The Arkema group plans to invest 400mil by 2030 to support the decarbonisation plan. — China Daily
BEIJING: Arkema, a French manufacturer of specialty materials, celebrates 40 years in China and declares its commitment to sustainable growth for the future.
“Environmental, social and governance (ESG) excellence has been our commitment, and we hope to use our expertise to achieve our carbon emission reduction goals,” Marc Schuller, chief operating officer of Arkema Group, said during the company’s 40th anniversary celebration in Shanghai recently.
In May last year, the group announced an ambitious plan for decarbonisation: By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 will decrease by 48.5%, while emissions in Scope 3 will decrease by 54% compared with 2019, to achieve a net-zero carbon target by 2050.
The group plans to invest 400mil by 2030 to support the decarbonisation plan.
All production bases in China will benefit from the energy fund, engaging in activities related to energy conservation, emissions reduction and low-carbon energy transformation.
The company has also set specific plans to guide daily work towards the goal, both on the production and sales sides.
For example, a special team has been established to use various tools to monitor and manage energy consumption throughout production operations. Additionally, the company follows the “ABC” rules in operation, where “A” stands for advanced materials that are durable and sustainable, “B” for bio-based materials with leading expertise and “C” for circular materials that are reused to the maximum extent while preserving their performance.
Aiming to build a sustainable world with innovative materials, the company declared its focus on investing in five major sub-markets before 2028: green energy and electric mobility, advanced consumer electronics, sustainable lifestyles, more efficient buildings and homes, water treatment, medical equipment, and crop nutrition, according to Zhang Xiaoyu, president of Arkema China.
In terms of green energy, at the beginning of this year, Arkema’s ArrMaz factory in Yunnan fully adopted green electricity and signed the first long-term green power procurement framework agreement.
In addition, its Sartomer and Bostik factories in Guangzhou have also signed contracts for 100% green electricity.
“We hope to leverage our position as a market leader to promote sustainable development, helping society achieve carbon neutrality while guiding our customers towards sustainable practices”, said Liu Weiqing, a director from Arkema China.
Leveraging innovation and sustainable development as a differentiation strategy, Arkema has invested significantly in product development and intellectual property rights.
In 2023, Arkema China submitted 13 technology disclosures and eight patent applications, with 94% related to sustainable development.
“The chemical industry, and green chemistry in particular, is a sector of excellence in France. The speciality materials solutions developed by Arkema perfectly illustrate the quality of French know-how,” said Joan Valadou, consul general of France in Shanghai, during the celebration ceremony.
Arkema started operations in China as early as 1984, long before the Arkema Group was established in 2004. “Without the opportunity to build up our knowledge of the country, I’m not sure we would be where we are today,” Marc told China Daily, appreciating that China and France built ties 60 years ago to facilitate business.
Today, headquartered in Shanghai, Arkema China has 3,000 employees, 10 production sites, and two research and development centres. — China Daily/ANN
