Past Events

x-x-x Update: The Investor Forum will be held VIRTUALLY. More information coming soon! x-x-x

The second edition of the Investor Forum, organised by the ISC3 and Think Beyond™ Innovation Accelerator, will explore how sustainable chemistry can support innovations in achieving the SDGs. Participants will discuss the role of frontier capital and blended financing mechanisms to secure the innovation pipeline and the dynamics of the innovation eco-system.

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires massive technological changes in multiple areas such as energy, new materials, bioeconomy, construction, agriculture and others. The chemical sector is a key contributor to these changes and is capable of producing an innovation pipeline that can transform energy production and storage, insulation materials, environmentally friendly food production and more. How can this innovation be identified, developed, supported and adequately financed? What are the proper financial mechanisms that support this emerging innovation pipeline? What is the role of science, industry and innovation infrastructure to support this vital process?

The Investor Forum will bring together founders, investors, scientists as well as decision-makers from industry and politics, to explore these crucial questions. The panel discussions will be matched by pitching sessions and innovation showcases of cutting-edge entrepreneurs, as well as speed dating and networking opportunities with international investors. The Investor Forum will also host the award ceremony and presentations of the finalists of the global ISC3 Innovation Challenge in Sustainable Building and Living.

Agenda: Catalysing Innovation through Investments in Sustainable Chemistry

For updates, please contact astrid.ewaz©isc3.org.

The annual Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development is jointly organized by the ISC3 Research and Education Hub and Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Participants learn about the latest developments in the concepts of sustainable chemistry and chemicals management.

Focus 2020: At the Nexus of Sustainable Chemistry and Water

This year’s Summer School will focus on water and discuss the opportunities and benefits of sustainable chemistry in the handling of water, taking a close look at usage, pollution, and purification. After a theoretical introduction, participants will exchange their knowledge and experience in practical exercises and workshops. The practice-oriented program illustrates and deepens the topic of sustainable chemistry and its importance for water. The trainer’s team of the summer school consist of scientists and practitioners who actively operate in different fields of sustainable chemistry in institutions, NGOs, and international cooperation.

Target Group and Application

The Summer School aims at postgraduates and young professionals who deal with or are professionally interested in the topic of sustainable chemistry as a crosscutting issue. The Summer School is again free of charge.

More information about registration and a preliminary program 

The European Chemistry Partnering (ECP) connects start-ups and founders to investors and decision-makers. The 3rd ECP Summer Summit offers a wide range of topics from raw materials to the customers’ end-product focusing on sustainable innovations in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Keynotes, workshops, a digital exhibition and panel discussions, in addition to in-depth one-on-one conversations through various speed dating formats, encourage networking and knowledge sharing. In 2019 more than 800 participants attended the conference in Frankfurt, Germany, to discuss opportunities and challenges within the chemical sector.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s ECP Summer Summit will be held digitally, making use of presentation, video and chat functions.

The ECP takes place from Thursday, 17 September, 10:00 until Friday, 8 September 2020, 24:00 CEST, thereby enabling international exchange across time zones.

More information and how to register on the ECP’s website

The webinar series is a joint initiative of the ISC3, the National Agency for Research and Innovation of Uruguay (ANII) and the German GIZ, and focuses on the topic of Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development.

The first webinar will take place on 24 June 2020 from 14:30-15:30 UTC (11:30-12:30 Montevideo) and focus on the Future Policy Award "Celebrating Policies and Laws Protecting from Hazardous Chemicals", organized by the World Future Council (WFC). In this year's edition, the award highlights public policies, laws and regulatory frameworks that protect people and the environment from hazardous chemicals. If you know a law or regulatory frameworks or were involved in its preparation or implementation, the WFC invites you to submit nominations on:

• The protection of human health from chemicals across their lifecycle
• Chemicals in plastic products
• Highly hazardous pesticides
• Lead in paints
• Policies that tackle (child) labour dealing with hazardous chemicals
• Environmentally persistent pharmaceutical pollutants

The award is an excellent opportunity for international recognition and visibility. Therefore, this webinar is addressed to policy-makers and all representatives from the private sector, civil society and academia who are active in this topic and would like to nominate laws and policies to receive the distinction. During the webinar, the participants will get insights into the awards’ focus topic and conditions to apply, and will be able to discuss their questions related to the application process.

