Brochure sustainable development report 2015

Sustainable Development Report 2015 People

Planet

Prosperity

Products

www.essensciaforsustainability.be

Yves Verschueren, Managing Director essenscia

EDITORIAL

ABOUT THIS REPORT

The chemical, plastics and pharmaceutical industry is playing a leading role within our society, striving to become more sustainable. The solutions it offers are numerous and varied. Agriculture, mobility, health care, household goods, the construction sector, the climate ... all of these are areas where the contributions by chemistry and life sciences are of paramount importance towards the creation of a better and more sustainable future.

This fourth biennial sustainability report illustrates, on the basis of many examples and good practices, the strong commitment of the chemical and life sciences industry towards the three most significant pillars of sustainable development: People, Planet and Prosperity.

Chemistry is a fantastic science that enables us to modulate and adapt matter in function of its capacity to enhance our societal well-being in a constantly changing world. The risks that accompany innovation need to be assessed objectively and correctly estimated within a framework of preventative parameters.

The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is investing major sums in research and development in order to be able to offer guarantees in a number of essential areas such as maximum consumer safety, minimum environmental impact and a more efficient performance in order to improve everyone’s quality of life.

An innovative industry with the aim to create a better and more sustainable future The industrial activities within the Belgian chemical and pharmaceutical sector continue their progress towards sustainable development. And this journey is never quite at an end. Our online report offers you, by means of a simple, easily accessible structure, an overview on the advancement that has been realized in Belgium by an industry that remains convinced of its undoubted growth potential within our country.

Yves Verschueren, Managing Director essenscia

Our industry in a nutshell

88,225 jobs

145,000 indirect employment

64.2 billion ¤ turnover

This is supplemented by a fourth chapter for Products. Hereby showing that the chemical, plastics and pharmaceutical industry is constantly developing innovative products that are not only safe to use but also offer sustainable solutions for the major global challenges our society is facing.

This leaflet is only a brief summary of the sustainable development report. The full version is exclusively available online in Dutch, French and English. The different chapters are easily downloadable, enabling readers to create their own customized reports.

What’s new in the 2015 report?

The current issue of the sustainable development report presents a new indicator on resource efficiency. For the chemical and life sciences industry, it is self-evident to treat raw materials in a sustainable manner by optimizing the production processes, transforming to a circular economy and exploring the opportunities of industrial biotechnology.

As a result, the production index has increased by 41% over the past eight years, whereas the proportion of energy used as a raw material has decreased by 8%.

These figures show clearly that an increasing amount of value is being created per quantity of raw material used.

Furthermore, essenscia fully subscribes to the new United Nations’ global goals for sustainable development. These goals are stated in the present report when they are related to the indicators used.

23

billion ¤ trade balance

3

billion ¤ R&D-expenditures

Products

People

A wide range of innovations for a sustainable future and a better quality of life

Embracing human capital to keep our industry at the top 18,1%

43

16% 2003

% of the researchers

2013

aged 50+

Welcoming young talent to compensate for retirements

Expanding our share in the industrial employment

Promoting diversity and gender equality

62%

Sustainable construction To provide comfortable living Thermal insulation, window frames, piping and membranes, intelligent coatings and paints, construction materials, solar panels and materials for renewable technologies

46% Almost half of all employees have a higher degree (university and higher education) resulting in a highly skilled workforce

Permanent education is key.

In 2013, 62% of all employees followed a training program

Safety remains a top priority.

The rate of accidents at work is nearly half of the average in the manufacturing industry

Planet

Leading the way in energy efficiency and environmental care

Product safety To avoid risks both for mankind and the environment Risk management, safe use icons, substitution, training throughout the supply chain, awareness campaigns, stewardship programs

Health and well-being To build a better and longer life Innovative vaccines, effective medicines, antimicrobial products, detergents

Production +41%

+

energy efficiency

Resources -8%

-84% 1987

Focussing on energy efficiency.

Since 1990 the total production of our industry has tripled, whereas energy consumption has only grown by one third

Producing more with fewer resources. In the past 8 years production rose and the use of resources decreased thanks to resource efficiency

CO2 -80%

Limiting acidifying emissions to barely 3% of the total for Belgium Water is life To guarantee better water quality

-90% Improving water quality by reducing the specific COD (chemical oxygen demand) in process wastewater with more than 90% since 1987

High grade water technology, wastewater treatment, sustainable water use, water resources preservation, plastic piping for zero water loss

70%

COD

Since 1990 our industry has managed a significant decrease of greenhouse gas emissions per production volume unit

2013

An important pillar of the Belgian economy thanks to innovation

Sustainable use To ensure a well-informed and sustainable use of our products

1.78

Sustainable agriculture To support sustainable food production

billion ¤

1

Fertilisers, crop protection, nutrient additives, phytopharmaceuticals, packaging for enhanced food conservation

3

Belgium remains the world champion in chemicals, plastics and biopharmaceuticals on a per capita basis, accounting for almost one third of the total value added in the manufacturing industry

N°1 Our industry is number 1 in Belgium for export generating a structural positive trade balance of 23 billion ¤

Attracting forward-looking industrial investments: 1.78 billion ¤ on average per year over the last 10 years, hereby covering 30% of the Belgian total in 2013

x2

258

patents per year

since 2003

The most innovative sector in Belgium with more than 3 billion ¤ spent on R&D, covering nearly half of all private R&D-expenditures in Belgium

Industrial biotechnology, new energy solutions, biobased resources, light weight solutions in aeronautics and automotive, hydrogen fuel, new generation inks

Recovering industrial waste either as materials or as energy.

Waste recovery doubled the last decade

Prosperity

2

Inventing tomorrow’s solutions To be a frontrunner in innovation

Breaktrough research leads to almost ‘a patent per working day’, counting for 35% of all granted patents in Belgium

Discover the full report on www.essensciaforsustainability.be People

Planet

Prosperity

Products

Minimal dosing, sustainable sourcing, resource efficiency, recycling and recovery, circular economy, waste to chemicals

Responsible editor: Yves Verschueren, Managing Director essenscia, Diamant Building, Boulevard Auguste Reyerslaan 80, B-1030 Brussels, Š 2015 Some icons are designed by Freepik

Discover the full report on www.essensciaforsustainability.be

essenscia Belgian Federation for Chemistry and Life Sciences Industries Diamant Building Boulevard Auguste Reyerslaan 80 B-1030 Brussels T + 32 2 238 97 11 F + 32 2 231 13 01 info@essenscia.be www.essenscia.be www.facebook.com/essenscia essenscia_NL essenscia_FR