Because as fragmented and chaotic as geopolitics appears, the problems requiring joint solutions are deeply interconnected. Two comprehensive new studies published ahead of the conference in Kenya underscore this. They shook me – both negatively and positively.

First, the alarm signal. What the OECD states in its Environmental Outlook to 2050 should give us all pause – because it concerns us all, sooner or later: Climate change, species extinction, resource depletion, and environmental pollution are increasingly converging into a systemic “triple crisis” of planetary scale.

360-Degree View Instead of Silo Thinking

This connection must be vied and addressed much more holistically; humanity simply cannot afford silo thinking anymore. If we continue as we do today, experts warn that by mid-century we will see severe deterioration in all dimensions.

But now to the more encouraging side. If governments and businesses decisively invest in protecting climate and nature, millions of people could be lifted out of poverty and spared disease and premature death. Moreover, immense economic benefits beckon: By 2070, global economic output could be at least $20 trillion higher per year than under business as usual, according to the Global Environment Outlook recently presented by UNEP.

Non-Action Is Not an Option

Of course, investments are high – averaging around $8 trillion annually until 2050 for net-zero emissions as well as biodiversity protection and restoration. However, the costs of inaction would be significantly higher. Just consider what increasingly extreme weather events mean financially. That should resonate even with those skeptical of “green” topics.

I can only echo UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen’s message: “Either humanity continues toward a future ravaged by climate change, vanishing nature, degraded soils, and polluted air. Or it changes course and secures a healthy planet, healthy people, and healthy economies. That’s not really a choice.”

A sustainable world as a task, an opportunity, and an economic imperative – this perfectly matches my mindset. Despite all justified concerns, we must not see the future only in dark tones. And certainly not dismiss sustainability efforts as naïve or burdensome. Quite the opposite: If – simply put – more and more join in, the world can become livable again: cleaner, healthier, and more comfortable, smarter and more participatory. And also wealthier.

Harnessing High-Tech Materials

Ideas and plans abound. Knowledge, tools, and technologies exist, as the studies emphasize. This motivates me even more to advance the development of future-oriented materials such as high-tech plastics. They are essential to progress in virtually all areas of action.

Take the energy sector, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases fueling climate change: Plastics help transition to clean sources like wind and solar power. Or agriculture, the biggest driver of ecosystem loss. Plastics can enable more efficient, eco-friendly farming methods, for example through biodegradable seed coatings.

Circular Economy as a Comprehensive Concept

But, as mentioned, it’s not (only) about isolated solutions. It’s about conceptually linking climate, nature, and environmental protection more effectively. And there is a key strategy for this: the circular economy. A societal program that can unite conscious consumption, environmentally compatible production methods, and sustainable growth.

Applied consistently, it tackles the intertwined causes of the “triple crisis”: Climate- and health-damaging emissions will decline, we will need fewer resources, ecosystems and species will be preserved, and our waste volume will shrink.

This naturally includes ensuring that less plastic waste ends up in our environment. I very much hope we finally achieve a sensible global agreement on this – and that all actors prove the term “international community” does not become meaningless.

High-quality plastics are the material for the 21^st century, as becomes clear to me once again while strolling through the exhibition halls in Düsseldorf, Germany. And certainly to many other visitors as well. Over 3,000 exhibitors from 66 countries, including Covestro, make it tangible here how this material improves our lives at every turn, making it more sustainable and smarter, more comfortable and safer. And how it repeatedly helps bring forth new things. No wonder that global plastic production continues to increase: In 2024, it recorded a plus of four percent, more than the global gross domestic product.

Implementing technologies more consistently

This reinforces my optimism, which prevails even in tense times like these: There's no shortage of good ideas and technological solutions – they simply need more consistent implementation.

So there is a lot of confidence at the "K". But not only that. As CEO of a global corporation rooted in Germany, I am simultaneously driven by deep concerns, like many other business leaders. Because it is precisely in Germany – the long-standing host of this trade fair for over 70 years – as well as throughout Europe, that the plastics industry is under severe pressure. More than that – the sector, which employs 1.5 million people in 50,000 companies, is now literally standing at the precipice.

Economic situation alarming

Double-digit revenue decline, further shrinking market shares: The situation report that the industry association Plastics Europe presented a few days ago is alarming. Today, only twelve percent of all plastics come from Europe – almost 20 years ago it was still 22 percent. At the same time, China in particular has risen, producing almost three times as much plastic as the entire EU.

This clearly shows that it is primarily the regulatory environment that is slowing the sector in Europe and specifically in Germany – particularly higher energy costs, stricter regulatory requirements, and greater bureaucratic burden.

The good news: The federal government in Berlin has recognized this and wants to establish a "Chemistry Agenda 2045". I hope the year doesn't mark just the start date. Because the time to act is now – the sooner, the better. Which structural reforms specifically need to be tackled has been unambiguously formulated by "my" industry. And we also harbor very clear expectations toward the Commission in Brussels that brook no delay.

Special recipe for success

The EU and Germany as the largest member state need a strong plastics industry. And at its core, it is indeed that – vital and highly innovative. It consistently produces tailor-made solutions for countless other sectors and the challenges of modern life. The recipe for success, which is particularly pronounced at Covestro: a unique combination of materials science, process engineering, and application development.

