2023 GC3 European Forum - Agenda

4:00 – 5:30 PM

COVESTRO TOUR

Location: Arrive at the registration desk at the Idea Lab on the Covestro Campus

Take a tour of Covestro's Wind Technology Center and Engineering Plastics Showroom! The tour will be available on Tuesday, June 13 from 3:30 - 5:30 PM. If interested, please sign up for a tour during the registration process. 

REGISTRATION AND WELCOME RECEPTION

Location: Bayer Gastronomie GmbH located at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Allee 3, 51373 Leverkusen (2-min walk from Idea Lab)

REGISTRATION & EVENT LOCATION

Location: Idea Lab, Covestro Campus

LIGHT BREAKFAST AND REFRESHMENTS

WELCOME REMARKS

PRESENTER:

Joel Tickner, Executive Director, Change Chemistry (formerly GC3)

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Lynette Chung, Chief Sustainability Officer at Covestro

MODERATOR: 

Joel Tickner, Executive Director, Change Chemistry (formerly GC3)

SESSION 1: Leveraging the Chemical Industry Transition Pathway to Accelerate Growth of Sustainable Chemistry

In February 2023, the European Commission published its Transition Pathway for the Chemical Industry – aimed at creating supporting the industry in meeting the challenges of climate change and digitization. The Pathway creates an ambitious roadmap that focuses primarily on the role of the chemical industry.  The purpose of this session is to explore how the pathway document can be leveraged to drive supply chain collaborations that build clearer demand signals and supply of safe and sustainable solutions.

MODERATOR:

Joel Tickner, Executive Director, Change Chemistry (formerly GC3)

PRESENTERS:

Roberto Rinaldi, Policy Officer, DG GROW, European Commission

Dirk Thelen, Regional Director EU Green Deal, PPG

Tomas Rydberg, Senior Researcher, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute 

NETWORKING BREAK

SESSION 2 (BREAKOUT DISCUSSIONS): Applying Consistent and Actionable Criteria to Drive Innovation in Safe & Sustainable Chemicals

The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability outlines a goal of achieving chemicals that are safe and sustainable by design.  The European Commission DG Research and Joint Research Institute have created a guidance document on Safe and Sustainable by Design to guide R&D in solutions that are safe and sustainable by design.  This session will focus on whether the current JRC guidance on SSbD is sufficient to serve companies across the value chain in making R&D and sourcing decisions, whether other criteria are needed and what tools will be necessary to support companies.

MODERATOR:

Aude Bechu, Chemist & Post Doc Research Associate, UMass Lowell

PRESENTER:

Javier Sanfelix, Policy Officer, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission

LUNCH

SESSION 3: Advancing Safe and Sustainable Materials for Circularity – Lessons Learned

While there are increasing pressures for circular materials and products, there has been less attention to the role of sustainable chemistry in achieving safe and sustainable materials and products.  Through case examples, this session will address some of the challenges, needs, and actions that can leverage chemistry to drive circularity.

MODERATOR:

Anna Zhenova, Founder & CEO, Green Rose Chemistry

PRESENTERS:

Sofie Vergucht, Circular Economy Advocacy & Stewardship - Global Team Lead, Eastman

Sascha Bloemhoff, Strategic Marketing Director Niaga®, Covestro

Maria Akerfeldt, Chemical Regulatory Affairs and Strategy, H&M

Fabian Deswarte, Sustainable Innovation Manager, L'oreal

Stefan Scheuer, Chief Eu Policy Advocate, Chem Trust

NETWORKING BREAK WITH NIAGA® EXHIBITION

At Niaga® we design to use again. And again. Discover the mission and the story behind Niaga®.

Join us during the networking break to find out about:  

• Who we are, what we do and how we do it.
• How the Niaga® tag enables the reuse, refurbishment and recycling of carpets, mattresses and panels, so that they don’t end up as waste.
  
  

SESSION 4: Driving Climate Neutrality Through Sustainable Chemistry

While Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reductions are relatively straightforward, addressing Scope 3 goals (indirect emissions) across the value chain remain a challenge.  Sustainable chemistry innovations can help achieve defossilization goals but also other goals, such as toxicity reduction and secure supply chains.  These case examples help outline examples of solutions and needs for chemistry innovation in the future that achieves both defossilization and other goals. 

MODERATOR:

Peter Nieuwenhuizen, Chair, Board of Directors, Change Chemistry

PRESENTERS:

Michael Carus, Founder and Managing Director, nova-institute & Executive Manager, RCI

Jeroen Verhoeven, Vice President, Value Chain Development, Neste

Mark Stalmans, Director Global Product Stewardship and Sustainability, Fabric & Home Care, P&G

DINNER RECEPTION

Location: Restaurant Löwe in the Kasino Leverkusen located at Kaiser-Wilhelm-Allee 3 51373 Leverkusen (2-min walk from Idea Lab)

LIGHT BREAKFAST AND REFRESHMENTS

Location: Idea Lab, Covestro Campus

SESSION 5: Addressing Challenges to Informed Chemical Substitution Across the Value Chain: Case Study of PFAS

Chemical substitution is often challenging as alternatives may require significant R&D, reformulation or product redesign which can increase costs.  This session looks at a large substitution challenge – based on the PFAS restriction proposed by the European Commission.  Case studies will highlight some of the challenges and opportunities as well as needs for supporting informed substitution.

MODERATOR:

Jenny MacKellar, Program Director, Change Chemistry (formerly GC3)

PRESENTERS:

Jonatan Kleimark, Senior Chemicals and Business Advisor, ChemSec

Hiram Moerman, Manager Circular Economy, Aperion

Dirk van Well, EU Regulatory and Industry Advocacy Leader, Chemours

Rüdiger Fox, CEO, Sympatex (virtual presentation)

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Kristin Schreiber, Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs at DG GROW, European Commission

MODERATOR: 

Joel Tickner, Executive Director, Change Chemistry (formerly GC3)

NETWORKING BREAK

SESSION 6 (BREAKOUT DISCUSSIONS): What are the Incentives and Policies Needed to Drive Sustainable Chemistry Growth in Context of the Green Deal?

Many of the policies envisioned in the Green Deal relate to regulatory “push” policies but these on their own may not lead to growth in safer, more sustainable chemicals and products. What are the “pull” policies that address barriers to sustainable chemistry and could help grow demand for and supplies of safer, more sustainable chemicals, materials and products.

LUNCH

SESSION 7: The Role of ESG Reporting in Driving Growth of Sustainable Chemistry Investment

There are increasing drivers for companies to disclose climate and chemical risk.  How can increasing demands for disclosure and addressing chemical risk be converted into investment in sustainable chemistry solutions? How are companies responding?

MODERATOR:

Lynette Chung, Chief Sustainability Officer, Covestro

PRESENTERS:

Aleksandra Malyska, Research Policy Officer, DG Environment, European Commission

Cecilia Fryklöf, Head of Active Ownership, Nordea

Wibke Lölsberg, Sustainability Strategy Developer, BASF

Barbara Hermann, Head of Product Sustainability, Reckitt

CLOSING REMARKS

A recap and discussion on next steps.

PRESENTER:

Joel Tickner, Executive Director, Change Chemistry (formerly GC3)