WIT Press


How To Enhance Sustainable Chemistry In A Non-technological Way?

Price

Free (open access)

Volume

154

Pages

8

Page Range

3 - 10

Published

2011

Size

1,039 kb

Paper DOI

10.2495/CHEM110011

Copyright

WIT Press

Author(s)

G. L. L. Reniers & K. Sörensen

Abstract

To achieve sustainable industrial chemical processes and products, companies, research centers and academia tend to focus mainly on technological solutions such as cleantech, green technology, process intensification, new catalysts, new membranes, ecofining, etc. However, non-technological approaches are essential as well to succeed in adequate sustainable chemistry. Cluster management, sustainable supply chain management, chemical leasing, integrated management systems and business models, societal expectations, etc. are all important nontechnological aspects of sustainable chemistry. To date, most of the know-how and expertise on non-technological issues is developed on an individual company or academia basis and in a fragmented way. It is nonetheless crucial for the vision of sustainable chemistry to be realized that not only novel technology is conceptualized and developed by individual initiatives, but also that innovative management models, intra-organization models, and inter-organization models are elaborated, promoted and implemented by academia and by industry on a much broader scale. Keywords: non-technological sustainable chemistry, chemical leasing, integrated management systems. 1 Introduction According to the definition of Brundtland, sustainable development is the development that fulfils the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs [1]. This means that long-term thinking and acting is needed. As the advantages of a long-

Keywords

non-technological sustainable chemistry, chemical leasing, integrated management systems