The ‘2023 annual progress report: Transition Pathway for the Chemical Industry’ reviews the first year of the EU's strategy for guiding the chemical sector towards sustainability and digitalisation. Introduced in January 2023, the pathway outlines around 190 actions to enhance resilience and align with the updated 2021 industrial strategy.

Key highlights:

• Implementation progress: about 80% of the 187 identified actions have been initiated, focusing on sustainable competitiveness, funding, innovation, energy and feedstock access, infrastructure, skills, and social considerations.

• Stakeholder engagement: a working group on Chemical Industry fosters collaboration among EU Member States, industry, and NGOs. A call for transition initiatives in July 2023 attracted over 110 projects to support the twin transition.

• Task forces: three task forces address priority topics:

  • Circularity: challenges and enablers for circular feedstocks.

  • Energy: long-term energy and feedstock needs.

  • International competitiveness: developing co-implementation indicators.

• Regulatory roadmap: updates on key legislative developments, with timelines for adoption and implementation.

• Next steps: plans for 2024 include continued stakeholder engagement, task force expansion, and launching a stakeholder support platform by early 2025.

The report reaffirms the EU's commitment to transforming the chemical industry into a sustainable, digital, and resilient sector, supporting the European Green Deal and the industrial strategy.