UNEA-2

Co-sponsored by Germany, Ghana, UNEP's (United Nations Environment Programme) Chemicals and Waste Branch, and the BRS Secretariat, the subject of the event was ‘Advancing Sustainable Chemistry in a Sustainable Development Context: Opportunities for Global, Regional and National Chemicals Management’.

Officially opening the event, Maria Krautzberger, President of the German Environment Agency (UBA), and her colleague Daniel S. Amlalo, Executive Director of the Ghanaian Environmental Protection Agency, highlighted the high potential of Sustainable Chemistry for contributing to more efficient practices in agriculture and industry worldwide through technological innovation and the better design, manufacture, use and disposal of chemicals and chemical alternatives. They also noted the particular challenges facing developing country economies, which often had to cope with the legacy of past unsustainable practices in the import and use of hazardous chemicals, and the need for enhanced monitoring and training capacity, while meeting the needs of growing populations.

As described by international expert Professor Klaus Kümmerer (University of Lüneburg, Germany) the term ‘Sustainable Chemistry’ describes an entirely new concept, which begins by asking the question where (and which) chemicals can be part of the answer to specific sustainable development issues. Also embracing Green Chemistry principles, Sustainable Chemistry goes further by considering the diverse ways that sustainable development can be advanced through new technologies and business models that promote resource efficiency and reduced adverse impacts to human health and the environment. These approaches include chemical leasing, where the services of chemicals – rather than the chemicals themselves – are supplied, as well as the shift to renewable (i.e. non-fossil) resources as a source of complex molecular structures used for the synthesis of commodities.

According to Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS), Sustainable Chemistry has the potential to contribute to the achievement of many of the seventeen SDGs. These included fighting poverty and hunger through the use of safer chemicals, or providing clean drinking water by using chemicals that are less hazardous and which metabolize in the environment instead of being persistent. Responding to the keynote addresses, an expert panel discussion (moderated by Paul Hohnen, Sustainability Strategies, Amsterdam), Dr Sam Adu-Kumi (Director, Chemicals Control and Management Centre, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana), Dr Ricardo Barra, (Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Concepción, Chile, Advisor to STAP/GEF), Michael Chen Yifeng (Vice President of Wanhua Chemical Group, China), Dr Joseph DiGangi, (Senior Advisor, IPEN), Dr Jutta Emig, (Division Head, International Chemicals and Sustainable Chemistry, Federal German Environment Ministry), and Dr Ullhas Nimkar (Chair and Managing Director, NimkarTek, India) agreed that there was a need for a new way of thinking about chemistry.

Whether from the perspective of the need for increased services or for eliminating/minimizing growing adverse effects on health and environment, sustainable development could not be achieved without Sustainable Chemistry.  While Sustainable Chemistry could provide the needed stimulus to industry to introduce new and cleaner technologies and products, it was not a substitute for action to address longstanding issues related to the elimination/reduction of impacts from hazardous chemicals and heavy metals. During the Side Event, many speakers also welcomed the German government initiative for an International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3 – see www.isc3.org). UBA President Maria Krautzberger added: „I invite everyone interested to contribute with your particular expertise and to join the ISC3 network.”

As explained by Professor Henning Friege, director of the ISC3 project, the Centre, to be launched in 2017, would work as a platform, network and think tank for mainstreaming Sustainable Chemistry.  It would do this by facilitating the sharing of ideas, research and experience among academic, private sector, non-governmental and governmental organizations active in the chemicals services space, and relevant to all levels of the value chain. In his concluding remarks, Achim Halpaap (Head, Chemicals and Waste Branch, DTIE, UNEP) also welcomed the growing interest in Sustainable Chemistry, which he saw as natural complement to existing intergovernmental commitments within SAICM to improve the sound management of chemicals and waste.  Successful scaling-up of Sustainable Chemistry would be enhanced by focusing on high impact demonstration pilot projects, especially as regards the sustainability challenges of developing countries.