If you are interested in participating, please contact  Claudia von Heymann at claudia.von.heymann©isc3.org

x-x-x Update: The celebration for the start of the degree programme has been cancelled. The course started with e-learning seminars with participants from different regions, with different chemistry-related backgrounds and professional experiences as planned on 16 March 2020. x-x-x

The world’s first Professional Master in Sustainable Chemistry starts at the Leuphana University with an opening event on 19 March 2020. The interdisciplinary and internationally-oriented master's programme was jointly designed by the ISC3 (International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre) and the Institute of Sustainable and Environmental Chemistry of Leuphana. It is hosted by the Professional School of Leuphana. By educating scientists in sustainable chemistry, the course aims to make better use of the potential of chemistry for the sustainable development of our society.

The course contents are mainly taught via e-learning. Lectures, seminars, and practical laboratory course are combined in three attendance blocks in Lüneburg. The professional master's programme starts annually in March with up to 25 students. The internationally recognised degree is designed for professionals with a background in chemistry, biochemistry, environmental engineering, pharmacy, or related fields who wish to acquire further qualification in the field of sustainability in chemistry.

Industry 4.0, blockchain, Big Data, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing are driving towards transformation in industry and the economy. They are opening new horizons of knowledge and bringing new dimensions to the fight against the most pressing challenges of our time.

The workshop: “Visions for Sustainable chemistry - How can Digitalisation contribute?” will identify trends, methods, and tools on how digitalisation can contribute to a more sustainable chemistry. The ISC3 organises this workshop in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, the Technical University of Denmark, UN Environment Programme, and Forum Startup at DECHEMA. It will bring together leading experts from academia, policy, and industry with entrepreneurs to discuss opportunities and challenges that arise from the combination of sustainable chemistry and digitalisation.

In its first part, the workshop provides an overview of the digital processes adopted by leading experts in the field of chemistry, sustainability assessment, and digitalisation. In the second part, three focused working groups (Prediction, Sustainability Assessment, Innovation Identification & Sharing) will discuss how knowledge from the field of digitalisation helps to make chemistry more sustainable. 

The 5th Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development jointly organized by ISC3 Research and Education Hub and Leuphana University of Lüneburg provides participants with an understanding of the latest developments in concepts of sustainable chemistry and chemicals management. During the training event from 16 to 20 September 2019, students and professionals from all regions of the world will get together at the campus of the Leuphana University in Lüneburg.

This year’s Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry will take a closer look on renewables. Despite all the hopes linked to renewable resources there are also severe limitations of their use and other pitfalls. The challenges, opportunities and benefits of sustainable chemistry in the field of renewable resources will be discussed.

The trainers’ team consists of scientists and practitioners as well as of individuals who actively operate in different fields of sustainable chemistry and international co-operations. On top of that, experts in the field of sustainable chemistry and renewables will introduce their work and experience.

What it is all about? More information on the 5th Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development (pdf)

The workshop from 25th until 26th of June 2019 in Vienna, will explore the applicability of entropy change as a measure of sustainability. As an interactive scientific format, the workshop brings together leading experts from the fields of material flow management, resource and waste management, statistical entropy analysis and sustainability among others. The multidisciplinary provides an opportunity to look at the entropy change and its links to sustainability from the different perspectives. The workshop is jointly organized by the ISC3 Research and Education Hub, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism and the Institute of Sustainable and Environmental Chemistry at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany.

The International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) will host its first Stakeholder Forum on 20.-21. of June 2019 in Bonn, Germany. The event will introduce the participants to the work programme of the ISC3 and invites them to engage in the dialogue on the emerging concept of sustainable chemistry. As a new international collaborative centre, the ISC3 believes in the power of dialogue and cooperation as key drivers of transformative change. With the first Stakeholder Forum the ISC3 wants to interlink representatives from policy, industry, academia and civil society and discuss how sustainable chemistry can contribute to achieving the SDGs and become a solution provider for a circular, climate-resilient society. Furthermore, the event provides a new forum to discuss the ideas and activities of the centre to foster sustainable chemistry solutions worldwide through collaboration, innovation, education, research and information. With this new dialogue forum, the ISC3 hopes to engage with all interested parties in an open dialogue, learn about the different expectations towards sustainable chemistry and discuss new ideas for the work programme.

For further information on the event please download the Agenda of the ISC3 Stakeholder Forum.

