Chemical Industry’s Innovations Contribute to Solving Our World’s Sustainability Challenges

NAIROBI, KENYA (March 18, 2019) – At the close of the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-4), governments, businesses, and civil society organizations have agreed on a number of commitments to tackle our world’s sustainability challenges. As the global voice of the chemical industry, the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) remains steadfast in our role for driving progress across all three dimension of sustainable development – environmental, social and economic – and is helping to address and overcome the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges.

“Governments, industry and a range of stakeholders have come together at UNEA-4 with the goal of making significant progress towards the sound management of chemicals and waste worldwide. As the chemical industry, we are ideally placed in this discussion because we provide innovative solutions to nearly every sector of our world’s economy,” said Michael Walls, Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs, American Chemistry Council (ACC). “Discussions at UNEA-4 promoted numerous ideas for a future framework on global chemicals and waste management. ICCA firmly believes that the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) fosters the development of pragmatic solutions and collaboration that otherwise would not be possible without this voluntary approach. If we are to solve our world’s sustainability challenges, we must remain committed to this approach now and beyond 2020.”

Resolutions and the ministerial declaration from UNEA-4 make commitments to improving national resource management strategies with an integrated full life-cycle approaches and analysis to achieve resource-efficient and low-carbon economies, and promoting innovation and knowledge sharing in chemicals and waste management to achieve safer and less-toxic material flows in order to protect human health and the environment.

“The chemical industry provides solutions to some of the world’s greatest sustainability challenges.  We are committed to making meaningful progress – in cooperation with governments and other stakeholders – to enhanced chemicals and waste management in the future,” said Veronique Garny, Director of Product Stewardship, European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic). “We look forward to working with all stakeholders as the effort to implement the UNEA resolutions continues.”

To learn more about the chemical industry’s contributions to the world economy and to download a free copy of this report, visit www.icca-chem.org/EconomicAnalysis. To learn more about ICCA’s contributions to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) visit www.icca-chem.org/SDGs.