Chemicals are a critical, but often overlooked, factor of success for a circular economy. 96% of all products on European markets, from food to medical treatments, from buildings to consumer electronics, rely on chemicals, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. But what does circularity mean for the future of the chemicals industry? Should it embrace circular systems or resist them?
Plastics recycling is as much of a challenge as an opportunity for the circular economy. In Europe, amidst growing public concern, new regulation and voluntary pledges from the industry, the problem is that so little of the plastic that is collected actually gets turned into new material. In this article, I investigate whether chemical recycling can make the plastics value chain more circular and what it takes for it to providing a profitable new industry branch.
Creating a New Quality For Corporate Reporting - As European policy makers press ahead to promote sustainable investment, stakeholders are stepping up the discussion about standardizing ESG-related metrics and non-financial disclosure This week at the COP24 climate summit in Katowice, Poland, the discussion about how to implement the directives of the Paris Agreement is in … Continue reading Less medley, more value
I had a chance to talk to Wim Bartels in his capacity of Progamme Lead at the Corporate Reporting Dialogue (CRD) about key issues and initiatives around the further development of corporate reporting. In our interview, we address topics like the CRD’s objectives and alleged competition, the convergence of non-financial and financial reporting frameworks, integrated versus multiple reporting, PDF versus HTML, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
As of 1st January 2020, all annual financial reports published within the European Union must be set up in digital format, using Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML). Early adopters will take the ESEF mandate as an opportunity to change their corporate reporting from PDF to HTML formats, adopting an online, integrated, interactive and structured communications approach, turning corporate reports into a highly effective, multi-stakeholder communications tool.
Reason & Rhyme 