Guido Bognolo
WSA Associates, Brussels

The industry in general (and the chemical industry is no exception) seem to be under the spell of underlying drivers on a cyclical pattern:  around the 1970 it was “management” with the Morton’s T grids, along the 1980ties “Quality” was on the stage, in the 1990ties it was the turn of “Innovation”. After a peak of popularity that spanned for about a decade, each concept progressively faded away, and a new concept emerged.

We are now entering a new cycle: “Sustainability“, which, in contrast with the past seems to be there to stay. I can only be delighted.

Since the Second World War the industrial countries have enjoyed a continuing economic expansion that brought exceptional welfare to their people but had the side effect of a senseless wastage of resources. To me the shining example are the USA, where for many years  the principal purpose of cars seemed  not be to transport people, but just to move tons of steel,  or where washing machines still  appear to be designed to  swirl water rather than clean  clothes.

Eventually people awoke to the reality that resources are not unlimited and progressively influenced the attitude of, th ...