Industry Thoughts: Decarbonization
Multinational companies in Latin America discuss carbon emission reduction initiatives
Background image courtesy of Braskem
“As markets mature, we have been introducing more projects for blue technologies, which we believe are key to decarbonization. The world is not yet fully prepared for green technologies, as many are still very expensive compared to traditional technologies. Therefore a transition through blue technologies is an important step forward. For example, there are a lot of a projects related to CO2 sequestration and underground storage.”
Gustavo Cienfuegos, Managing Director – Latin America, Topsoe
“We developed the Ecofining technology decades ago, and today have almost 30 licensed manufacturing plants around the globe producing more than 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of renewable fuel. Honeywell strongly believes that Latin America is very well positioned to lead in this segment, given the availability of biobased feedstock in the region, including different vegetable oils and animal fats in countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay that can be converted into renewable fuels.”
José Magalhães Fernandes,
President, Honeywell Performance Materials & Technologies for Latin America
"In Latin America we are driving significant reductions in carbon emissions, such as at our Brazil site now running 100% on renewable energy. Our carbon emission road map will support a reduction in our carbon emissions by 20% in 2022 compared to our 2018 emission numbers. Moreover, we are achieving this while increasing capacity. We have a clear roadmap for all our Latam sites to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050."
Adriana Nobre, Managing Director - Latin America, Croda
“We are particularly focused on the disinfection, sanitization, and cleaning market, as well as the oil and gas industry. A recent example is our range of Aspire Surfactant Blends – highly versatile blends of powerful surfactants that help formulators create superior, cost-effective cleaning products that also support sustainability goals. In particular, Aspire G Super Concentrate provides a base formulation from which laundry detergents, hard surface cleaners, glass cleaners, bathroom cleaners and washing liquids can be prepared. Its unique blend translates into lower levels of active chemicals in the end-use product. This concentrate offers opportunities for logistics savings in freight and the reduction of warehouse space and carbon footprints due to its low water content and reduced size.”
Alejandro González D´Hyver,
CSR & Communications Manager – Latam North, Ecolab
“We have been innovating across our product lines with polyester with products such as Tritan Renew and Crystal Renew with a focus on reusability and circularity. Eastman is focused on developing our polymer technologies by focusing on biodegradability and discontinuing certain product lines. Another area of solutions is around our move to BPA-free co-polyesters. If you look at the various aspects of climate change, air conditioning and cooling is a major challenge due to rising temperatures. Our films technologies are very effective in solar heat control. They are not only used in car windows but also have been developed for glass in buildings, helping them better deflect heat and make the air conditioning and cooling of these buildings more efficient and environmentally friendly.”
Elvira Neves, Latin America Leader, Eastman