We call this "The Material Effect". This means: knowing exactly how to change the smallest things in chemistry's building blocks to design plastics with specific properties. This means producing them as efficiently and environmentally friendly as possible, with processes that are becoming increasingly sophisticated. And this requires really knowing your way around many industries – to meet today's needs and see tomorrow's trends. Artificial intelligence and quantum computing help us with all three facets.

At K2025, we show the Material Effect in action. How it makes an impact in electronics, health, sports and leisure. Or in mobility, where Covestro materials are now being used in the prototype of a bus for public transportation. The shuttle is not only electric but also travels driverless – thanks in part to the high-performance plastic polycarbonate, which integrates assistance systems and sensors.

Building a circular plastic system

The fact that this material can be excellently recycled is another plus – and brings me to another point: Europe's plastics industry urgently needs to be able to realize its ambitious sustainability goals. We have the chance to build the world's first circular plastic system on the continent. That would be a great signal and could provide strong growth impulses.

But this too requires swift improvements in political and regulatory frameworks – such as the determined promotion of chemical recycling, which is currently stagnating in the European Union. And overall, it's unfortunately the case at the moment that the EU has lost its former leading position in circular plastics to Asia. Here too, China is far ahead, with almost twice the amount produced in 2024 than in Europe.

The next "K" takes place in three years. I very much hope that by then the necessary reforms will have taken effect and the industry in Europe can present better figures. But I'm certain of one thing: that in 2028 I'll once again be able to marvel at innovations from the world of plastics.

Concepts are being repurposed, values turned into their opposite. Emotion triumphs over rationality. Views once deemed unacceptable are gradually acquiring the character of the normal and sayable. This shift in discourse is accompanied by hate speech and insults, extending to calls for boycotts and even violence.

This development worries me deeply. An open society is not just the fertile soil for our democracy, but also the tool at our disposal to meet the many challenges of our times. When this stops, it strangles our creativity and with it our science and innovation – that is when societies become dysfunctional.

Tolerating the Intolerants? 

This raises the question of how open this discourse needs to be. How do we deal with the ”paradox of intolerance” formulated by Karl Popper 80 years ago? How do we deal with a society that willingly allows or even helps intolerant forces restrict or abolish its own tolerance?

Can and should limits be placed on freedom of expression – or on what each person individually understands by it? While in some countries it ends where criminal offenses such as insult and incitement to hatred begin, others follow a different legal understanding. Here, acts that might be considered lies or incitement elsewhere are still allowed. Whether that’s helpful for societal cohesion or in dealing with the current and future crises facing us, I’ll leave open for debate.

But the real issue lies elsewhere and goes much deeper. People may be allowed to advocate their own position as radically and dogmatically as they wish, even to the point of defaming all others – even by claiming that one’s own opinion is being suppressed. But one should then grant the same freedom to everyone else. True to the bon mot attributed to Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Since the Enlightenment, hard-won progress has been made on tolerance and freedom of expression. Yet the great philosopher would surely be appalled to see the setbacks we are currently experiencing. We are witnessing developments – still relatively mild by international standards – such as in Germany, where the public broadcaster NDR has dismissed TV presenter Julia Ruhs shortly after hiring her specifically to introduce a “conservative’” perspective into the public media system.

Widespread Cancel Culture 

At the same time, cancel culture is happening on a grand scale: orchestrated campaigns and legal offensives aimed at the media landscape itself. Press freedom is in poor shape on global scale; it is now rated as “problematic” in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index for the first time.

To make matters worse, academic freedom has also declined markedly worldwide over the past decade. In 2025, a total of 34 countries registered a statistically significant and substantial drop in academic freedom compared with 2015, according to the respective index.

Opinion, media, research: The foundations of democracy are under dangerous pressure. Yet democratic societies depend on a plurality of voices, perspectives, and spaces for discourse. 

The economy must also see and clearly name this. It too thrives on critical thinking. On diversity and openness, on respect, trust and cooperation as the breeding ground for innovations that secure growth and prosperity.

Companies can and should convey facts, provide orientation, and create room for dialogue. At Covestro, for example, we support the European Youth Parliament, where this year we are sponsoring discussions on the circular economy and the innovation/knowledge society.

Dialogue, participation, and trust – UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently underscored their importance on the International Day of Democracy. Let’s remind ourselves every single day: Democracy and tolerance are never guaranteed. They are a shared project we must shape and protect.

In 2024, August 1st still marked that date when the natural resources that our Earth's ecosystem can produce within a year are statistically exhausted. In other words: Humanity now requires 1.8 Earths for its lifestyle. Yet even the one beautiful Earth available to us is already bleeding out. And another number concerns me. The extraction and processing of material resources are responsible for over 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention the impacts on biodiversity and the environment.

Sustainability looks different. We conduct business, produce, and consume as if the Paris Climate Agreement – adopted with great fervor ten years ago – and other agreements to preserve our life foundations didn't exist. Instead of fewer coal power plants, more and more are being built around the globe. Global oil consumption continues to increase. And strategic raw materials like the rare earths coveted for electric mobility, energy transition, or electronic devices are facing a veritable demand boom.

