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| European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry | |
|---|---|
| Name | European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry |
| Abbreviation | SusChem |
| Formation | 2004 |
| Type | Public–private partnership |
| Purpose | Sustainable chemistry and industrial biotechnology |
| Headquarters | Brussels |
| Region | European Union |
| Parent organization | European Commission |
European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry The European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry is a public–private partnership focused on advancing sustainable chemistry across the European Union, aligning industrial research with policy priorities such as the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes. It connects stakeholders from industry consortia such as CEFIC, research organisations like European Chemical Industry Council, and funding bodies exemplified by the European Investment Bank, to promote a Strategic Research Agenda that supports the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan. The platform engages with regulatory frameworks including the REACH Regulation and the Industrial Emissions Directive to accelerate deployment of green technologies.
SusChem functions as a technology platform linking actors from companies such as BASF, Solvay, AkzoNobel, and Dow Chemical Company with research institutions including the European Commission Joint Research Centre, Max Planck Society, CNRS, and universities like University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, and Imperial College London. It serves as a forum for collaboration among policy makers from the European Commission, funding agencies like the European Research Council, and standardisation bodies such as CEN. The platform’s remit intersects with initiatives led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and sectoral alliances like the Bio-based Industries Consortium.
Launched in the early 2000s amid rising attention to industrial sustainability, SusChem emerged alongside contemporaneous efforts such as the European Technology Platform on Smart Grids and the European Technology Platform on Sustainable Urban Mobility. Early milestones included stakeholder consultations coordinated with the European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and input from national agencies like the Agence Nationale de la Recherche and Innovate UK. The platform’s Strategic Research Agenda was iteratively updated to reflect major policy shifts driven by the Lisbon Strategy, the Europe 2020 strategy, and later the European Green Deal. Partnerships were established with research programmes such as FP6 and FP7 before transitioning to Horizon 2020.
SusChem’s stated objectives encompass promoting sustainable process technologies used by firms such as AkzoNobel and Evonik Industries, advancing industrial biotechnology exemplified by collaborations with Novo Nordisk and DSM-Firmenich, and supporting materials substitution highlighted by work with Siemens and Bayer. The Strategic Research Agenda emphasises themes aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including resource efficiency, low-carbon processes tied to European Climate Law, and circular feedstocks associated with the Port of Rotterdam industrial cluster. It advocates technology pathways spanning catalysis research connected to Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, solvent replacement in line with Green Chemistry Institute priorities, and polymer recycling aligned with initiatives like the Plastics Pact.
Governance structures mirror other European Technology Platforms with a Steering Board comprised of representatives from industry members such as Ineos, academic leaders from institutions like Karolinska Institutet, and policy delegates from the European Commission. Membership categories include large enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises represented by EUROCHAMBRES, research organisations like Fraunhofer Society, and NGOs similar to ClientEarth. Funding and project selection engage financiers such as the European Investment Fund and national research councils including the German Research Foundation and Agence Nationale de la Recherche.
Prominent initiatives linked to the platform include collaborative projects under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe with partners such as AstraZeneca and Unilever. Demonstration projects targeted process intensification involving consortia with Shell and academic groups from TU Delft and RWTH Aachen University. Bio-based chemical value-chain projects involved actors like the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking and firms such as Cargill and Neste. Standardisation and uptake activities coordinated with CEN-CENELEC supported deployment of technologies at industrial parks including Antwerp Port and Gdańsk Port.
The platform contributed to shaping research priorities that influenced calls in FP7 and Horizon 2020, fostering projects that achieved advances in catalytic processes reported by institutes like the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion and scale-up demonstrations advertised by firms such as Johnson Matthey. Outcomes include strengthened links between industry clusters, enhanced funding flows from the European Investment Bank, and alignment of chemical sector strategies with the European Climate Pact. The platform’s influence also fed into standard-setting discussions at ISO and regional deployment in innovation hubs like Skolkovo Innovation Center through partner exchanges.
Critics have raised concerns similar to critiques lodged against other public–private partnerships like the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, citing potential industry capture echoed by watchdogs including Corporate Europe Observatory and Transport & Environment. Challenges include balancing interests of multinationals such as BASF and SME representation advocated by European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, addressing regulatory coherence with REACH Regulation and EU Emissions Trading System, and ensuring measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions aligned with targets set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The platform faces competition from national innovation initiatives such as Highlands and Islands Enterprise and evolving priorities from successive European Commission presidencies.
Category:European technology platforms