Sustainability as a guiding principle: Our path to the future

The world faces major challenges, and chemistry can be a crucial key to shaping a sustainable future. As President of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), it is a matter close to my heart that we embrace this responsibility and lead the way.

For this reason, I am pleased to present our sustainability strategy to you today. Sustainability is not just a buzzword for us, but a guiding principle that we want to embed in all our activities. The goal of our strategy is to anchor sustainability in all our processes at the GDCh. Based on our expertise, we aim to provide information and thus help to develop solutions and contribute to sustainable practices in science, business, and politics.

The Board has adopted the recommendations of the commission established specifically for strategy development in 2024 and created the necessary structures to effectively implement our sustainability strategy. With Prof. Dr. Herwig Buchholz, we have gained a proven expert as Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), who will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy together with a newly established, high-caliber Sustainability Commission. This commission, along with the CSO, reports directly to the GDCh Executive Committee . The GDCh Sustainability Commission comprises representatives from various Divisions and institutions and is the central component of the GDCh's sustainability governance.

Our mission for a sustainable future is ambitious but achievable: We aim to reduce our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Furthermore, we are driving forward sustainable solutions for the circular economy and developing effective solutions to relevant environmental issues within our Divisions . At the same time, we are committed to equal opportunities in science and education and provide balanced information on issues related to sustainable chemistry.

To achieve these goals, we need the support and commitment of our members. I would therefore like to cordially invite you to support the implementation of our sustainability strategy. Together, we can make the GDCh a pioneer for sustainability in chemistry and develop solutions for a sustainable future.

Let us embark on this path together and firmly anchor the values ​​of sustainability – environmental, social, and governance – within our organization. I am counting on your support and look forward to working with you to lead the GDCh into a sustainable future.

We will gladly contact you with relevant requests and offers in due course.