In order to take swift action at EU level to transform the chemical industry into a sustainable sector, the Dutch government worked on a joint statement together with Member States France, the Czech Republic and Ireland.

This statement was presented for the first time to the Commission and Member States, as well as industry representatives, on April 16, 2024 and handed over to the European Commission, represented here by European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra, who welcomed the initiative.

It was the first time ever that European politicians presented a paper on the defossilization of the chemical industry and asked the commission for strong action and a long-term vision. Industry associations have been calling for years to overcome the lack of a level playing field between the energy and fuel sectors, where the transition away from fossil fuels is strongly supported by various instruments such as quotas, and the chemicals and materials sector, where there are no comparable incentives at all.

The concept of defossilization was first introduced by the Renewable Carbon Initiative in 2020 to replace the fossil carbon embedded in chemicals and materials with biomass, CO2 and recycled materials.

“In our statement we propose that an overarching European policy framework is needed in order to achieve the transition from fossil to sustainable carbon feedstocks in the chemical sector. Such a framework is essential if we’re to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the European chemical industry, while at the same time transforming it into a truly sustainable industry.”

The chemical industry can and should become a driving force in achieving both the EU’s circularity and climate goals, all while also reducing the dependence on foreign actors. That means it must not only look at reducing emissions from its own processes, but also at using alternative feedstock sources than the largely dominating fossils.

Currently, the feedstock of the European chemical industry is covered more than 90% by fossil feedstocks, which accumulates to around 10% of the EU’s total fossil resource consumption.

But how do we make the transition to a competitive, circular and climate-neutral chemical industry?

“First of all, market creation is essential to boost demand for and supply of sustainable carbon products,” said Heijnen. “Effective incentives that take into account all three sustainable carbon sources – recycled materials, sustainable biomass and CO2 – can drive this market.”