CHEMIE³. The Sustainability Initiative of the German Chemical Industry

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1 CHEMIE³ The Sustainability Initiative of the German Chemical Industry Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development Elena Schad, Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.v. Lüneburg, 15. September 2016

2 Why is sustainability an important topic for the chemical industry? 2

3 MEGATRENDS: THE ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGING Demographic change Climate change and limited natural resources Globalisation Sustainable solutions are required chemistry plays an important role! 3

4 OUR CONTRIBUTIONS 4

5 SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODELS ARE REQUIRED Employees Young staff members Capital market - banks - private investors NGO Customers - industry - consumers Chemical Industry Politics 5

6 CHEMIE³: AN ALLIANCE OF THREE PARTNERS Launch in 2013 Three partners VCI Verband der Chemischen Industrie (German Chemical Industry Association) IG BCE Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union) BAVC Bundesarbeitgeberverband Chemie (German Federation of Chemical Employers Associations) Steering committee Dr. Marijn Dekkers, President of VCI Michael Vassiliadis, President of IG BCE Margret Suckale, President of BAVC 6

7 GOALS OF THE INITIATIVE Strengthen the chemical industry s position as a key industry for sustainable development Offer attractive jobs and working conditions in the chemical industry now and in the future Create a climate of transparency and trust by way of an active and open dialogue with politicians, business and society 7

8 THE 12 GUIDELINES ON SUSTAINABILITY Strategy Integrating sustainability into the corporate 1. strategy Achieving sustainable investments and 2. value creation Promoting economic stability and global 3. cooperation 4. Driving sustainability through innovation Operational side / Operationalisation Implementing sustainability in 5. operational processes Securing decent work and an active 6. social partnership Managing demographic change and 7. securing skills Protecting people, the environment and 8. biodiversity Promoting resource efficiency and 9. climate protection Communication / Dialogue Engaging with communities as good 10. citizens Creating transparency and showing 11. integrity Fostering a dialogue and enhancing 12. participation 8

9 INTERIM GOALS ( MILESTONES ) OF THE INITIATIVE UNTIL 2017 Goal 1: The companies have achieved substantial and visible progress in the application of the guidelines. Goal 2: Chemie³ is known among the stakeholders and recognised as a credible dialogue partner. Goal 3: Equal consideration should be given to each of the three dimensions of sustainability this manner of thinking is strengthened in the formation of the political will. Goal 4: The success of Chemie³ is demonstrable. Goal 5: Chemie³ is networking with the sustainability activities at European and international levels. Until now focus was on goals 1, 2 and 4. 9

10 THE CHEMIE³-SUSTAINABILITY- CHECK (I) Tool to implement the sustainability guidelines strategically Companies conduct a self-assessment of their sustainability performance within the scope of a workshop, together with senior management and workers council/employee representatives Check is based on an Excel-Tool including 31 fields of action corresponding to the guidelines Check consists of 2 steps: Materiality analysis: which topics are relevant for the company? Evaluation of the performance and action plan if necessary As desired support by an external consultant 10

11 THE CHEMIE³-SUSTAINABILITY- CHECK (II) Pilot scheme with SMEs in 2014 Feedback from the companies was highly positive Good reasons for the Chemie 3 -Sustainability-Check Identify potentials for improvements and optimise the use of resources Understand the expectations and concerns of external stakeholders Make corporate goals transparent to internal stakeholders Enhance employee identification with the companies The Check and a guidance document is available in the members section of 11

12 FURTHER OFFERS OF SUPPORT FOR MEMBERS Information series Background documents on the guidelines one document per guideline Special events on sustainability topics 2015/2016 Sustainability in the innovation process Cultural diversity in the company Getting started with sustainability reporting Sustainability in the supply chain (upcoming) In 2016, pilot scheme Sustainability reporting 12

13 STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE What we are expecting from the dialogue Building credibility through an open dialogue Getting feedback on the approach taken by the chemical industry for example, regarding the overall strategy, how to measure progress or reporting Learning about expectations and concerns Our approach Stakeholder round table with selected participants Since 2014, confidential talks about the progress of the initiative Continuous feedback and critical suggestions Currently 17 member organisations from economic, scientific and social realms Investors Think Tanks Other industries Science Civil society organisations 13

14 STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE Stakeholder conferences for a broader circle of interested people May 2014: first conference in Nauen November 2014: joint conference with the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) November 2015: start of a new dialogue series Listen. Understand. Act. 18. November 2016: Conference Innovation for Sustainable Development Chemie³ in dialogue with RNE Our conclusion so far Growing interest Interest in questions on sustainability independent from social groups For the young generation the contribution of the chemical industry to sustainable development very important Stakeholders feedback an important driver for Chemie³ 14

15 MAKING PROGRESS VERIFIABLE AND TRANSPARENT Chemie³-Progress Report 2015 Published November 4, 2015 Goals Making the Chemie³ process visible and transparent Strengthen credibility, acceptance and trust Key performance indicators Goal: making progress of the sector verifiable Approach: VCI prepares indicators pertaining to the economic and environmental dimension BAVC and IG BCE focus on social indicators Presentation of the indicators in November

16 WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR Responsible Care-Survey among VCI-members questions on Chemie³ 3 out of 4 companies know Chemie³ 57% of the companies have discussed the guidelines on management level Especially in production, R&D, environment, health and human resources new sustainability-related projects were initiated Chemie³ is also known among stakeholders. 17% remember Chemie³ spontaneously, further 9% if supported 54% see the chemical industry as a key industry for sustainable development (+14 percentage points compared to 2013) 16

17 WHERE WE SEE CHALLENGES Communicating the importance of sustainability within the industry, mobilising companies Making progress measureable and transparent Further connecting with other initiatives 17

18 18 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! Questions?

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