Their products are not visible to consumers, and yet they are found in almost all everyday items – from shampoo to adhesives and medicines to fertilizers. The expectations of chemical companies as the third largest industry in Germany are high: on the one hand, the industry itself should become climate neutral, and on the other hand, their solutions offer sustainable and climate-friendly answers in all other downstream sectors.

The drivers of transformation here are the use of bio- or waste-based raw materials, closed material cycles in use and increased energy and resource efficiency in production. Process breakthroughs in biotechnology and catalysts enable single-stage material conversions with significantly lower energy consumption. The decentralized and customer-oriented production options on micro assets with fewer transports open up further potential.

In addition, stronger sector coupling is an important lever: companies rely on electricity from sun and wind for their own supply, the generation of process heat (e.g. power-to-heat) and the production of “green” hydrogen (power-to-gas). Electrolysis, they not only drive decarbonization in the chemical industry, but also stimulate the energy transition. Companies in the industry address the issue of sustainability from two sides: on the one hand, as a source of inspiration for more sustainable, downstream value chains, and on the other hand, as those responsible for their own climate and cycle balance as well as environmental and health protection during production. The core is the transformation of the previously fossil-based product portfolio and the phase-out of supposedly harmful and dangerous substances by switching to green and sustainable enabler solutions. In agriculture, it is important to reverse the trend from monocultures and industrial agriculture, which are based on the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers. The plastic problem in rivers and seas needs to be addressed as well as avoiding harmful chemicals that are difficult to break down in the environment. In no other industry is the change from “Do less harm” to “Do more good” as central as it is in the chemical industry. This disruption is also opening up space for “green chemistry” innovators who are using digital opportunities and big data to find faster and more sustainable solutions. As in other industries, the aim is to no longer link economic success to purely linear product volume growth. Rather, value must be created and created more through product values, circular solutions and digitally supported as-a-service business models.

The industry includes, for example, the production of chemical raw materials, chemical fibers, plastics, fertilizers and pesticides. The wholesale trade in chemicals is assigned to industry 40 “Chemicals and materials wholesale”.