Unchecked Resource Consumption

Overall, the UN Environment Program expects that by 2050, global consumption of natural resources will surge by another 60 percent compared to 2020. This goes hand in hand with an enormous increase in waste volume. Plastic waste alone is likely to nearly triple within four decades by 2060.

For me, this means: We must urgently steer consumption, production, and value creation toward more sustainable paths. A major lever is humanity's enormous energy consumption, which is expected to rise by another half by mid-century. Through efficiency gains and the transition to renewable sources, this development must be brought somewhat into alignment with environmental consequences.

The other lever is the circular economy. Reusing and recycling goods as much as possible is the royal road to resource conservation. But at the moment, the world has shifted into reverse gear here: The global circularity rate has dropped to just 6.9 percent – a decline of over two points compared to 2015. Yet good new technologies like chemical recycling and mass balance procedures are ready and available.

Chemical recycling – breaking down waste into its molecules and reassembling them – is absolutely needed as a complement to conventional mechanical recycling. Here, old products like plastics are shredded and melted, creating new material. However, this process is not suitable for many types of plastic.

Mass balancing, in turn, comes into play with mixtures of fossil and alternative raw materials such as recyclates or biomass. This method allows the proportion of sustainable raw materials to be allocated mathematically. The chemical and plastics industry in particular has high expectations for this approach as well.

What has been missing so far is primarily political momentum. We finally need solid legal foundations. So that industry can apply chemical recycling and mass balancing with legal certainty. So that clear standards are developed and certification systems come to market. And so that these forward-looking approaches reach consumers' minds.

First Steps in Brussels

At least the EU Commission seems to have recognized the signs of the times. In its recently presented action plan for chemistry, it at least acknowledges that chemical recycling can make an important contribution to reducing the EU's dependence on fossil raw materials for plastic production and upgrading old products.

And a first concrete step is already following: In the directive on single-use plastic products, which is currently being revised, Brussels wants to allow chemical recycling and mass balancing. A corresponding proposal for calculating the recycling content in single-use plastic beverage bottles is currently on the table.

But unfortunately, progress is only happening in baby steps: Act by act is being laboriously addressed individually. At least there is the prospect that the important Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products – which applies to almost all physical goods – will also be expanded to include chemical recycling and mass balancing.

In any case, all levers should now be pulled quickly to boost recycling and move the circular economy forward again. So that Earth Overshoot Day will hopefully soon shift backward again.

Here, resilience doesn’t mean preserving the status quo. In our multipolar world, marked by growing instability, uncertainty, and aggression, we must focus on ongoing development – across all levels. Even when solutions are elusive. Even when the process becomes difficult or uncomfortable.

Challenges aren’t confined to just one domain –they ripple across politics, society, and industry. Politicians face discomfort for example when NATO had to decide to increase defense budgets. Socially, things can become uncomfortable when – as in Germany's debate about reintroducing military service – many face the question of whether they're willing to defend their country by force.

Industry, too, must confront discomfort. To be truly resilient, companies need backup plans – from securing diverse raw material sources to finding safer logistics routes, building new markets, ensuring cyber resilience, and reducing dependency on single partners. This isn’t just about agility – it also means rising costs and a shift in how we define business success.

Resilience Requires Collaboration

An often-uncomfortable truth: Resilience isn’t something one actor can achieve alone. Security, stability, and autonomy depend on collective action. Siloed thinking and isolated strategies won’t cut it. Industry must advocate for a functioning political system, strong social cohesion, scientific freedom, and a healthy environment. Conversely, political and social progress is only possible with a robust industrial backbone.

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We need a holistic understanding of resilience and security – one that includes defense capabilities, crisis preparedness, and societal transformation. We must understand resilience as an overall societal project. That means aligning economic and industrial policies around strategic, long-term goals: enhancing infrastructure, safeguarding supply chains, and fostering sectors essential to resilience. Politics must set the right conditions – without smothering innovation through micromanagement or overregulation.

Chemistry: The Invisible Infrastructure

This applies to all key areas that must be available, especially in times of crisis and conflict: from food to medicine to IT and energy. And behind them all is one often-overlooked force: the chemical and plastics industries. They are the foundation that enables everything else to function.

Consider food security. In crisis scenarios, plastic packaging becomes a lifeline. Easy to produce in large volumes, it protects food from contaminants, moisture, oxygen, and light – extending shelf life and ensuring supply.

In the energy sector, autonomy is becoming a strategic asset. Renewable sources are ideal, and technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, and battery storage all depend on plastics. These materials increase energy output while lowering production costs.

Defense? It too depends on high-performance plastics – in vehicles, aircraft, communications systems, and protective gear. These materials make military equipment lighter, stronger, more adaptable, and in many cases, more sustainable.

System Change Starts With Circular Thinking

However, resilience isn’t built by patching cracks – it demands systemic transformation. A shift to a circular economy isn’t just environmentally responsible; it’s economically and geopolitically strategic.

By closing material loops and recycling resources, we reduce dependency on volatile supply chains and price swings. Instead of relying on fossil-based inputs from unstable regions, circular systems favor regional materials like biomass, carbon dioxide, and waste.