Article about the event: Building up the International Sustainable Chemistry Community – first ISC3 Stakeholder Forum connects experts worldwide

With the booming chemicals market in China, the PR is of a particular importance for the ISC3’s mission to promote sustainable chemistry solutions. At AchemAsia 2019, the ISC3 will host a booth and a conduct a congress session targeted at sustainable chemistry entrepreneurs and potential partners from the Asian region.

At the booth, the ISC3 will showcase innovators developing sustainable chemistry solutions. The ISC3 session “Building Sustainable Chemistry Ecosystem for Innovators in Asia” takes place during the AchemAsia congress on 22 May 2019 from 1:30pm – 5pm. It will give insights about the international centre and its activities, as well as introduce the ISC3 Global Start-up Service. Moreover, the session will host an academia keynote speech on Green and Sustainable Chemistry by Dr. Carol S.K. Lin, School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong as well as an industry keynote by the Merck Innovation Center on how – and why – to support start-ups in life sciences. The programme will be supplemented by pitches of Asian start-ups developing pioneering innovations in the area of sustainable chemistry.

Expert Workshop on “Plastics in Sustainable Building & Living”

ISC3 organises an expert’s workshop on Resilience & Urbanisation within the workstream “Plastics in Sustainable Building & Living”. The workshop is taking place on 21 May from 1:30 pm – 6 pm. The goal of ISC3 within the workstream is to prepare an expert report on how to drive construction products towards sustainability showing the innovative fields in that sector. The preliminary study by Dr. H.Friege, Leuphana University, on Polymers in building will be introduced to the participants. From the exchange between stakeholders a final report will be created by ISC3 until the end of 2019 with precise recommendations for politics and industry.

AchemAsia is the international exhibition and innovation forum for sustainable chemical production for the Asian market, co-organized by DECHEMA since 1989. The event takes place every 3 years and gathers about 13,000 visitors and 300 exhibitors from all over the world. Its mission is to offer a platform for market access, to enhance communication between customers, suppliers and potential cooperation partners, and to push innovations in China’s process industry. The key topics of this year’s AchemAsia focus on the core sectors of China’s process industry, with sustainability as anchor theme: process and pharma technology, water management, plant and process safety and digitalization.

Taking place in Dresden from 5. – 8. May 2019 the annual high-level conference discusses and puts forward green and sustainable chemistry in a unique interdisciplinary manner. The 4th Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference is chaired by Prof. Klaus Kümmerer, Director of the ISC3 Research & Education Hub. Organizer of the international conference is Elsevier in cooperation with the Leuphana University, Luneburg and the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre.

Interdisciplinary approach

Chemical and pharmaceutical products are present in almost every aspect of human life, endowing chemical science and industries with a far-reaching responsibility for our common future. Enabling the chemical sciences to contribute to a sustainable economy and to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals is a major challenge of our times. To develop long-term, globally applicable scientific contributions to sustainable development a holistic approach and international knowledge exchange are necessary. For this reason, the conference brings together international participants from academia as well as from the private and public sector, to share the latest developments in the fields of green and sustainable chemistry. Participants will profit from the transdisciplinary character and the high-level scientific attendance at the fourth edition of the conference. During the conference, the winners of the Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge, sponsored by the Elsevier Foundation, will be awarded. The challenge seeks to stimulate innovative chemistry research that helps the environment and low-resource communities, while tackling some of the developing world’s greatest sustainability challenges.

For further information and registration please visit the conference website.

The International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) will host a session dedicated to Sustainable Chemistry Innovation as a driver of transformative change at the at the Science Policy Business Forum. The session will contribute to the debate on Innovative solutions for environmental challenges and sustainable consumption and production with special focus on Green Technology Startups.

Sustainable chemistry innovation is a key transformation driver for sustainable development

Every day new data and examples reveal the enormous global challenges that humanity is facing: climate change, the growing of demand for scarce resources, waste plastic pollution, just to mention a few. To find solutions for the manifold challenges of our times, we need transformative and sustainable innovations to generate a circular and ghg-neutral society. By designing sustainable innovative solutions, chemical companies have the potential to transform products and production processes along the value chain, which means that the chemical industry has a key role to play to achieve sustainable development.

Within this transformation process, start-ups are important drives by developing new and disruptive ideas based on research. To support entrepreneurship of small companies and to enable the breakthrough of sustainable chemistry, ISC3 connects innovators and investors from all world regions with science and policy makers. The session will contribute to the debate on innovative solutions for sustainable consumption and production with a special focus on Green Technology Start-ups.

