Chemicals are everywhere in our daily life and play a fundamental role in most of our activities, as they form part of virtually every device we use to ensure our well-being, protect our health and security, and meet new challenges through innovation. Chemicals are also the building blocks of low-carbon, zero pollution and energy- and resource-efficient technologies, materials and products. The increased investment and innovative capacity of the chemicals industry to provide safe and sustainable chemicals will be vital to offer new solutions and support both the green and the digital transitions of our economy and society.

Nevertheless, in order to develop and deploy the sustainable chemicals that enable the green and digital transitions and to protect environment and human health, innovation for the green transition of the chemical industry and its value chains must be stepped up and the existing EU chemicals policy must evolve and respond more rapidly and effectively to the challenges posed by hazardous chemicals. This includes ensuring that all chemicals are used more safely and sustainably, promoting that chemicals having a chronic effect for human health and the environment are minimised and substituted as far as possible, and phasing out the most harmful ones for non-essential societal use, in particular in consumer products.

The transition to chemicals that are safe and sustainable by design is not only a societal urgency but also a great economic opportunity, as well as a key component of EU’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Considering the trends in global chemical production, this is an opportunity for the EU chemical industry to regain competitiveness by further developing safe and sustainable chemicals and to bring sustainable solutions across sectors, notably for pharmaceuticals, construction materials, textiles, low-carbon mobility, batteries, wind turbines and renewable energy sources. The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability aims to capture this opportunity and enable the green transition of the chemicals sector and its value chains by:

• Developing safe-and-sustainable-by-design criteria and ensuring financial support for the commercialisation and uptake of safe and sustainable chemicals;

• Ensuring the development and uptake of safe and sustainable-by-design substances, materials and products through EU funding and investment instruments and public-private partnerships;

• Considerably stepping up enforcement of EU rules both at the borders and in the single market;

• Putting in place an EU research and innovation agenda for chemicals, to fill knowledge gaps on the impact of chemicals, promote innovation and move away from animal testing;

• Simplifying and consolidating the EU legal framework – e.g. by introducing the ‘One substance one assessment' process, strengthening the principles of 'no data, no market' and introducing targeted amendments to REACH and sectorial legislation, to name a few.

The Commission proposal on Next Generation EU, and its Recovery and Resilience Facility, provides for EU Member States to invest in projects that facilitate the green and digital transition of EU industries, including in the chemical sector, and boost the competitiveness of sustainable EU industry. The transition to sustainable chemicals will also be mindful of socio-economic consequences including employment impacts on specific regions, sectors, and workers.

For information on how B2EU Consulting could support your organisation in developing a funding strategy and in unlocking different financing tools for your operation in the green sector, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: info@b2eu-consulting.com.