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Environment Week 2024: Prof Klaus Kümmerer discusses Sustainable Chemistry

Environment Week 2024: Prof Klaus Kümmerer discusses Sustainable Chemistry

Director of the Research & Education Hub at ISC3 accepts the Federal President's invitation to Bellevue Palace in Berlin

At the invitation of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), Prof. Klaus Kümmerer will represent the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaboration Center (ISC3) at the “Week of the Environment” (German: Woche der Umwelt) event on 4 and 5 June 2024 in Berlin. As part of the innovation show with 190 exhibitors, more than 70 specialist forums and exciting discussions with high-ranking experts, the Director of the ISC3 Research & Education Hub will be one of three dialogue partners on the topic of 'Sustainable chemistry for a sustainable future' at the end of the second day.

“Sustainable Chemistry must scale by default, not in commercial scaling, but in material, biological and ecological scaling. Before a chemical is used in industry, we must know how it will behave worldwide under all conceivable climatic conditions. How many resources are required if only one part is produced but a million parts? What does this mean in ten, 50 or 100 years when the material ends up in the environment? What by-products are produced, and what effects do they have if disposed of improperly? In addition, Sustainable Chemistry also asks about social and ethical aspects,”
says Prof Kümmerer with a view to the discussion. At the same time he will also take a look at the practice of science and present best practice examples that show the contribution that Sustainable Chemistry makes in various areas of everyday life.

The “Week of the Environment” (German: Woche der Umwelt) was launched in 2002 by the then Federal President Johannes Rau and has since been organised with the Osnabrück-based German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, DBU). The seventh edition will take place on 4 and 5 June 2024 under the motto “Together for climate neutrality” in the park of Bellevue Palace, Berlin. It is dedicated to highly topical aspects of climate, environmental and species protection and intends to inspire all participants for a sustainable future. The agenda includes highly topical issues such as climate neutrality and energy security, hydrogen technology, biodiversity and resource conservation, sustainable change and social cohesion. Personalities from politics, business, science, and society are invited to discuss concrete solutions to pressing environmental problems and contribute their ideas and approaches to a sustainable future.