The benefits of chemicals in everyday life
It may not be obvious, but industrial chemicals are ingredients used in many end products that are all around us. They are used to make consumer goods - from smartphones to textiles and cleaning products; from foam mattresses to food packaging and clothing. They are also used to make products found in factories, construction sites, farms and hospitals – from pipes to windows and wiring; from fertiliser to machinery components and medical equipment.
Benefits of Chemicals in Everyday Life
These varied end products help us to live, work and care. They can also help society respond to climate change. This is because they often have a lower carbon footprint over their lifecycle alternative materials like wood, paper or metal. Or they help us to conserve energy or transition to a lower-carbon energy system. Insulation and low-temperature detergents save energy in our homes, for example. Light-weight components in cars and planes, modern tyres and additives all improve fuel efficiency. Components help build wind turbines and solar panels.
Tackling plastic waste
How we are making chemicals from plastic waste
Moving to net-zero emissions
Many end products made from chemicals can help tackle climate change. But the industrial process used to make the chemicals creates a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Our ambition at Shell is to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner, and chemicals have a part to play. We are looking at four main areas in our production: Firstly, each of our chemical plants is improving energy efficiency, through investing in things like heat and gas recovery systems, hybrid boilers and new catalysts. Secondly, our production sites are increasingly using lower-carbon energy sources, which Shell’s New Energies business is playing a leading role in developing. Thirdly, we are exploring carbon capture and storage (CCS) options, to capture the CO2 emissions our facilities produce. And lastly, we are developing alternative feedstocks for making our chemicals, such as biomass and plastic waste.
to see some recent announcements.
Growing our chemicals business
In many parts of the world, as living standards improve, consumers are buying their first refrigerator, car or smartphone. Businesses, schools and hospitals are investing in modern equipment. And many more in society are making choices based on sustainability. Shell plans to grow its chemicals business, to meet this increasing customer demand. And, as our customers’ needs are changing, so are we. We are expanding our product portfolio to include performance chemicals, as well as base and intermediate chemicals. And we are placing sustainability at the heart of our business growth. Our advantage in the market is based not just on our global presence and asset scale. We are unique. We can integrate across Shell businesses because we are developing novel technologies and digital innovations, and because we are truly focused on our customers.
Technology
Innovation and technology have long been strengths of ours. We have an enviable track record in developing and licensing technologies that produce chemicals with less energy, less waste and better yields. This deep expertise, along with our truly collaborative approach, gives us confidence that we can unlock the challenges facing the chemicals industry, particularly when it comes to sustainability. Right now, Shell scientists, researchers and engineers are working to bring our more sustainable process for making polycarbonate to a commercial scale. They are developing plastic waste and biomass as alternative feedstocks for making our chemicals. And working on using renewable electricity to heat steam cracker furnaces that are central to chemical production.
Click to see some recent announcements
A digital business
Digitalisation offers our chemicals business exciting opportunities – from new ways to understand and engage with our customers and suppliers, to new business models and ways of working. In our production plants, data platforms and digital technologies are already boosting safety, productivity, optimisation of units and availability of our chemicals. We are using mobile tools to manage information in the field, models to mimic real plant dynamics and predictive analytics to detect the early signs of problems. Data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, drones, sensors, and 3D printing are transforming our operations.
Supporting our neighbours
Shell in the community
Digitalisation offers our chemicals business exciting opportunities – from new ways to understand and engage with our customers and suppliers, to new business models and ways of working. In our production plants, data platforms and digital technologies are already boosting safety, productivity, optimisation of units and availability of our chemicals. We are using mobile tools to manage information in the field, models to mimic real plant dynamics and predictive analytics to detect the early signs of problems. Data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, drones, sensors, and 3D printing are transforming our operations.