The chemical industry – and Covestro in particular – are already pushing this transformation: embracing renewable raw materials, promoting clean energy, pioneering next-gen recycling tech, and forging global partnerships that benefit all involved. We need to scale up the transformation that the chemical industry is driving. That means fundamentally rethinking our systems. Even when it’s uncomfortable.

I especially enjoy traveling within Europe, for a very practical reason: It’s usually wonderfully uncomplicated. No long border checks, no tedious customs procedures – this has been, at least until now, a privilege for over 400 million people and countless businesses in 29 European countries.

We owe this to a bold step taken 40 years ago: the first of several Schengen Agreements, signed on June 14, 1985, in the small Moselle town with the same name by politicians from Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. It came into force ten years later.

Free movement of people, goods, and services has since become a cornerstone of a united Europe, further developed through the European Single Market and the Eurozone.

Undermining the Idea of Unity

This vision is currently under serious threat – from within, through national self-interest, erosion of the rule of law, and restrictions on freedom of speech and the press; and from outside, through provocations, propaganda, and migration pressure. Reintroduced and repeatedly extended border controls – originally intended as temporary and a last resort – now risk undermining the Schengen idea. They could, in fact, destabilize the entire European integration project, with unforeseeable consequences for member states, as well as millions of people and many countries beyond.

What we need now is not less, but more Europe. An open-minded, diverse, and tolerant continent – especially in terms of a strong economy and industry. While other parts of the world are erecting tariff walls or dumping goods at rock-bottom prices, we must expand intra-European trade.

The Single Market is a clear success: it has increased the EU’s GDP by at least three to four percent and created 3.6 million jobs. According to the European Commission, completing the Single Market could even double these gains.

Strengthening the Single Market

It’s encouraging that the Commission has now presented a strategy to simplify, harmonize, and strengthen the market. The focus on the “terrible ten” – the most serious obstacles to the free movement of goods and services that must be urgently removed – signals a new pragmatism and sense of urgency in Brussels.

This is also evident in how “my” industry, the European chemical sector, is being addressed. It ranks second globally and, with over 650 billion euros in revenue, around 10 billion euros in research investment, and 1.2 million employees, is a key driver of value creation and prosperity.

However, the sector has long been losing international competitiveness – ironically, due in large part to everyday realities within the European framework. Excessive regulation with sometimes contradictory rules, lengthy procedures, and excessively high energy costs are holding us back. Now, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to present a special action plan for the chemical industry with structural reforms – this gives reason for hope.

But we must not place all the blame on Brussels. The Single Market, the Schengen Agreement, the entire EU – they are built on solidarity and can only thrive on a sense of community. We must not let that spirit fade further. Every member state, every citizen, and the business community must contribute – to complete our common European house: smart, resilient, and open.

It's therefore appropriate that the economy takes center stage in the coalition agreement. But even though paper is patient, and the step from intention to action is notoriously the hardest, I'm willing to give the coalition government of the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the center-left SPD the benefit of the doubt – despite the bumpy start, the back-and-forth and maneuvering beforehand, and their thin majority in parliament. After all, their government program includes many key elements to move Germany forward: promoting innovation, cutting red tape, and reducing energy prices.

Hope Emerges at Chemical Industry Meeting 

These are all objectives that "my" industry, chemicals, has vigorously advocated for. Hence, the mood at our most important industry gathering, the “Handelsblatt Jahrestagung” in Berlin, was more hopeful – or at least less concerned. This was especially true as the Black-Red coalition seems clearly aware of our industry's crucial importance. Chemistry is the invisible helping hand behind many other key sectors, enabling them to become more sustainable, resilient, and digital – something that was once again impressively demonstrated at the Berlin meeting.

Therefore, it can only be in the interest of both Germany and the EU that the coalition partners aim to make the country "the world's most innovative chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology hub" and develop a "Chemistry Agenda 2045." This ambition is already evident in several aspects of their government agenda, such as their commitment to supporting the circular economy and particularly the forward-looking chemical recycling.

Forward-Looking Points in the Coalition Agreement 

The partners also advocate for improving the framework conditions for sourcing strategically important raw materials within the EU, such as sodium chloride (high-purity salt). This too strengthens the chemical industry. Evaporated salt is the most important raw material for safely and cost-effectively producing chlorine and caustic soda – chemicals that are irreplaceable in many essential products of our daily lives, from plastics and medications to pesticides, paints, varnishes, and disinfectants.

Placing such issues in the European context is exactly right. As the EU's largest chemical industry hub by far, Germany can and must play a decisive role in building the community's competitiveness, innovative strength, and strategic sovereignty. All of this requires a strong chemical industry.

This seems to be clearer now in Brussels than before. The fact that Ursula von der Leyen is now engaging directly with companies and has hosted many of my colleagues and me at a chemical industry summit shows that the Commission President is making industrial policy her own top priority. If this approach takes hold in Berlin as well, we're already halfway there.

The EU, whose achievements we celebrate on Europe Day, May 9, is needed not only as a haven of understanding, stability, and predictability. It stands as a prime example of how openness and interconnection drive prosperity. The European single market has grown by eight to nine percent on average over its three decades. In practical terms: Without the EU, GDP per capita would be notably lower across member states – four percent less in France, five percent in Germany, and nearly eight percent in the Netherlands.

