Improving everyone’s quality of life

An interview with Mr Yves VERSCHUEREN, Managing Director essenscia

What are essencia’s key figures and missions? The chemicals, plastics and life sciences sector is a very important industrial sector in Belgium. In 2018 it represented 92,568 direct jobs, 210,000 indirect jobs, 65.5 billion € turnover, and €25 billion in trade surplus. In addition, the chemicals and life sciences sector remains the undisputed leader in innovation. The amount spent on research and development (R & D) in Belgian chemicals, plastics and pharmaceuticals almost doubled to €4.5 billion in 2018, a new record. The sector accounts for more than 60% of all industrial expenditure on R & D in Belgium. Remarkably, life sciences (pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies) account for nearly 90% of total R & D expenditure in the sector. Innovation is undoubtedly a key element in ensuring the sustainable anchoring of the sector in Belgium.

In this framework essenscia’s mission is to improve everyone’s quality of life. Our world is facing important challenges in the use of energy, natural resources, and the provision of food, water and health for its growing population. Chemistry and life sciences are essential to making the world’s development sustainable. Its innovative research is crucial to the development of new products, applications and services. essenscia has set 10 strategic priorities: Circular Economy; Sustainable Development; Energy & Climate; Talent (Labour market, education and training); Social dialogue (Labour relations); Product safety (REACH - Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances, CLP - Classification, Labelling and Packaging of hazardous Products); Safety, Security, Health and Environment; Innovation & IPR; International Trade; and Infrastructure & logistics.

What services do you offer your members in terms of information, training and advice? In the field of information, we offer discussions in working groups on strategic priorities as well as information sessions on hot topics. As regards formation, let us mention VLARIP (Vlaanderens REACH Implementation Project in Flanders), WALRIP (Wallonie REACH Implementation Project in the Walloon region) for REACH and CLP, along with annual seminars on product policy, crisis communication, social themes, etc., the Process Safety Academy/Process Safety Club (several in depth training sessions on process safety), and the essenscia Patent Cell: it offers free advice and information on intellectual property management, including technology trend watching. essenscia also offers tailored advice, expertise and advocacy on new legislation and strategic priorities. © Essenscia

Could you present essenscia’s activities in terms of innovation and patents? Innovation is at the core of our federation and numerous initiatives have been launched since 2011: the essenscia Patent Cell, the Innovation Award (130 innovation dossiers), the Innovation Circle (75 projects), the Innovation Fund (21 promising companies), the Innovation Academy… What is more essenscia has set up collaboration with UCL and engaged in innovation clusters in Flanders (Catalisti) and Wallonia (GreenWin, BioWin). essenscia is also the main shareholder in BlueChem, the first incubator for sustainable chemistry in the Benelux that is due to open in 2020. And let us not forget that our federation was the driving force behind the foundation of the National Fund for Scientific Research in the 1920s. A decade characterized by an innovative alliance between science and industry (Solvay Conferences, Global conferences on chemistry in Belgium…). You will find more details in the book ‘Men and Molecules’ on 100 years of chemistry and life sciences in Belgium.

Could you give us some examples of new products, applications or services developed by the chemical, plastics and life sciences industries to address major global challenges? Let me mention the projects of our Innovation Award 2019: it promotes sustainable agriculture, circular economy (making textiles and plastic packaging 100% recyclable), better medicine… As regards sustainable innovation, the ECLUSE industrial steam network in the port of Antwerp, the largest in Europe, is dedicated to saving CO 2 -emissions. On top of that, the chemicals, plastics and life sciences sector is striving to reach worldclass in energy efficiency. In that prospect, it is designing insulation materials for construction and household appliances, lightweight materials for sustainable transport, components for renewable energy… It is also striving to turn CO 2 and wastestreams into valuable resources. © Essenscia