September 13, 2022
(press release)
–
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation of the Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) and the University of Tokyo (President: Teruo Fujii) have conducted joint research since April 1, 2021 on the role of the chemical industry in safeguarding the global commons (i.e. the global environmental system upon which the sustainable development of humankind is founded). We are pleased to announce that "The Planet Positive Chemicals report" (the report) was released on September 13, 2022 as a first result of the research.
The project have developed a vision by studying what roles the chemical industry should play for other industries and consumers, and what issues it should resolve, in addition to reducing its own environmental footprint, in order to realize a sustainable society and economy that operates within the Planetary Boundaries. The project have studied how the chemical industry can contribute to the transformation of major economic systems (circular economy), such as production and consumption, energy.
The report, the result of over a year of research by the independent systems-change company, SYSTEMIQ, working with the Center for Global Commons at the University of Tokyo, provides a detailed view of the future pathways for the industry, taking a systems-wide view of the likely demand for chemicals in a net zero world and exploring the industry’s carbon emissions along its entire value chain. The report aims to help the industry and policy makers unite around a common view of the path ahead and accelerate the transition to a sustainable model of operation, and in the report it suggests ten key actions that could transform the system, and publishes all their modelling and analysis are published.
MCG applauds the breadth and depth of this unprecedented report that quantitatively analyzed pathways for the chemical industry to reach net zero not only in scope 1 & 2, but also scope 3 upstream and downstream, and we are proud to have collaborated this groundbreaking research. We will share the results of this research widely and collaborate with a wide range of partners to realize the transition to a sustainable model of operation, as we pursue a new role in the chemical industry in a net-zero world.
*The full report is available at https://cgc.ifi.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/research-en/chemistry-industry-en/
[Reference]
Press release dated August 6, 2020
University of Tokyo and Mitsubishi Chemical Agree to Collaborate towards Creation of Circular Economy
Press release dated March 31, 2021
Joint Research between the University of Tokyo and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation for the
Safeguarding of the Global Commons
Planetary Boundaries
The nine processes that stabilize the global environmental system (climate change, biodiversity, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, etc.), in which thresholds that must not be crossed for humanity to develop sustainably are defined. Crossing these thresholds increases the risk of large-scale and irreversible environmental change. The Climate change is in the uncertainty zone, and the biodiversity and nitrogen/phosphorus cycle are considered to have crossed the thresholds.
Rockström et al. (2009). Planetary Boundaries: Exploring the Safe Operating Space for Humanity.
Ecology and Society, 14 (2). https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-03180-140232
Steffen et al. (2015). Planetary boundaries: guiding human development on a changing planet.
Science, 347 (6223), 1259855-1259855. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855
About SYSTEMIQ
SYSTEMIQ, the system-change company, was founded in 2016 to drive the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, by transforming markets and business models in five key systems: nature and food, materials and circularity, energy, urban areas, and sustainable finance. SYSTEMIQ combines strategic advisory with high-impact, on-the-ground work, and partners with business, finance, policy-makers and civil society to deliver system change. SYSTEMIQ has offices in Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the UK. Find out more at www.systemiq.earth.
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