Sustainability is about more than cutting fossil fuels

The chemical industry, represented by BASF, contends that replacing all fossil feedstocks with renewables is not always sustainable due to risks like deforestation and food production marginalization. The author argues that the industry's primary environmental contribution often comes indirectly through the production of materials for wind turbines, solar modules, and lightweight vehicle plastics. While renewable raw materials are growing in importance, the document asserts that fossil feedstocks will remain dominant for the foreseeable future and that sustainability must be economically viable and socially accepted.

• A complete transition from fossil feedstocks to renewable resources is not always sustainable because bio-based materials can be associated with deforestation, changes in land use, and the marginalization of food production.
• The chemical industry provides essential materials that enable other green technologies, such as solar-power modules, wind turbines, and insulation materials that lower heating and cooling requirements for buildings.
• Chemical products manufactured in 2010 are projected to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by an amount equivalent to 30% of the European Union's total emissions for that year over their lifecycle.
• The author suggests that using oil to create specialized plastics for lighter vehicles to reduce fuel consumption is a more sensible use of the resource than burning it as diesel or gasoline.
• Renewable raw materials currently make up approximately 4% of BASF's total feedstock, though this percentage is higher in specific sectors like care chemicals.

APA

Heinz, M. (2014). Sustainability is about more than cutting fossil fuels. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/better-chemistry-can-help-environment/

Chicago

Heinz, Michael. Sustainability is about more than cutting fossil fuels. World Economic Forum, 2014. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/better-chemistry-can-help-environment/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Heinz |first1=Michael |title=Sustainability is about more than cutting fossil fuels |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=14 May 2014 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/better-chemistry-can-help-environment/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{heinz2014sustainability, author = {Heinz, Michael}, title = {{Sustainability is about more than cutting fossil fuels}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2014}, month = may, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/better-chemistry-can-help-environment/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }