Making Science Tangible

The clock is ticking. Only four years remain before the promise is supposed to be fulfilled: the comprehensively sustainable and resilient world that the United Nations has committed itself to. In theory, at least. Because progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – set in motion a decade ago – is moving at a painfully slow pace. Only about one third are on track or making at least moderate progress. In key areas, such as climate protection or the fight against hunger, there have even been setbacks. And these are setbacks the world simply cannot afford.

The SDGs may face an uphill battle in times of war, confrontation, economic stagnation, and general uncertainty. Yet they remain both right and important. To give the "Agenda 2030" fresh momentum, the UN is placing particular emphasis on science. To this end, it launched the "International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development" initiative in 2024. Its core objectives are to show people the enormous benefits that research and innovation can deliver, to empower them to apply knowledge, and to restore the damaged trust in this sphere.

Two years after its launch, an initial stocktaking is now taking place – at a major conference in Paris attended by over 800 people from politics, science, civil society, and business. This collaborative approach is absolutely the right way forward, and the inclusion of industry is all the more so. For industry is the link between new findings, good ideas, ambitious plans, and their implementation. Turning knowledge into action requires the expertise and commitment of millions of companies around the globe.

The chemical industry offers a prime example of how this can succeed. On one hand, it is science-based and deeply rooted in the academic world –on the other, it is strongly application-oriented and experienced in scaling research successes from the laboratory through pilot and demonstration plants to large-scale industrial production.

From Lab to Market — Faster

However, technology transfer is progressing far too slowly in many places – in industrialized nations such as Germany, Japan, France and Italy, as well as in developing and emerging countries, particularly in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. The reasons range from a weak start-up culture, lack of digitalization and inadequate patent protection to paralyzing bureaucracy. These framework conditions urgently need to change if the Science Decade is also to deliver concrete results that contribute to the SDGs.

The chemical industry, including the plastics sector, has enormous potential that can still be harnessed much more effectively. Many companies can and want to help achieve the sustainability goals. Covestro, for example, strongly aligns its strategy with sustainable solutions – meaning products that contain non-fossil raw materials or have a lower CO₂ footprint.

The range is diverse – from lightweight plastics to promote electromobility and insulation materials to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, to innovations for agriculture. Seed coatings, for example: these cause crop protection agents to adhere to the grain rather than dispersing into the air – which not only benefits the environment but also reduces harvest losses caused by pests and fungi.

Covestro primarily promotes innovations that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Overall, the company contributes to all 17 SDGs to varying degrees and in different areas – and not only through products, but also through technologies. In the production of the insulation component MDI, for instance, an innovative process (AdiP) is used that significantly reduces energy consumption and, with it, emissions: the CO₂ footprint per tonne of product is up to 35 percent lower.

Building Trust in Science

Industry as a hinge between research and application – in business and science alike, this is common practice. Yet innovation and progress stand on shaky ground. Not only because of the frequently inadequate framework conditions, but also because of the widespread public scepticism towards – and even rejection of – science, which is amplified by internet-driven disinformation, misinformation, and misleading propaganda.

If the world is to achieve a genuine boost in knowledge during the Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development, then education and enlightenment are needed. Through facts, and above all through compelling examples of success: people must understand how science and business improve their lives – and what life would look like without them.