The past several years have seen rapid growth in technologies designed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Advances have been made in decarbonization efforts, such as alternatives to petroleum-based fuel sources including biofuels, hydrogen, solar, wind and other renewables; electrification, both in industrial operations and consumer applications; technologies like carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and more. Great strides have been made in broader sustainability targets, particularly in areas such as recycling, use of renewable feedstocks and overall process efficiency.
Worldwide, many of these efforts have been driven by goals aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. Recently, uncertainty about the continuation of federal government funding in the U.S. resulting from legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), has cast a shadow of doubt about the future of these technological developments. Signs are, however, that decarbonization and sustainability initiatives remain strong and are continuing to advance.
Sustainability is good business
Pwc’s (www.pwc.com) recent report on sustainability [1], shows that companies are finding sustainability to be valuable to business. Rising energy demands, evolving customer expectations and a perceived long-term competitive advantage are some of the factors keeping companies focused on decarbonization and sustainability. The report finds that an increasing number of companies are making climate-related commitments. Further findings are: 37% of companies surveyed are increasing their sustainability initiatives, while only 16% are becoming less aggressive; more smaller companies are making such commitments; 83% of companies are investing in R&D related to low-carbon products and services, and finding that such products result in higher revenues than products with no sustainability features. While meeting sustainability targets is challenging, the report says efforts are continuing with “quiet, consistent action.”
Research by Accenture (www.accenture.com) concurs that sustainability is good for business, showing that the demand for sustainable products is growing and that consumers are willing to pay a premium for such products. Accenture reports that industrial segments served by the chemical process industries (CPI) that are related to sustainability are growing at a faster pace than conventional ones [2]. They expect this trend to continue, and estimate that the demand for sustainability-related chemical products will increase by about 70% by 2028.
CPI continues on sustainability path
The CPI’s ambitious sustainability and decarbonization efforts cover a broad spectrum of projects. Chemical Engineering’s Sustainability Direct e-newsletters are a good way to keep up-to-date with the latest news.
Artificial intelligence (AI) may well play an increasing role in decarbonization strategies. For more on the role of AI in the CPI, see our Cover Stories (pp. 24–33), Newsfront (pp. 13–15) and Applied Technologies (pp. 38–39) articles in this issue. ■
Dorothy Lozowski, Editorial Director
1. Pwc, Pwc’s Second Annual State of Decarbonization Report, www.pwc.com/us/en/services/esg/library/assets/pwc-sustainability-decarbonization-2025.pdf, 2025.
2. Accenture, The Future of Demand: Opportunities for chemicals to capture growth, www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/accenture-com/document-3/Accenture-Chemicals-Future-Demand-Growth-Opportunities.pdf, 2025.