On June 24, a meeting will take place at the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss how Europe can strengthen its chemical industry through sustainable chemistry. The program is titled “Reindustrialising Europe Through Sustainable Chemistry: From Crisis to Opportunity” and is organized by the Amsterdam-based materials company Avantium together with MEP Jeannette Baljeu of the Renew Europe group. Policymakers, industry representatives, and scientists will engage in dialogue, according to the organizers.
Central to the question is whether biobased and circular carbon can serve as a new industrial foundation. Biobased carbon refers to carbon derived from biomass, while circular carbon refers to carbon that is reused, for example through CO2 capture. According to the announcement, an industry relying on these carbon sources can become less dependent on fossil fuels, become more competitive, and strengthen the European industrial base.
A sector under pressure
The European chemical industry is grappling with structural problems. The announcement points to factory closures, high energy costs, and increasing competition from outside Europe. The sector remains largely dependent on fossil fuels, making it vulnerable to price fluctuations and raising questions about its future viability. At the same time, according to the organizers, new European policy creates opportunities to restructure the industry and shift towards more sustainable and robust supply chains.
Speakers and program
Speakers include Hans Ingels from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market and Industry (DG GROW), Marco Pellegrini from Cefic, the European umbrella organization for the chemical industry, Joel Tickner from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Marco Jansen, Chief Commercial Officer of Avantium. The program covers policy perspectives, industry developments, and business cases related to sustainable carbon solutions. The meeting runs from 14:00 to 16:00.
Organizer Avantium is based in Amsterdam and focuses on renewable and circular polymers based on carbon from biomass or the air. Using its YXY technology, the company converts plant-based sugars into FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), a building block for the plant-based plastic PEF (polyethylene furanoate), which is being marketed under the brand name Releaf. In Delfzijl, Groningen, the company is in the process of starting up the world's first commercial FDCA plant.
Source: avantium
Photo: NakNakNak, Pixabay
