Happy New Year!
Against t
he backdrop of the multitude of crises and challenges in 2022 that have become a permanent feature, one topic has almost faded into the background. For most of us, this was the first year-end holiday period in a long while not subjected to Covid restriction measures. We socialized more. We hugged more. We connected in person more. A change I very much welcome. And a change that should carry over to the workplace. The importance of sharing quality in-person time not only with friends and family but also colleagues should not be underestimated. Yes, we have adapted to new ways of working, and most of us now have a dedicated space for working from home. But personal interaction is a vital component of what makes us human. And that holds true for our SusChem community as well!
Looking back on 2022 and what we have achieved with SusChem makes me proud. We have been asked by DG Research & Innovation as well as DG Grow to contribute to the work packages of several initiatives touching the European chemical industry. Our advice (and that of our partnering ETPs) was appreciated and this is primarily also a merit of the National Platforms as well as our SusChem stakeholder community. We also made our first contributions to the IRISS project and had several oral contributions in conferences and panel sessions. We are recognized as a partner who brings content on sustainability and innovation to discussion rounds and documents!
To some extent we will continue this work in 2023. Yet, 2022 was also the trigger to think about SusChem’s profile, rework our Agenda and Strategy; define who we want to be and describe our role in the orchestra of “sustainability instruments” in the concert of the Green Deal initiatives and beyond.
This objective motivates me a lot, working together with you, our SusChem community shaping our future. Let’s make 2023 the year of advancement for SusChem.
Hope to re-connect with you all in-person at the SusChem Stakeholder event on 21 February 2023 in Brussels.
Dr. Josef R. Wuensch, SusChem Chairman, Senior Vice President at BASF SE