Chemical Sciences Scotland Conference 2009
Sustainability Topic Group

Throughout the discussions in the breakout sessions there were two clear points upon which there was widespread agreement.  Firstly, that sustainable development is a bigger subject than just economic sustainability and in the long term the chemical sciences sector must fully engage in the sustainable development agenda.  Secondly, at present the short to medium term the priority for CSS must be on supporting and facilitating economic competiveness and sustainability.  In order to do so the three main action points for CSS were identified as follows:

• The image of the industry is a key factor in ensuring its sustainability.  It is vital that we invest in this image to cultivate a strong reputation, highlighting the socio-economic benefits and the green credentials of the chemical sciences sector.

• Sectoral networking within the industry is a means by which we can improve our competitiveness and sustainability through symbiosis, benchmarking & sharing best practice.  Encouraging interdependence between companies in the sector will allow both individual businesses and the industry as whole to gain from cluster benefits.

• Assuring the security of competitively priced raw materials, utilities and services is a priority to enable the sector to be competitive on the global stage.

Peter Wormald, Sustainability Group Chair