Peter Börkey
Environment Directorate
Green and Sustainable Chemistry
8 June 2012, Venice

• What is the OECD?
• Some recent results on Green Chemistry
Innovation
– Trends from Patent Data
– Survey of chemists
• OECD work on Green Chemistry
– Sustainable chemistry platform
– Substitution of harmful chemicals
• The Green Growth Knowledge Platform

• 30 member countries (5 accession countries, 5 enhance engagement countries)
• Economics-based, multi-sectoral
• Forum to share experiences and derive policy lessons, source of comparative data
• Council approves Programme of Work and Budget for a 2-year period
• Committees and Working Parties supervise policy analysis work
• Secretariat: 2000+ staff, based in Paris
• OECD Chemicals Programme: e.g. Good Laboratory
Practices (MAD), Test Guidelines Programme

Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.

• Work carried-out in 2010
• Measures the output of innovation
• EPO World Patent Statistical (PATSTAT) database, using search algorithms based on a selection of International
Patent Classification (IPC) codes
• propensity to patent both product and process innovations is higher in the chemical industry than in other sectors
• Focus was on the following technologies:
• Biochemical Fuel Cells
• Biodegradable packaging
• Aqueous solvents
• Selected White Biotech
• TCF Bleaching Technologies
• Green plastics

• Collaboration with:
– Department of Government, London School of
Economics
– Center for Green Chemistry and Green
Engineering, Yale University
• Internet opinion poll: via SurveyMonkey
– Yale Center Contacts
– Green Chemistry International Chapters
– Other Professional & Industrial Organizations

• 146 Respondents: Individuals (not firms)
• Respondents reported their own location in 24 different areas
• Firms with HQ in 22 different areas
– OECD: 124 (80 in US)
– Outside of OECD: 21
• Market (primary):
– Domestic: 64%
– Export: 46%

• Sustained innovation in many areas of SC
• White Biotech is area with most patent applications
• Chemists in industry view green/sustainable chemistry as a growing, profitable area in the future
• Regulatory requirements and product standards are most important policy factors driving SC innovation

Perceived Regulatory Fragmentation Among Main Markets

Perceived Importance of Specific Policy Measures to the Development of
Green/Sustainable Chemistry

• Sustainable Chemistry Platform http://www.oecd.org/env_sustainableche mistry_platform/
• Support information exchange and identification of projects that would benefit from international cooperation

• 6-7 October 2011
• Organised by German Federal
Environment Agency, with UNIDO, GIZ and OECD
• 100 experts from 14 countries
• Focus on:
– Supply chain issues
– Chemicals policies and management
– Sustainable chemistry in SMEs and developing countries

• Decision support tools
– They have a crucial role to play in supporting substitution
– A large number of tools has been developed and is available
– Recommendations:
• Create an inventory of decision support tools
• Develop a toolbox
• Data
– Issue with access and availability
– Recommendations:
• Efforts to make existing data more accessible and produce more of it

• Programme of Work 2013-14: “Tools and approaches to support decision making for the substitution of harmful chemicals”
– Set-up of an Ad Hoc Group (2012)
– Inventory of tools and scoping of issues
(2012)
– Workshop to take stock and discuss follow-up
(early 2013)
– Feasibility report on toolbox (2014)
– Inventory of data sources (2014)

 Mission:
 enhance and expand efforts to identify and address major knowledge gaps in green growth theory and practice
 help countries design and implement green growth policy

• Contact: peter.borkey@oecd.org
• Web: www.oecd.org/ehs

• OECD Environmental
Directorate:
– Nick Johnstone
– Peter Börkey
• Yale Center for Green
Chemistry and Green
Engineering
– Erin McBurney & Janice
Mitchell
• Zheng Cui
• Suojiang Zhang
• RK Sharma
• Jorge G. Ibáñez
• Mihkel Koel
• Marc Vermeulen
• Mary Anne Beaudette

7,0
6,0
5,0
4,0
3,0
2,0
1,0
0,0
10,0
9,0
8,0
Biochemical fuelcells
Green plastics
ALL CHEMISTRY
ALL SECTORS

1,4
1,2
1,0
0,8
0,6
0,4
0,2
0,0
Selected White Biotech
Aqueous Solvents
ALL CHEMISTRY
ALL SECTORS

3,5
3,0
2,5
2,0
1,5
1,0
0,5
0,0
TCF
Biodegradable packaging
ALL CHEMISTRY
ALL SECTORS

Firm Size

Enabling conditions
•Balanced tax structures
•R&D and innovation policy
•Competition
•Infrastructure investment
•Openness to trade and FDI
Key policy tools
•Pricing of pollution and resource use
•Subsidy reform
•Regulatory and policy predictability
•Support to basic research and emerging technologies
•Governance of natural assets
Measurement agenda
• Productivity of resource use
• Physical evolution of the natural asset base
• Environmental quality of life
• Opportunities arising from environmental considerations
• Evolution of policy and social responses
• Promoting efforts consistent with international standards
Major environmental issues
• Water scarcity
• Climate change
• Health impacts of pollution
• Biodiversity loss
Promoting transition
• Skills and labour market adjustment
• Distributional and competitiveness concerns
• Science and technology cooperation
• Development assistance
• Management of global public goods