Speakers:

• Agnes Dittmar, Director Policy & Communication, ISC3
• Achim Halpaap, Senior Advisor of the Chemicals and Waste Branch, UN Environment
• Nzambi Matee, CEO, Gjenge Ylann Schemm, Executive Director, Elsevier Foundation
• Sascha Gabizon, Executive Director, Women Engage for a Common Future

About the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum

The Second Global Session of the UN Science-Policy Business Forum on the Environment will hold its sessions at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi from 8 to 10 March 2019 in the lead up to the Fourth Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 4). Recommendations from the Forum inform the UN Environment Assembly and the UN’s work on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Launched at the UN Environment Assembly in December 2017, the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment is a framework designed to catalyse a more dynamic interface between science, policy, business and society.

Further information: http://web.unep.org/environmentassembly/science-policy-and-business-forum-0

13 December 2018, 11.30 – 12.45, UN Climate Change Conference COP24, German Pavilion

The chemical sector is a key driver for cross-sectoral innovation: By making its impact on climate measurable while steering innovations towards sustainability, the chemical sector contributes to a ghg-resilient society. The session starts with the presentation of chemical start-ups pitching their ideas for a more resource-efficient and climate-neutral economy. Furthermore, the event discusses the role of sustainable innovation, ways to quantify the impact and to build suitable business as wells as policy frameworks for scaling-up technologies in the future.

With the Side Event, jointly hosted with the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), the ISC3 raises awareness for climate smart solutions based on sustainable chemistry innovation and highlights the need to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs. By presenting two case studies for sustainable chemistry innovation from start-ups, the ISC3 showcases the contributions of sustainable chemistry innovation towards a ghg-neutral society.

Download Programme of the Side Event

Case studies for climate smart solutions through sustainable chemistry innovation

Case Study I: Start-up Sustainable Carbon Cycle Industries

• Short Portrait
• Website: scc-industries.com

Case Study II: Start-up Saperatec

• Website: www.saperatec.de/en

Sustainable chemistry innovations hold the unique potential to contribute towards the achievement of various UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production. As a key field of action, the transition towards a circular economy for plastics is opening a sea of investment and innovation opportunities. The Investor Forum, organized by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Think Beyond Plastics and ISC3 Innovation Hub, will bring together leaders in the investment and plastics industry, and innovators developing solutions in various aspects of the plastics value chain. Throughout the day, experts will discuss critical topics centered on advancing and scaling new sustainable chemistry business models, designs and technologies that keep plastics in the economy and prevent them from becoming waste. This will be matched by presentations and show-cases by cutting edge innovators providing the latest disruptive innovations in the plastics space.

Further information on the event is available now:

• Agenda
• Information on the concept of a circular economy is available at the website of the Ellen Mc Arthur Foundation

The ceremony will be part of the Green Chemistry Conference 2018 within the Trio Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) programme, “Smart and Sustainable Europe”, held during Austria’s EU Presidency. Companies and individuals are invited to submit applications for the award in three categories: case studies (for companies), special innovation, and research. The call for applications is open until 15 August 2018.

Detailed information about each award category and application requirements are available here.

The 4th Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development (24-28 September 2018) provided the participants with an understanding of the latest developments of the concepts of sustainable chemistry and chemicals management. The program of the Summer School included lectures, practical exercises, case studies, group discussions and an excursion to exemplify important aspects of sustainable chemistry.

One target of the Summer School was to discuss the scope and benefit of sustainable chemistry in value chains and chemicals in products. Construction materials served as an illustrative example within this year’s Summer School; it therefore took a closer look at currently used building materials and their impact on the environment and the availability of resources. The substitution of hazardous building materials, increases in energy efficiency of buildings, life cycle assessments of products used in buildings and the use of plastics in building materials are among the topics that were discussed. A one-day excursion to the “International Building Exhibition” in Hamburg complemented the program.

Experts and external speakers from science, industry and other authorities, such as Elsevier, Evonik, the German Environment Agency (BMU), UN Environment and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) provided interactive insights on the relevant topics to stimulate discussions. Participants from all over the world contributed to the exchange by adding their individual perspective and developing their own ideas on how to take forward sustainable chemistry.

The programme is available here.

The Global Chemicals Outlook II is being developed in response to the mandates received through Decision 27-2 of the Governing Council in 2013 and Resolution 2/7 on chemicals and waste of the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in 2016.

