March 29. 2024. 8:32

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There is no Green Deal without fluorinated chemistry


Regulators need to recognise the essential role of the chemical industry for the future innovation needed to realise a new, green economy.

Almost four years ago, the European Commission laid out one of the most ambitious sustainability agendas globally – the EU Green Deal. This overarching policy programme provides a pathway to drive innovation that is transforming key industries while restructuring the continent’s energy system – all with the clear aim of increasing sustainability and reducing CO2 emissions as fast as possible. The Net-Zero Industry Act most recently reconfirmed this intention.

As we gear up to European elections next year, eyes are starting to look at what the next Commission could bring, including an even more ambitious climate and environmental programme. This green agenda is realising broad support from countries across the EU but also from the chemicals industry, who is fully on board with the Green Deal’s ambitions and is already delivering trillions of euros, technology, and innovation to support the European economy.

As such, the chemicals sector is investing billions of euros in greener manufacturing, more efficient use of materials, and constantly improved waste management and recycling systems. This is not least because chemistry is a critical building block for the transformation of our society. And the industry is committed to produce these responsibly, as confirmed by the chemical industry association’s recently published Transition Pathway.

This green transformation of industry currently underway nevertheless risks being comprised. The PFAS restriction proposal published earlier this year represents the broadest restrictions ever proposed for chemicals in the history of the EU, effectively grouping more than 10,000 substances into the same category and proposing a wide-reaching ban. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) invited stakeholders to comment on the draft PFAS restrictions in March, and so the debate on possible advantages and consequences of this proposal are well underway.

From an industry view, the problem with this ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is that these substances differ considerably from one another in terms of their risk profiles, environmental impact, end-use applications, and their added socio-economic value. Attempting to regulate substances in such a broad and general manner is like considering all hydrocarbons – from gasoline to olive oil – the same. Critically, the proposal is based on existing technologies and risks blocking new innovation from happening in the future, when we will need it most.

Further, the proposed restrictions will no doubt have massive unintended consequences for the EU’s ability to realise its own short-term sustainability targets, now and in the coming years. Not only would it potentially ban substances that have been proven safe for their intended uses, but it would also ban substances that are and will be absolutely essential for sectors that are driving our sustainable transformation. And while regulators have suggested that some limited derogations will be made for important sectors and applications, this issue is that the entire regulatory framework as proposed does not consider future innovations in chemistry which could be game changers for the green and digital transitions.

Fluorinated chemistry is the foundational building-block of much of modern society. Fluoropolymers, for example, which represent a large class of durable, high-performance plastics, have regretfully been included within the scope of the proposed PFAS restrictions, despite their favourable safety profiles and numerous essential end-use applications. They are used in more than a dozen steps in the manufacturing of semiconductors required for our cars, phones, planes, the many advanced electronics we use each day.

They also represent key components in the production of green hydrogen, electric vehicle batteries and solar panels – all which contribute to clean energy and emissions reduction. Similarly, fluorinated gases, also subject to the proposed restrictions, are critical to medical technologies that save lives every day, are used to protect our food chain, and they drive energy efficiency through insulation and heat pumps. These applications are pivotal for the sustainable transformation of the European economy, and therefore the success of the EU’s Green Deal.

Our view as a leading chemicals company is that fluorinated chemistry is crucial now and for the future. To productively move forward, industry, academia, civil society, and regulators must work together constructively to make progress on our path to the EU’s new, green economy – and fluorinated chemistry must be considered seriously as part of the solution. Persisting in ideologies will not bring a solution. Instead, it moves problems elsewhere, effectively making the EU give up responsibility on emissions control and increasing foreign dependencies. Much more, a targeted and science-based regulation is necessary.

By implementing strict and rigorous emissions control and responsible manufacturing standards, the EU can take a leadership role in establishing a regulatory framework that provides the certainty needed to attract investment for innovation while allowing for the safe production of chemistries that contribute to cleaner and more sustainable technologies needed for the EU’s Green Deal. Ultimately, chemistry is and will remain a key enabler of the green transformation of our economy and society.