Catalyst

Responsible Care ®
By Luc Robitaille,
CLIMATE CHANGE AND
CHEMISTRY-BASED
SOLUTIONS
Vice-President, Responsible Care ® Catalyst WINTER 2016 • 11
MANY WONDERED WHAT role industry played
at the Conference of All Parties (COP21) in
Paris last December, as governments from
more than 140 countries worked, under the
watchful eyes of environmental groups,
towards an agreement to limit the global
impact of climate change.
Industry accounts for nearly four
per cent of all man-made greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions globally. And many sectors,
like the chemistry industry, are committed
to being a part of the solution to the
climate change challenge.
In Paris, 84 global companies publicly
committed to developing low carbon
action plans through the Low Carbon
Technology Partnerships Initiative 1 . This
initiative provides a collaborative platform
to identify technologies and solutions
to help limit global warming to no
more than 2°C relative to pre-industrial
levels. Several Responsible Care® Global
Charter signatory chemistry producers
such as DuPont, Evonik and Shell participated
in this effort. Chemicals are
one of the eight programs already active
under this Initiative, along with programs
in energy efficiency in the building
sector, carbon capture and storage,
and renewables.
Chemicals are used in sectors such
as health, agriculture, construction, and
transportation where, through continuous
innovation, they contribute to the development
of more sustainable products and significant
emissions reductions.
Construction
Buildings are a significant and growing
contributor to GHG emissions. It
is also where chemistry helps reduce
environmental impact: in construction
and operation. Advanced materials are
continuously being developed to improve
building insulation; to develop zero-waste
building materials; to improve production
and storage of renewable energy;
and to help conserve water. In addition,
technological advances in energy efficient
lighting, window films, air conditioning
coolants, piping for heat recovery
and reflecting paints ensure a more sustainable
structure.
Transportation
Global GHG emissions from the transportation
sector continue to rise as vehicle
ownership becomes more affordable in
developing countries. Today’s chemistry
contributes to a more sustainable
automotive sector through a wide range
of applications—lightweight plastics and
composite materials, reduced rolling
resistance tires, lubricants reducing friction
losses, emission controls, biofuels and
fuel cells, and the growing use of recyclable
materials—resulting in increased fuel consumption
efficiency. Vehicles are becoming
more energy efficient without sacrificing
safety or comfort.
Food
Today, more than a third of all food
produced is wasted. Not only does this
have an impact on human health but it also
results in unsustainable environmental
pressure and in resource and water losses.