Thinking Without Borders

A Europe without borders means much more than the free exchange of goods and services. For me, our community of 27 represents thinking without limitations. It stands for openness to new ideas and experiences, the joy of exchange and discussion, and the freedom of research and teaching. These achievements need protecting, especially when science and established media face mounting challenges elsewhere, along with climate and environmental protection.

This brings me from praising the European Union to addressing how it must evolve – precisely in these areas: sustainability, openness, and innovation. The future belongs to them!

Sustainability: 2024, as the warmest year on record, has starkly reminded us that climate change represents one of humanity's greatest threats – not least economically. If we don't act now, we'll pay a far higher price later. Studies suggest the global economy could suffer income losses of 19 percent by 2050 due to climate change – six times more than the cost of limiting global warming to two degrees.

The EU should therefore develop into a hub for what will become increasingly sought after: green technologies and products. With the Clean Industrial Deal, the EU Commission, after initial over-enthusiasm, is now on the right track – combining climate neutrality goals with increased competitiveness and support for strong industry.

Creating an Industry-Friendly Environment

Strengthening the industrial base is urgently needed. In the chemical sector alone – the EU's fourth-largest industry – over eleven million tons of production capacity had to be discontinued in the past two years, partly due to numerous unfavorable conditions. Yet the chemical and plastics industry is crucial for intelligent sustainability solutions.

This brings me to innovation. Here too, the Commission has recognized the signs of the times, aiming to strengthen research in Europe with another half billion euros and attract international scientists. Hopefully, they will find an intellectual climate where oversimplifying populism, us-versus-them thinking, and susceptibility to autocracy don't continue to spread.

Standing out as a think tank and maintaining course toward sustainability – that's already significant progress. With the right economic policy adjustments – lower energy prices, less bureaucracy and micromanagement, more international partnerships – Europe's industrial future looks promising.

On the other hand, a sluggishness has taken hold in the energy system, throwing the energy policy triangle off balance. At the moment, it consists of a pronounced hypotenuse of “environmental compatibility”, while the legs of “supply security” and “economic efficiency” remain noticeably short.

I see an imbalance here that harms energy-intensive industries like the chemical sector. Take supply security: The sector is now, and even more so in the future, dependent on the reliable provision of large quantities of climate-friendly produced electricity to energize processes and generate process heat in a climate-neutral way.

But uncertainties aren’t just looming on the horizon tomorrow or the day after. Even today, the sector is facing an existential crisis due to internationally non-competitive energy prices: Electricity in Germany is up to five times, and gas even up to seven times more expensive than at competing locations in other countries. My idea of economic efficiency is quite different.

Integrated electricity market design

It's high time to realign the energy triangle. The federal elections in Germany can and must be the catalyst for this. What is needed is a new, sustainable overarching concept in energy and climate policy. An integrated electricity market design is required to quickly advance the expansion of grids, storage, and reserve power plants. Additionally, renewables need to be better integrated into the electricity system, and smart reforms in grid fees must be initiated. This is crucial because the chemical industry, in particular, can only very limitedly diversify its production.

And the affordable supply of (sustainable) raw materials such as hydrogen, biomass, recycled materials, and CO₂ must also be ensured. This requires, among other things, a convincing strategy for the storage and use of CO₂ – many of Germany’s European neighbors are already setting precedents in this area.

CO₂ price as a control element

Above all, the transformation must be as efficient and cost-effective as possible. In my view, the best way to achieve this is through a technology-neutral central control element: a uniform CO₂ price within the framework of the European Emissions Trading System. This approach would help achieve climate neutrality and the energy transition at the lowest CO₂ avoidance costs, based on market economy principles.

It will certainly take some time for fundamental reforms like these to take effect. Until then, the competitiveness of the industry must not be allowed to erode further. In the short term, action must be taken where the pressure is greatest, but also where the possibilities are significant: in electricity costs. There are many sensible proposals on the table. For example, capping transmission grid fees through temporary cross-financing from the federal budget. Or permanently reducing the electricity tax to the European minimum.

The next federal government must act decisively to preserve and strengthen the industry. Because without a strong industry, not only growth and prosperity are at risk. Without it, Germany’s goal of climate neutrality cannot be achieved. And that, in turn, is essential for competitive reasons. Because renewable energies and sustainable future technologies are the future. And Germany should make its know-how in this area an export hit.

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What particularly affects me as a pronounced optimist: Only about a third of all respondents still believe in a positive tomorrow. In my home country Germany, where the study has just been presented, only 14 percent expect the next generation to be better off. And depression is accompanied by frustration: A full 69 percent – significantly more than the global average –harbor strong to moderate resentment here. Against political leaders, against companies, against the "upper ten thousand."

Given many omissions over many years, the desire for change is palpable. And the willingness to implement it, even by radical means, is increasing: Almost four out of ten respondents in Germany support hostile activism. With regard to the federal election, this should be a wake-up call for all actors in the democratic spectrum. An appeal for cooperation and solution orientation.

