ISO's Sustainability Roadmap

Istanbul Chamber of Industry (İSO) continues to unveil roadmaps it has prepared for 10 sectors as part of its Sustainability Vision, which was determined by taking into account new systems in international trade within the framework of sustainability, such as global climate change and the European Green Deal. İSO released the fifth in a series of guides it prepared for 10 separate sectors, into which its 55 professional committees are grouped, with the aim of creating high value-added products in the global market and enhancing sustainability competencies. This latest guide covers the Chemical Products, Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing sector. The guide was prepared to present sector-specific priority guidance and performance indicators for future sustainability work of the "Chemical Products, Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing Group," which encompasses the Basic and Miscellaneous Chemical Manufacturing, Paints, Varnishes and Resins Manufacturing, Cleaning Products, Cosmetics and Fragrance Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Equipment Manufacturing, Rubber and Rubber Technology Manufacturing, Plastic Packaging Manufacturing, Plastic Construction Materials Manufacturing, and Plastic Raw Materials and Plastic Injection Molding Manufacturing Professional Committees operating within İSO. The guide for the Chemical Products, Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing sector emphasised that the capacity and agility of the chemical products sector—which continues to ease the lives of billions of people today—to respond quickly to crises that test humanity's resilience, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, is critical for creating value for the sector. The guide noted that among the priorities of the chemical products sector are raising public awareness alongside various rapidly implemented regulations and informing the public about chemicals contained in consumer products through various means such as packaging and labelling. According to the guide, particularly on the SME side, steps must be taken together with society to measure the sustainability performance of suppliers in companies' value chains and to improve accordingly. The guide also pointed out that supporting the supply chain and its development will confront the industry with various obligations, while noting that lists of banned products targeting the use of chemicals harmful to human health are expanding, that developing alternatives with lower negative environmental impact and attention to worker and consumer health within R&D activities is inevitable, and that responsible steps must be taken regarding expanding legal regulations on testing conducted on animals. In this context, attention was drawn to the necessity of providing safe and healthy working conditions for employees in the sector, increasing inclusivity and diversity, increasing responsible purchasing and supply chain traceability to prevent human rights violations and negative environmental impact in the value chain, raising public awareness about chemicals, and taking responsible steps towards living organisms. In the İSO Chemical Products, Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing guide, it was recalled that the European Green Deal (EGD) is a strategy to transform the European Union (EU) into a just and prosperous society with a competitive and resource-efficient economy with no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and sets out the goal of transforming Europe into the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The guide noted that within the EGD framework, the EU has developed a framework to maximise the contributions of chemicals to society that play a major role in much of individual consumers' daily lives and address various industry needs, while ensuring a green transition that does not harm the planet and is non-toxic. Nevertheless, the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and the Sustainable Chemicals Strategy put forward under the European Green Deal call aim to phase out non-essential harmful chemicals and promote the use of sustainable, safe products by all stakeholders from a common perspective. In this way, various innovation and investment measures are also being created to support the chemical industry in implementation. On the other hand, it was emphasised that the Circular Economy Action Plan was created with the goal of integrating the circular economy approach, based on developing sustainable production methods and efficient resource use, particularly into resource-intensive sectors, and that packaging and plastics sectors are among the sectors that will be affected under this plan. In this context, the guide noted that CEAP recommends developing new legal initiatives and targets aimed at reducing packaging waste by moving away from single-use plastic packaging and replacing it with reusable products. Additionally, it was highlighted that SMEs need stronger policy and financial support, as well as advice and assistance, and that in addition, the "Action Plan: Towards Zero Pollution in Air, Water and Soil" action plan published under the EGD set a net goal of improving water quality by reducing waste, ocean plastic debris (50%) and microplastics released into the environment (30%). The guide noted that following the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, most countries have begun setting targets to reach a net-zero emission economy by 2050 in order to reduce negative environmental impact, and to support this, regulations and legislation such as the EGD have been implemented, and some large companies, including Chemical Products, Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing companies, are implementing roadmaps to lead the transition to a net-zero emission economy in the sector by 2050. In this direction, considering that unsustainable use of resources will create pressure on nature and pose a threat to economic activities, it was stated that it is of great importance for the chemical products sector to minimise negative environmental impact, protect soil, water and biodiversity as sources of life, increase energy and water efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and operate with a zero-waste target. In the example given, plastic recycling processes are becoming mandatory in the transition to a circular economy, plastic use in the EU is steadily increasing, studies show that Europe produces approximately 25.8 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, and less than 30% of this waste is collected for recycling. Also noted was that according to "Responsible Care," a commitment programme being carried out in the global chemical industry, companies, NGOs and stakeholders commit to conducting work such as collaborating on resource efficiency, circular production methods, use of green production technologies and supporting policy makers and legislation development. It was emphasised that work is being carried out under the coordination of the Turkish Chemical Manufacturers Association (TKSD) and that environmental priorities are of great importance in terms of adapting to rapidly changing legal regulations, customer and investor demands, and global competitiveness.   Source Click for İSO Green Blog. Click for İSO Sustainability Roadmaps.