As the largest industrial consumer of fossil gas in Germany, the chemical sector has been hit severely by the scarcity of fossil gas and the high prices caused by the fossil energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, this has opened a window in which to speed up the transformation necessary for achieving the climate targets for industry in 2030 and 2045 and to stay competitive in the global race for climate-neutral products and technologies.
So the chemical industry stands at a crossroads: It needs to develop a common pathway that takes into account the climate targets, limited domestic resources and the resilience of value chains, while maintainng the industry’s economic strength. At the same time, Germany and the EU must create an environment that fosters investment in the technologies of the future in order to maintain the innovative energy that is crucial for the economic strength of the sector and for delivering the key materials for a climate-neutral society.
This project contributes to developing such a transition pathway for a chemical industry that uses materials and resources efficiently, a pathway based on three key complementary strategies: direct electrification and flexibility, a circular economy and renewable feedstocks. Our study shows that an integrated approach can create cross-sectoral synergies for this transition and can eventually result in CO2 sinks – a climate-positive chemical value chain.