There is no shortage of concrete, albeit sometimes contrary, plans among politicians, economists, and experts of all colors on how to overcome the reform backlog. My industry, the chemical industry, is also contributing constructive proposals to the debate. Now it's about finding constructive compromises together.

At this point, however, I would like to focus primarily on two overarching aspects of the crisis of trust. On the one hand, the chemical industry, like the economy as a whole, must build or regain more trust. It must show that there are already many good solutions for a sustainable, smart, resilient, socially beneficial future. That many committed, conscientious people are working on groundbreaking ideas. That progress is possible, that doomsday mood and irritability need not be the prevailing state of mind.

On the other hand, however, sufficient trust must also be placed in the competencies of the economy and the chemical industry. Companies need freedom to play out their abilities. Those who want to lead us on a leash undermine our creativity and block our potential.

Away from political micromanagement

To create a climate of trust and openness again, a new style of politics is needed. Within the framework of the social market economy, the state must return to its regulatory steering function. This means setting general goals based on a supply-oriented policy – but leaving the path there to the economy and its expertise. Big picture instead of small details.

Companies usually find the best solutions in competition and implement them efficiently. To do this, they must be able to determine for themselves, according to the principle of technology openness, which processes and products promise them the most success. It goes without saying that they must be freed from a bloated bureaucratic apparatus whose often detailed requirements entail enormous effort.

But we need not only a new style of politics. We also need a new mindset throughout society. A Germany as the engine of Europe that finds its way back to its can-do mentality. That develops more sense of reality. That finally defines itself again as the driving force of technological progress. And in which empathy prevails. A Germany of high-tech and heart.

However, the supposedly "liberal" camp should not reflexively retreat into a wagon-circle mentality and moral superiority. After all, national interests and egoisms have always underpinned even the high priests of multilateralism and globalization. It's just that their own interests were sometimes a bit obscured. This is particularly true for Europe and Germany. In this respect, the inauguration of the Trump administration could now be the wake-up call to finally define these interests more clearly – and to pursue them more vigorously.

Certainly, Europe should focus more on its commonalities in the field of tension between the USA, China, and other economic and political centers of gravity. But we must not be guided by black-and-white thinking. A future-proof collaboration approach means being open to all sides, juggling many balls simultaneously. This is my main conclusion from the current Global Cooperation Barometer, which appears every year on the occasion of the WEF.

Future-proof collaboration: This means a maximum of agility, flexibility, and pragmatism in a highly complex, increasingly unpredictable world, where, as in a kaleidoscope, new constellations and challenges constantly emerge. But it's also a world that always offers new opportunities.

If we take this to heart, we can hopefully overcome the stagnation in global cooperation that has prevailed since 2020. Currently, we run the risk that progress is not keeping pace with the immense tasks that need to be solved, and for which a strong and innovative economy is needed. For example, a fragmentation is emerging in the development of future technologies that could jeopardize productivity growth.

This worries me, also and especially for Germany After all, the competitiveness of my home country is based primarily on innovation and cooperation. But Germany is in a downward trend here: in 2024, it has fallen another two places in the global comparison. It seems only a matter of time before we also lose our rank as the world's third-largest economy.

So, there is an urgent need for a fresh wind here as well. The upcoming federal election could offer the chance for this. Internally, the motto for all democratic parties must be to abandon friend-foe attributions, to emphasize commonalities more strongly, and to prove the ability to cooperate. Externally, we should continue to pursue multilateralism without committing ourselves too much to individual partners and anchoring cooperation in ideological categories.

Even if we don't like many things – we can't get past the realities. And a doomsday mood doesn't help either.

This is absolutely right and necessary. Because climate neutrality and, beyond that, sustainability in all its dimensions are increasingly proving to be the major project of mankind in the 21st century. Ecologically: we must save the earth's life-support system from collapse. Social: We must enable more social justice and participation. Economically: We must break new ground for growth, prosperity and well-being. So it's only logical for Europe to breathe life into its Green Deal ambitions – to at least keep up with other eco-drivers like the U.S. and China.

Strong industry, capable state

But the Commission's initiative also highlights two key issues. First, we need a strong industry overall to meet the enormous challenges of our fast-moving, increasingly fragile world. An industry that is at the forefront of implementing the transformation agenda for a green, smart future: Energy transition, new mobility, digital revolution.... An industry that has the right environment to research, develop and invest in the best possible way. This also and especially applies to chemistry, which as the "mother of all industries" underlies so many other key sectors.

From this derives – secondly: We also need a state that sets and ensures these framework conditions. There is currently a lot of talk about an active industrial policy. However, we hear very little about what this means. As I see it, we need the state as a referee who determines the rules of the game – but not the moves. The task is to support the industry through a consistent regulatory policy that is liberal in the classical sense for a fair, socially responsible competition.

We need a capable state that ensures a free-market environment with a level playing field. It sets guard rails that also serve the common good: generationally fair, environmentally preserving. And which, within this framework, enables the economy to act on its own responsibility. But a capable state also has the courage to adjust the rules of the game when the situation requires it. To change course when unforeseeable crises arise.

