How sustainable chemistry and biotechnology together provide solutions for future generations

Technologies for a better future of Europe

Moving towards 2030, SusChem recognises three overarching and interconnected challenge areas: Circular economy and resource efficiency, low‑carbon economy towards mitigating climate change, as well as protecting environmental and human health. This will require aligning all actors of the innovation ecosystem on priorities, across value chains, and spanning from the most fundamental to the most advanced technological readiness levels. A challenge indeed, that is being elaborated along three lines.

Circular economy and resource efficiency

Transforming Europa into a more circular economy:

• Materials design for durability and/or recyclability
• Safe‑by‑design for chemicals & materials (accounting for circularity)
• Advanced processes for alternative carbon feedstock valorisation (waste, biomass, CO/CO₂)
• Resource efficiency optimisation of processes
• Advanced materials and processes for sustainable water management
• Advanced materials and processes for the recovery and reuse of critical raw materials and/or their sustainable replacement
• Industrial symbiosis
• Alternative business models
• Digital technologies to increase value chain collaboration, informing the consumer and B2B on reuse and recyclability.

Low-carbon economy

Mitigating climate change, with Europe becoming carbon neutral:

• Advanced materials for sustainable production of renewable electricity
• Advanced materials and technologies for renewable energy storage
• Advanced materials for energy efficiency in transport and buildings
• Electrification of chemical processes and use of renewable energy sources
• Increased energy efficiency of process technologies, enabled by digital technologies
• Energy efficient water treatment
• Industrial symbiosis via
  better valorisation of energy streams
• Alternative business models

Environmental and human health

Europe leading on environmental and human health protection:

• Safe‑by‑design for materials and chemicals (functionality approach, methodologies, data & tools)
• Improve safety of operations through process design, control and optimisation
• Zero‑liquid discharge processes
• Zero‑waste discharge processes
• Technologies for reducing GHGs emissions
• Technologies for reducing industrial emissions
• Sustainable sourcing of raw materials
• Increasing transparency of products within value chains through digital technologies
• Alternative food technologies
• Novel therapeutics and personalised medicine
• Sustainable agriculture,
  forestry and soil health-related technologies
• Biocompatible materials for health applications.

More information

If you are interested you can download the report here, or you can contact one of our experts.