Russian Ecology: "Chemical industry is looking for solutions to implement green technologies"

Chemical Industry Committee of “Delovaya Rossiya” has announced strategic sessions to find the best solutions for sustainable development and public involvement in the environmental agenda.

Chemical companies like many other corporate sectors realise that it isn't worth the effort to close the environmental agenda completely. It is better to take small steps forward than to find oneself seriously distanced from modern production and technology. Participants in the strategy session, led by Mikhail Sutyaginsky, Head of the Chemical Industry Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors the AO GC Titan, spoke about what was already being implemented in the area of green technology and what projects aroused interest.

Daria Shevyakina, Deputy Director of the Department of Chemical Technology Complex and Bioengineering Technologies of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, spoke about the fact that the industry was developing and was not staying at a standstill. According to her, shipment of chemical complex products within seven months exceeded the previous year's level by 30 percent in monetary terms. Export increased by 50 percent; import decreased by three percent. She noted that against this backdrop, there was interest on the part of small and medium-sized businesses in recycling chemical industry waste.

Alexander Maslennikov, Managing Partner of Mendeleev Accelerator and a member of "Delovaya Rossiya" Chemical Industry Committee, spoke about the work of Green Moscow, an innovative cross-industry cluster that specifically brings together scientific organizations and businesses in the green agenda. The purpose of this cooperation is the development of environmental products, solutions, public involvement in the environmental agenda. The cluster already includes more than 50 organizations. Areas of technology range from industrial wastewater treatment, to plastic recycling, disposal of composite materials, recycling and upcycling of polymer materials.

Olga Torbich, Deputy line manager of Spatial Development at the Centre of Strategical Developments, noted that, for the time being, there were no production facilities that were of an environmental standard. Therefore, it is still necessary to gather all participants of the closed cycle in one area, so that waste can be processed immediately and new materials can be produced. It is also important to develop and introduce in terms of legislation the criteria and requirements for such environmentally friendly technology parks, so that they could receive state support provided that they meet all the requirements. Torbich believes that all this will make it possible to bring the domestic industry closer to modern global environmental standards, as well as significantly reduce environmental impact.

Olga Startseva, a member of the Committee for Ecology and the Use of Natural Resources at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation and Chair of the Regional Public Organization "Urals Environmental Initiative", touched on several green agenda aspects of the business in her presentation. She quoted data from a public opinion survey regarding ESG policy, which boiled down to one question whether the activities of big business result in more benefits or harm. According to the data, 30 per cent of respondents found business doing more harm, 20 per cent - no impact and 23 per cent were undecided. Only 27 per cent responded that the activities of businesses were more beneficial. Startseva called on businesses to think about environmental standards of their companies, to be more open and understandable to the public. She also believes that now it is the time for cooperation not only within environmentally friendly technology parks, but also within the region, regions and the country as a whole, as part of the circular economy implementation. The ESG agenda is being modified - it is being reduced in terms of environmental vector, but becoming more about mandatory environmental and climate safety requirements and increasing social support measures. Corporate team consistency and population of the cities depends on corporate management. Olga Startseva gave the example of the Urals territories, where green technologies work in alliance with the Union of Processing Companies. For example, two new environmentally friendly technology parks are being opened in Asbest and Sysert of Sverdlovsk region.

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