Consistent, reliable, agile

For me, proactive industrial policy is therefore threefold: consistent, reliable and agile. It should uphold principles such as technological neutrality or the polluter-pays principle. It must not give unjustified preferential treatment to anyone, either internally or in foreign trade, and must not serve particular interests. And, above all, it must only set the goals, set incentives and milestones. It must be left up to the companies to shape them. In other words: referee, not schoolmaster. 

In the past, however, the referee has often failed to live up to his role. The result, for example, has been ailing infrastructures in many places and painful deficits in education and health care. What's more, the global competitiveness of Europe as a business location is threatened by energy prices that are structurally far too high and by excessive bureaucracy and regulation. Here, too, we need a consistent industrial policy. And we must return to the rule-based multilateral economic system that is being undermined by geopolitical conflicts and national egoisms. If not, von der Leyen's green industrial plan will remain patchwork.

As a result, states and regions want to free themselves from dependencies and, if possible, become self-sufficient. In the USA, for example, the Senate recently passed a law to promote domestic chip production. And Germany has just reached an agreement with Canada to supply hydrogen and is hoping for liquid natural gas from there as well.

Striving for autonomy

But there is far more at stake in global power confrontation and alliance-building than fossil raw materials. Also at stake is access to many metals, without which modern life, let alone the transformation to a sustainable and digital future, is not possible. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton in particular has not tired of emphasizing how important it is for Europe to have access to lithium, nickel and the like, the deposits of which are mostly concentrated in a few countries.

In fact, nothing works without minerals. We will need copper to transport more electricity in the future. We can only build electric cars with lithium as well as cobalt and graphite. Rare earth metals are indispensable for wind turbines and photovoltaic modules. The demand for all these materials is expected to grow very strongly. A scenario published by Leiden University in the Netherlands in May predicts an increase of 400 percent for cobalt and no less than 2,100 percent for lithium in Europe between 2020 and 2050.

Securing resources – and conserving them

But securing more resources is only half the battle. It will only become a forward-looking concept if we also conserve more resources. To achieve this, the recycling of raw materials in particular must significantly pick up speed. Overall, only 8.6 percent of the world is circular. In some aeras, we are already well on the way: for example, more than 50 percent of metals such as iron, zinc and platinum are recycled in the EU, according to Breton.

In other areas, however, there is still a lot of potential for development. Take plastics, for example. A wonderful material without which the longed-for green, smart future is virtually impossible. Without plastics, there would be no electric cars, no wind turbines, and no smartphones. The downside is that far too little old plastic is recycled. In the EU, the recycling rate is only around one-third and worldwide approximately 15 percent. The plastic waste in the world's oceans speaks volumes.

We therefore urgently need to develop and expand waste disposal systems. And we need to boost forward-looking new processes such as chemical recycling. These are long-term, complex and difficult issues that are in danger of falling behind at the moment.

But to keep the global economy and key industries like energy, IT and chemicals going, we need to turn all the screws at the same time. We need to promote autonomy - with good judgment and without deepening confrontation and bloc-building.  We need to forge stable partnerships with like-minded peers. And we need to work at full steam towards a sustainable future by making the circular economy the global guiding principle.

But we must make it clear once again: We cannot stand by and watch as droughts and floods, the depletion of resources and the overexploitation of nature continue to stress our planet. It is imperative that we also take the long view – in order to combat causes and put out fires.

This cannot be done without a great deal of good will, public spirit, insight and enormous efforts. And it doesn’t work without technological achievements. Fortunately, the latter are not in short supply. This is evident right now in Frankfurt: at Achema, the world's largest trade fair for process technology. It shapes the intersection of energy, chemistry, biotechnology and the environmental economy – sectors that are particularly important in giving momentum to the transformation to a truly sustainable world.

Cross-border exchange, global cooperation 

Okay, a marketing event. In normal times, more a topic for experts. But in times like these, marked by increasing anti-attitude, confrontation, propaganda and geopolitical bloc formation, it deserves special mention. Because with 2,200 exhibitors from 50 countries, Achema represents what we so urgently need – cross-border exchange and global cooperation.

Only a climate of openness and a fact-based view of the world can produce the solutions that will take us forward. In Frankfurt, they are tangible. High-tech recycling with biotechnology, for example – bacteria and enzymes can boost the recycling of old plastic. In production, innovative processes help move away from petroleum and chase less CO₂ into the atmosphere. And blockchain processes can bring transparency to convoluted supply chains.

Some things in the technology sector may still be dreams of the future, while the political and social divide seems to be widening. Let's convince people that ultimately only collaborative rational solutions will help everyone.

It would have been a strong signal. In December, the UN Security Council could have classified climate change as a threat to peace and security for the first time. But Russia and India said no; a damper on the momentum of the World Climate Conference in Glasgow. Yet the gravity of the situation is unmistakable. Global CO₂ emissions continue to rise – after a decline in the first Corona year, there was probably a five percent increase again in 2021 to a good 36 billion tons. Last year, Germany apparently even recorded the highest increase in its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990, taking it off the path to the 2030 climate target. That is why the German government has just launched an emergency climate protection program.

But climate change is only one facet of the global triple crisis that threatens planet Earth and its inhabitants. Added to this is the creeping exploitation of resources: humanity has been living beyond its means since 1970. At the same time, environmental destruction is progressing, with species extinction and a waste crisis. At least one third of the municipal waste produced on earth is not disposed of properly.

