(3a) Tech-Enabled Decarbonization in the Chemicals Industry

Decarbonization is a CEO-level topic for most heavy industrial players. Both external and internal forces are setting the drumbeat to reduce GHG emissions. It is a daunting task that challenging economics behind currently available technologies make only more complicated. The majority of technical solutions that will enable full decarbonization are under development or not even blueprinted yet. Despite these challenges, heavy-industry players need to get going to respond to investor, customers, employees and regulator pressures, while keeping an eye of what breakthrough technologies to invest in for the future. System design, process optimization and energy efficiency constitute the foundations available today to start on the decarbonization path. Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics won’t solve all the challenges, but they can certainly provide additional tools required to accelerate the pace and lead the industry pack forward. The chemical industry is home to some good examples of tech-enabled sustainability, yet chemical players can learn from other industries already further ahead in the GHG emission reduction journey. We will provide flagship examples across industries of the “art of the possible” in setting the tech-enabled path to net-zero, and summarize key learning from our work supporting clients in defining and implementing their decarbonization strategies.