Joint Statement on a European Sustainable Carbon Policy Package | 2024

The Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Ireland and France call upon the European Commission to put forward a coherent European policy package to stimulate the use of sustainable carbon in chemical industry and shift away from fossil.

At present, much of the chemical industry relies on fossil-based feedstocks to produce components that are used in medicine, plastics, paint, rubber and batteries, among others. Next to other industries, it is apparent that the chemical industry must also undergo a transformation away from fossil feedstocks and toward sustainable carbon feedstocks and circular practices. As the statement highlights, feedstock for the chemical industry makes up 10.4% of all fossil carbon consumption in the EU.

The joint statement calls for a policy package that should include policy on market creation, sustainable carbon availability and level playing field instruments. It also highlights the necessity of defossilising the chemical industry in order to safeguard a globally competitive industry in a climate-neutral and circular economy, thereby reducing future dependencies on other countries and creating value chain resilience.

See the full statement on the right-hand side.