The linear economy is not sustainable

This cries out for change. And we do indeed need a different way of living and doing business, we need to fix old flaws in the system. First and foremost is the high climate intensity, especially in industry: 45 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of everyday goods. In addition, production and consumption are still largely unidirectional: extract, use, throw away – a purely linear affair.

In contrast, far too little is recycled. The global rate is only 8.6 percent and is therefore actually declining. Closely related to this is the obsolescence inherent in our economic and social system: consumption and products that are designed to last and be replaced quickly.

So: a comprehensive plan for the future of ecology, economy and society is needed. A concept that preserves the planet while enabling value creation and prosperity on a better foundation than at present. And which, ideally, also leads to more sustainable social interaction. For me, this concept is the circular economy. It is the overarching vision that should guide and motivate us, the key to climate neutrality, resource conservation and environmental protection.

The circular economy as a global guiding principle

Making the circular economy a guiding principle: a worthwhile goal, but one that will also demand a lot from us. First and foremost, we need a mental shift, we need to be ready to put an end to the ex-and-hop mentality. Instead, we need to use goods for a long time and several times, and repair more. Avoid waste and regard unavoidable waste as a valuable resource. And above all, make products recyclable from the outset.

Admittedly, this will not be a comfortable journey. We need to get out of the comfort bubble. We need XXL doses of determination, perseverance and courage – companies, politicians, every single citizen. On the other hand, the transformation to a circular economy and life is not a sheer imposition. On the contrary, the circular economy is also an economic stimulus program par excellence. It has enormous potential for value creation, growth and employment. If we manage to unleash it properly, Europe could reap economic benefits of around 1.8 trillion euros by 2030. 700,000 new jobs could be created, and a 0.5 percent increase in European GDP would be possible.

An industry reinvents itself

The chemical and plastics industry has already embarked on a major transformation. It is in the process of abandoning well-trodden paths. This means not only consistently switching to renewable energies, but also at the same time igniting a veritable revolution on the raw materials side toward renewable sources. Fossil resources such as oil still dominate. But the changing of the guard has begun: by waste, biomass and CO₂, which can provide us with sustainable, renewable carbon. Thus, this important element is going in circles instead of being drawn into the atmosphere.

Already, for example, the carbon in the important basic chemical aniline can be obtained entirely from plants. Research breakthroughs like these are creating a sense of optimism. In the market, too, the average annual production growth of biobased plastics is currently eight percent – higher than the growth in polymers overall.

The recycling of carbon dioxide is also on the rise. More and more companies are using CO₂ as an alternative raw material. For car parts, for example, or for mattresses or sports floors. And politicians are also recognizing the potential of "Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU)". Not only to avoid further CO₂ emissions, but also to recapture the climate gas from the atmosphere, keyword Direct Air Capture. Waste and plastics that have reached the end of their useful life also form a huge unused raw material store. In Germany, for example, only about 16 percent of plastic waste is actually processed into recyclate.

Plastics with net zero emissions

If we combine waste, biomass and CO₂ as well as green electricity in production, fantastic prospects arise. In fact, plastics with net zero emissions could be produced in this way, as a group of researchers recently explained in the scientific journal "Science". And with less energy and cost than if the conventional fossil-based production method were used in conjunction with carbon capture and storage (CCS).

But to boost recycling, we need more alliances along the entire value chain – from raw material suppliers to end users. Only in this way will we succeed in consistently establishing and expanding waste management systems. In parallel, technologies must be further developed. Above all, chemical recycling, which is still in its infancy, is paving the way for recycling plastics on a large scale. The fact that it is now included as a recycling option in the coalition agreement can be seen as an important impetus for the circular economy.

The pillars for a more sustainable, more resilient system have thus been rammed into place. With the circular economy, we can protect the climate, nature and resources and make growth within planetary boundaries a reality. We have a plan – let's put it into action! Because nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come.

But this journey is far from over. We may be at the end of Pride Month but it’s important that we don’t confine showing color only to one special date in the calendar. It’s not just about raising a rainbow flag once a year. We must continue to work on this every month of the year and every day of the week, collectively and individually.

Driver for Innovation

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our social coexistence, and crucial for business – because they are a catalyst for innovation. If you are lucky to experience a diverse group of people who strive for a common vision and embrace their differences, you will be amazed by how they address any obstacle on their way more creatively and effectively.

It’s no surprise that people who feel comfortable in their own skin and in their environment are more creative, motivated, and achieve better results. They simply don’t have to waste any energy pretending to be the way they are expected to be.

Long Way to go

Recognizing people of other backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations and identities, ages, genders makes us better collaborators, better experts, better leaders – better humans.

Let’s not forget that there are still a lot of things we need to address until everyone feels equally included. Companies have an important role to play in driving and supporting this change. Covestro wants to live up to this responsibility. And I’m happy that we have started to better track the respective measures transparently in our annual Global D&I Report. But there is still a long way to go.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, who you love and what you believe. What counts is your willingness and ability to develop joint solutions for a sustainable future. You are welcome just as you are – hate, intolerance and discrimination are not.

Join me in making every month a month of pride – at Covestro and everywhere else.