Interview to Cristina González, technical secretary of SusChem - Spain

The third edition of the Sustainable Chemical Forum, innovative and competitive companies (3SCICC Forum Sustainable Chemicals), that will celebrate in Tarragona the next 28 and 29 May, will turn around the solutions that the chemicals contributes and that facilitate or make possible the implantation of the Circular Economy. Leading companies will present new processes and chemical products more efficient, safer and more respectful with the environingingment. Like this, “it treats of a forum in which it will tackle how accelerate the innovation in processes and products”, explains Cristina González, technical secretary of the Technological Platform Spaniard of Sustainable Chemicals SusChem – Spain.

In this occasion, pretend to move to the assistants that to face up to the needs and challenges of the 21st century, in that the availability of resources is increasingly limited and, instead, the population grows, there is an economic model that every time has more follower: the Circular Economy.

This model bases in the reuse of products and components and in the efficiency of resources and power, by what drives to substantial and durable improvements in the management of the resources. It is thus that will present the solutions that provides the innovation in sustainable chemicals and his processes, as they are the new materials, new systems of manufacture, management of the water, etc., are essential to develop the Circular Economy.

To industrial leaders, responsible of R&D, scientists, responsible of marketing and responsible of innovation, no only of the chemical industry but of all the chain of value.

The chemicals is present practically in the whole of economic sectors and, of course, in our day in day out. It is a constant source of innovations whose solutions can apply in sectors very diverse. By this reason, results remarkable the presence of other agents of the chain of value like fundamental part of the program. Besides, when celebrating the forum in Tarragona, where finds the elder clúster chemist of the Mediterranean and south of Europe, will be able to offer to the participants the opportunity to visit, the previous day to the start of the forum, notable installations and centres.

As it said, the solutions that provides the innovation in sustainable chemicals and his processes constitute the fundamental pillars for the development of the Circular Economy; the International Forum of SusChem-Spain will present ways to make possible it. During the two days of length, the assistants will be able to know how appearances related with the reduction, reuse, recycling or replacement of critical raw materials, tendencies in bioproductos and biorrefinerías, optimisation of processes or different forms of valorisation of by-products and even the design can contribute to the implantation of an economy circulate resulting this in an improvement of the profits of the company.

The Circular Economy, in the industry and the society

The Circular Economy is an economic model that bases in the reuse of products and components and in the energetic efficiency and of resources. Like this, it bases in the design of products that facilitate the separation of the components and his reuse, generating the lower volume of possible waste. Also it bases in the definition of new business models in which it was viable for the manufacturer go back to manufacture and distribute again his products. “The implantation of the circular economy like organisational system will suppose substantial and durable improvements in the management of resources, which repercutirá directly on the industry and on the society”, sustains Cristina González.

Beyond all doubt. In fact, the chemical sector Spanish is the main private investor in R&D. At present, to fulfil with the criteria of sustainability that sues the society and the own industry, is necessary to work with processes ecoeficientes, in terms of resources and power, what will allow to his time minimise the environingingmental impacts.

Yes, can not forget that the innovation exerts a fundamental paper like element impulsor of the competitiveness and of the socioeconomic growth. In the market globalizado in which we move us, besides, innovar is not an option but an indispensable condition to be competitive. The innovation, in this case of the chemical industry, supposes the fundamental factor of differentiation and therefore of the success.

Of course. And from it does long already. In fact, from the sector promote two initiatives that pretend precisely this: the Technological Platform Spaniard of Sustainable Chemicals, SusChem-Spain, that the next year will fulfil 10 years, and the Program Responsible Care, that the past 2013 celebrated his twentieth anniversary.

The sustainable chemicals promotes a philosophy to produce more with less: reducing the environingingmental impact of the processes and his products, optimising the use of the finite resources and minimising the waste. The sustainable chemicals can guarantee the ecoeficiencia in all what do, so much to individual level like society in his group. Many times the sustainability associates to the environingingmental point of view, but the sustainable chemicals, is something more than protection of the environingingment.

Has to be besides able to generate employment of quality and improve our quality of life. The sustainable chemicals supposes the base for the necessary innovation for a competitive economy, based in the knowledge and led by the industry. But all this bet by the innovation and the sustainability will not serve of at all if these solutions are not accepted socially and if the industry is not able to give answer to the needs of the same.

The tendencies

• Energetic efficiency and of resources
• efficient Management of the water
• CO₂ like prime matter
• prime Matters criticisms
• Material of high provision for applications such as the construction
• Bioeconomía
• Valorisation of waste.

The sustainability of the industry is not something exclusive of the big companies, and more in a sector like the Spanish chemist, in which more than 75% of his business fabric is constituted by SMEs. That is to say, the SMEs are a key agent that has to continue adapting his processes and products to keep on being sustainable. Specifically, the flexibility in front of eventual changes results the most decisive factor in this field.

Is true that to tackle these changes is precise to realizar investments and no always results easy, but no only is question of budget. The employer has to think that the bet by the innovation and the sustainability are the fundamental elements to increase his competitiveness.

The challenges of the sector and the sustainability

The chemical industry contributes to give global and sustainable solutions to a wide fan of social challenges related with the power and the climatic change, water and feeding, demographic change and health, maintenance of natural resources and protection of the environingingment. At present, it aims Cristina González, technical secretary of the Technological Platform Spaniard of Sustainable Chemicals SusChem – Spain, to fulfil with the criteria of sustainability that sues today the society and the own industry, is necessary to work with processes ecoeficientes saving, for example, resources and power, at the same time that they minimise the environingingmental impacts.

Between the factors to promote the sustainable development of the chemical industry, stands out González, is the use of alternative resources for what are strategic so much the methods that involve renewable sources of coal from agricultural waste and biomass like the methods based in the recycling of waste: for example, in the industry of transformation of materials the access to new raw materials no critical is essential. Another factor that promotes this development comes from of the increasing demand of applications of market from raw materials of biological origin.

Another tractor trucks axis of the current chemical sector is the power, so much by the contributions that this industry can do in the field of the conversion and the storage as by the design and development of new materials more efficient in applications of intelligent materials, nanomaterials, reduction of weight, mechanical and thermal sensors properties, etc.

For González, from a point of view of economic sustainability, the companies of the chemical sector will have to face the situation of current crisis, the high prices of the fuel and the competition of emergent countries, with processes more efficient and products more competitive. To this situation joins in the short term an expected decreasing of the financials of the R&D so much of public funds like private, “by what even more if it fits it will be necessary to improve new models of financials for the companies”.

With these perspectives, the chemical sector sues a reduction of the costs of production and an increase of the performances to be able to satisfy the demand of the market for what requires of raw materials no critical in big volumes and costs more sustainable. Simultaneously, the market asks to half term every time processes safer of production, management and use, as well as chemical products even more sustainable with the environingingment.