Environmental Technologies and Eco-innovation in the Czech ...

7 | Environmental
Protection in Connection
with Chemical Production
The chemical industry uses raw materials for energy, especially crude oil, gas and
coal (to a smaller extent), as both a power source and for production. It accounts for
30% of the total global industrial consumption of power and raw materials. However, at
the same time, it provides a wide range of products that make it possible to produce
power in environmentally friendly ways (e.g. raw materials for the production of solar
panels), to store energy (batteries) and to save energy (e.g. insulation materials and
light-weight materials that save energy during their transport). Therefore, chemical
industry products often contribute to power savings and reducing emissions in
other sectors.
Intensive chemical research and innovations in industrial biotechnology 1 ,
reaction processes 2 and material technologies are mainly focused on improving
the competitiveness, economic acceptability and accountability of the chemical
industry. The impulse for implementing ecological innovations and economic
technologies in the chemical industry is further enhanced by the effort to reduce
the strong dependence of the raw material base of chemical products on fossil fuels
and energy. The potential of energy and raw material savings has not been completely
realized; there are still new research projects coming from the chemical industry
that are aimed at environmental protection and sustainable development.
At the end of 2005, The Czech Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry
was established (SusChem ČR). It is part of The European Technology Platform for
Sustainable Chemistry (SUSCHEM). The platform’s basic objectives include increasing
the competitiveness of the Czech chemical industry, forming a bridge between science,
research and industry in the field of chemistry, promoting innovative activities and
scientific-technical development in the chemical industry and involving the Czech
Republic in the implementation of the main activities of SUSCHEM. In 2006, The Czech
1 industrial biotechnology – industrial technology using biological and biochemical procedures for its production
2 reaction processes – chemical processes where certain chemicals are transformed into other chemicals