The mandates requested, among others, to address the 2020 Goal on the sound management of chemicals and hazardous wastes, the Environmental Policy Issues identified by the International Conference on Chemicals Management as well as other issues where emerging evidence indicates a risk to human health and the environment, and provide scientific input and options for actions to reach relevant Sustainable Development Goals and targets up to and beyond 2020. The overarching objective of the workshop is to review the emerging content of the zero draft of the Global Chemicals Outlook II and to elicit inputs from participants relevant for preparing a full draft by early September 2018. The workshop will bring together ca. 90-100 experts from governments, the private sector, civil society and intergovernmental organizations, as well as lead authors and contributors of the Global Chemicals Outlook II, including regional experts.

The Global Chemicals Outlook II

Currently being developed by UN Environment, the GCO-II will provide scientific input and options for the sound management of chemicals and waste as well as the implementation of actions to reach relevant Sustainable Development Goals and targets, including on innovation. To be launched in early 2019, the GCO-II seeks to inform the intersessional process on the sound management of chemicals and waste beyond 2020 and the March 2019 session of the United Nations Environment Assembly.

Learn more about the GCO.

The ISC3 will be present at this year´s ACHEMA exhibition and trade fair (11.-15. June 2018) in Frankfurt, Germany.

The triennial event is the world´s largest forum for chemical engineering and the process industry, offering a panorama of up-to date tech-nology trends and a technology platform with a worldwide signaling impact. The ISC3 will be hosting a fair stand at the Innovation und Research Hall jointly with the US-based initiative Think Beyond Plastic, an accelerator and think tank advancing commercialization of research and innovation with focus on circular materials, circular design and innovative packaging. The partners will provide international start-ups and entrepreneurs with the opportunity to showcase their businesses at the ISC3 booth and within a speed-pitching session at the hall´s discussion corner.

For further information visit the ACHEMA website.

To enable dialogue and cooperation and to understand trends, risks and opportunities relevant for sustainable chemistry innovation and the development of the Global Chemicals Outlook II ISC3 and UN Environment organized a series of regional expert workshops (Nairobi, 07-08.03; Frankfurt, 26-27.03; Panama City, 12-13.04; Bangkok, 25-26.04).

The workshops brought together diverse stakeholders from different regions, including innovators and entrepreneurs, policy makers, representatives from civil society and academia. The participants identified and examined regional megatrends and industry sector trends that may create risks and opportunities for chemicals management and sustainable chemistry innovation.

The workshops provided a unique opportunity for experts from different sectors to voice expectations, contribute ideas, and be part of the worldwide dialogue on sustainable chemistry innovation from the very be-ginning. The workshop results will feed into the GCO-II and inform the ISC3 Global Scenario Process to be initiated later in 2018 to identify opportunities for a transition to a more sustainable chemistry. They will also contribute to the ongoing reflections on the future of sustainable chemistry and the role chemi-cals and chemistry will play in addressing the emerging and future challenges to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Further information and documentation are available at Services.

The ISC3 Global Scenario Process

The ISC3 intends to facilitate a scenario process later in 2018, in which experts will have an opportunity to debate how Sustainable Chemistry impacts our future. What kind of chemical products and chemical production processes do we need to shape a sustainable future? What are the societal, economic and political implications of Sustainable Chemistry? In what areas are chemical innovations key to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals? What are the pathways towards a sustainable circular economy given the needs of a growing population for food, housing, energy, transport, health and safety? Is new legislation required to make the change happen?

The scenarios are intended as a process, with the aim of delivering generally accepted and expert validated discussion documents. They should provide an opportunity for civil society to voice expectations and concerns, help industry players in the refinement of their strategy and investments, provide input to policy makers in the shaping of regulatory frameworks and instruments, and they should spur further research.

The Global Chemicals Outlook II

Currently being developed by UN Environment, the GCO-II will provide scientific input and options for the sound management of chemicals and waste as well as the implementation of actions to reach relevant Sustainable Development Goals and targets, including on innovation. To be launched in early 2019, the GCO-II seeks to inform the intersessional process on the sound management of chemicals and waste beyond 2020 and the March 2019 session of the United Nations Environment Assembly. Learn more about the GCO.

Chaired by ISC3 Scientific Director Klaus Kümmerer, the conference brought together international researchers from academia and industry, from authorities and other institutions to communicate and share the latest developments across fields of green and sustainable chemistry. Special features of this conference were the Elsevier Foundation Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge and a Start-up Workshop hosted by the ISC3-Innovation Hub.

Further information is available at the conference website and at "Services".