OECD workshop on financing sustainable chemistry

Day 1

14:50-15:50

This session will highlight historical experience with renewable energy finance and other climate mitigation domains. Key themes include the role of R&D support, feed-in tariffs, contracts for difference, de-risking through public financial institutions, and investment vehicles such as infrastructure funds and green bonds.

Chair: Robert Youngman (Team Leader, Green Finance and Investment, Finance, Investment and Global Relations Division, Environment Directorate, OECD), with opening scene-setting discussion

Speakers:

• Dirk Rottgers (OECD)

• UNEP FI (speaker TBD)

• Piergiuseppe Morone (Unitelma Sapienza Università di Roma) 

• Robert Youngman (OECD)

Open discussion question: What are the enabling conditions from GFI that you think have the most relevance for sustainable chemistry? 

Day 1

16:20-17:50

This session will provide perspectives on conditions and challenges for developing and financing safer chemistry, to provide background and set the stage for tomorrow’s discussions with the chemicals sector and with investors. 

Chair:  Eeva Leinala (Principal Administrator Risk Management Programme, Environmental Safety and Health Division, Environment Directorate, OECD)

Speakers: 

·       Ester Kardienaal (Coordinator International Chemicals, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, The Netherlands): SSbD integration Lessons learned from industry frontrunners

·       Peter Nieuwenhuizen (Former CTO and Corporate Director of R&D and Sustainability at AkzoNobel; Founding Partner of Surechem): Investing in the future of chemicals

Respondents:

·       Peter Korytar (DG Environment, European Commission)

·       Joel Tickner (UMass Lowell): Incentivizing Sustainable Chemistry: A Policy Framework for Innovation, Manufacturing & Market Transformation

·       Piergiuseppe Morone (Unitelma Sapienza Università di Roma): On additional elements from the background paper to highlight.

Open discussion question: What (other) conditions and challenges exist for developing and financing safer chemistry, and which should be prioritised in discussions on policy solutions?

Day 1 Wrap Up

·       Eeva Leinala (OECD)

·       Robert Youngman (OECD)

Day 2

11:30-13:00

This session will explore key aspects of existing policies, initiatives, and investor activity supporting safer chemistry. Discussions will explore investor-identified risks, opportunities, reputational considerations, and early niches where safer chemistry innovation is attracting investment. It will also consider whether specific policies would be needed to scale up such investment.  In addition to discussing investor perspectives or initiatives in this space and presenting their views on these topics, speakers may wish to reflect on what will be in the background document for the workshop.

Key discussion points to cover in the presentations and discussion: 

• What types of financing and investment have been utilised for safer and more sustainable chemistry.  What has worked, what hasn’t and why?

• What are the enabling policy conditions that would better support finance and investment?

Chair: Robert Youngman (OECD)

Speakers:

• Marc Borghans and Daiane Piva (ING): Financing safer and more sustainable Chemistry – lessons learned from climate/sustainable finance experience

• Rachel Crossley (BNP Paribas Asset Management)

• Kimihiko Takamatsu (Resona Asset Management): RESONA

• Cecilia Fryklöf (Nordea Asset Management): Nordea's approach to Sustainable Chemistry

• Alexis Bazzanella (International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) Innovation Hub): ISC3's approach

Respondents:

• Joel Tickner (UMass Lowell)

• Peter Nieuwenhuizen (Former CTO and Corporate Director of R&D and Sustainability at AkzoNobel; Founding Partner of Surechem)

• Piergiuseppe Morone (Unitelma Sapienza Università di Roma)

Day 2

14:15-15:30

The final session will synthesise workshop discussions to:

• Assess takeaways from the background document on the potential applicability of lessons from GFI to financing sustainable chemistry;
• Identify key gaps in the chemicals sector with respect to enabling conditions for financing and scaling up sustainable chemistry; and
• Gather perspectives on priority areas for OECD analysis, based on views on the enabling policies, institutional frameworks, financial instruments, voluntary approaches, disclosure needs, and other actions that hold the most promise for scaling up sustainable chemistry and can realistically be established in coming years.

Chair: Robert Youngman (OECD)

Speaker:

• Piergiuseppe Morone (Unitelma Sapienza Università di Roma): Financing the Transition to Safer and More Sustainable Chemistry: Lessons, Challenges and Policy Implications

Respondents:

·       Joel Tickner (UMass Lowell)

·       Robert Youngman (OECD)

·       Eeva Leinala (OECD)

·       Peter Korytar (DG Environment, European Commission): Possible ways forward to support investment in sustainable chemistry

·       Koki Takaki (Ministry of Environment, Japan)  (Virtual)

Day 2

16:00-17:15

Based on the conclusions in Session 6, this session will discuss upcoming work/activities of other initiatives and key actors, and consider:

• Linkages with potential focus areas of future OECD work on financing sustainable chemistry; and

• Potential next steps

Chair: Eeva Leinala (OECD)

Speakers: 

• Benjamin Warr (UNEP) (TBC): The Global Framework on Chemicals and the GEF-FARM Programme

• Peter Korytar (DG Environment, European Commission): Possible ways forward to support investmentin sustainable chemistry

Open discussion on possible ways forward, including synergies between existing and planned initiatives and potential future work on financing safer chemistry by the OECD.

• Eeva Leinala/Robert Youngman (OECD)