efficiency, recycling and reusing waste materials and looking at the industry as an integrated system.

Finding sustainable “cleantech” solutions requires a strong commitment between research and industry to establish a new paradigm in sustainable production methodology for the European chemical- and bio-industry.

SusChem inspired solutions
The event will be opened by Rainer Steffens, Head of the NRW representation to the EU, Svenja Schulze, Minister for Innovation, Science and Research in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Dr. Rudolf W. Strohmeier European Commission, Deputy Director-General, DG Research.

The F³-Factory (fast, flexible, future) is a FP7 project success story and an exemplary industrial case study. This original Suschem visionary project can allow the flexible, continuous production of chemical intermediates. The story will be presented by Dr. Frank Stenger of Evonik Industries and Dr. Sigurd Buchholz of Bayer Technology Services

Within the F3 project is a backbone facility: the INVITE research centre(pictured above). A joint venture with TU Dormund University its development and realisation will be told by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Engell.

Ed d‘Hooghe, Innovation Manager at Cefic will describe the Research and Innovation Public and Private Partnership (PPP) proposal, Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE). SPIRE aims to realise European competitiveness through improved resource and energy efficiency.

To achieve this SPIRE has the objective to develop enabling technologies and solutions along the value chain. These solutions are required to reach long term sustainability for Europe in terms of global competitiveness, ecology and employment.

The driving force behind SPIRE is the Resource and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REP) that brings together the collective expertise of more than 10 major industry sectors with strong connections to process manufacturing.

To find out more about the event contact the Representation of North Rhine-Westphalia to the European Union.

Environmental research
SPIRE, and other SusChem initiatives, will also be presented at the 20th anniversary seminar and workshop for the European Network of Environmental Research Organisations (ENERO). This all day event takes place on 29 March in Brussels.

The theme of the seminar is ‘Boosting and Securing Eco-innovations through new Partnerships’. The event will bring together key players to reflect on research organisations' role in producing sustainable innovations for the global market, and the links between environmental research and innovation.

Ed D’Hooghe will present SPIRE and other presentations will cover other areas of interest to SusChem including the bio-based chemical industry and improving water efficiency. For more information visit the ENERO website.

SPIRE Road Mapping Under Way

SusChem, together with the other sector partners involved in the Resource and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REP), have started a significant technology road mapping exercise with support from major European Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs). This process will build an initial set of technology road maps covering opportunities and priorities across both energy and resource efficiency. The results will feed into preparations for future major research and innovation initiatives under the proposed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE).

Two workshops have already been held, with a third scheduled for mid-March. The mapping is organised around four workgroups that have been formed to cover all aspects of the value chain:

• Raw materials / feedstock
• Process
• Products
• Waste and recycling

“The results from this initial road mapping exercise will be published and disseminated for a wider consultation with REP stakeholders and other interested parties,” says Ed D’Hooghe, Innovation Manager at Cefic. “We hope to have initial reports available for a first review on or around the SusChem Stakeholder event in April.”

The SusChem Stakeholder event will feature a dedicated session on Resource Efficiency on the afternoon of 17 April and a workshop on the morning of 18 April. The full event programme can be consulted here.

Partnership
The REP brings together more than 10 major industrial sectors in Europe that aim to promote co-operation between industrial sectors and seek sustainable solutions in industry processes that promote resource and energy efficiency.

The partnership comprises a broad range of major European Industry Associations with two European Technology Platforms directly involved: SusChem and the European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP). In addition the European Water Platform (WssTP) and the European Technology Platform on Sustainable Mineral resources (SMR) are associated with the partnership.

More information
For more information on SusChem activities in REP and the technology road mapping consultation, please contact Ed D’Hooghe at Cefic.