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Playing our part to deliver Europe’s net zero future.

Our chemistries can make an essential contribution to decarbonizing Europe’s economy. 

Chemours Europe

Everyday, Chemours’ 6,600 employees, including 950 employees working in the EU, come to work for one purpose: to help create a better world through the power of our chemistry. We are creating a portfolio of sustainable offerings that are critical to solving some of the world’s most pressing problems. These include helping keep our world cooler through innovative thermal solutions with lower energy consumption and low global warming potential. Other Chemours products are fueling a zero-emissions future by enabling production of renewable, clean hydrogen fuel. 

 

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Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world.

To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring:
⦁ no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050
⦁ economic growth decoupled from resource use
⦁ no person and no place left behind

Follow us on LinkedIn if you’d like to be kept abreast of our efforts to support Europe’s green transition, including our investment in new green production facilities, and our work with local communities in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Our chemistry is part of a cleaner, better future for us all.

Europe’s energy sector is one of the top five emitting sectors of the European Union’s greenhouse gases. 23% of all emissions come from power generation, which is the third-largest sector after transportation (28%) and industry (26%), according to McKinsey.

Compared with the other top five emitters, Europe’s power sector is in good shape to decarbonize by 2050, thanks to the availability at scale of renewable power generation technologies such as wind and solar power.

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A decarbonized energy sector by 2050

The introduction of green hydrogen will further decouple Europe’s energy sector from fossil fuels. As part of its Green Deal Industrial Plan, the European Commission announced its plans to establish a European Hydrogen Bank, which aims to accelerate domestic production to 10 million tonnes by 2030.

Chemours’ Nafion™ technology is an innovative membrane material that enables green hydrogen energy production, energy storage in flow batteries, and hydrogen conversion to power fuel-cell vehicles through water electrolysis.

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The advantages of hydrogen

While renewable energy sources are intermittent, converting wind and solar power into hydrogen would enable the energy generated from wind and solar to be stored and transported more easily. This can be done, thanks to Chemours’ chemistry, by applying power from renewable sources to water and electrolyzing water into hydrogen and oxygen.

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More energy efficient buildings

The EU is also aiming to accelerate the renovation of its building stock, to ensure greater efficiency of energy usage. This proposal for a new legislation will mandate the renovation of the worst performing 15% of buildings by 2030. It will also set requirements for new buildings to be ‘zero energy’ from 2030.

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The importance of refrigerants in energy efficient buildings

Heat pumps are a vital component to making buildings more energy efficient. Using the refrigeration cycle, they convert heat from a lower temperature to a more useful higher temperature, and vice versa. 1 KW of electricity consumed by a heat pump is capable of generating 4 KW of thermal energy. Chemours’ class of Opteon™ refrigerants are a new generation of low global warming potential refrigerants offering the optimal balance of performance, environmental sustainability, safety, and cost across applications.

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Chemours’ vision for Europe

We share Europe’s vision for a net zero future. Europe’s next chapter must be carbon neutral. And for that it needs a strong domestic industry of carbon neutral technologies. That is why in 2023 we invested heavily in our Villers-Saint-Paul plant in France, to step up the production capacity of our hydrogen energy-enabling Nafion™ technology. We have the ambition and the technology to help Europe reach and surpass its domestically produced hydrogen goal.

Our refrigerant chemistries are also essential building-blocks to the key components of the EU’s energy transition, including heat pumps, which can contribute to significantly reducing the energy required to heat and cool buildings.

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Our Commitment to the Hydrogen Economy

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EXPLORE OUR EUROPEAN SUSTAINABILITY OVERVIEW

Our responsible chemistry helps build a sustainable future for all.

Valentina Mauri

Valentina Mauri

Director EU Governmental Affairs

At Chemours we are playing our part in achieving net-zero, providing the necessary chemistry to turn hydrogen into electricity and to produce batteries for electric vehicles. We are now increasing capacity and advanced clean energy technology at our manufacturing facilities in the EU.

Building advanced technology solutions

Advanced technologies such as semiconductors are a crucial component in the production of modern electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, and electric vehicles. One trillion semiconductors were manufactured globally in 2020. This is expected to double by 2030. As demand for semiconductors continues to grow, the EU has identified it as a priority to increase its domestic production capacity, reduce its reliance on imports, and remain competitive in the global market. As a result, the EU has announced ambitious plans to invest in and promote its semiconductor industry to strengthen its technological autonomy and leadership.

Meanwhile, data centers will be critical infrastructure in the EU’s digitalized economy. However, the levels of energy intensity involved in running data centers will need to be addressed as the EU moves towards net zero.

Fluoropolymers: the chemistry behind semiconductor production

The unique properties of fluoropolymers make them essential in the semiconductor industry, contributing to the production of high-performance and reliable electronic devices. Fluoropolymers are used in various stages of semiconductor production, including wafer processing, etching, and packaging. As even the smallest trace impurities or certain elemental materials can create significant impact to device yields, Chemours manufactures its resins to maintain the highest levels of purity.

Chemours chemistry allows device manufacturers to maximize chip yields and design freedoms while minimizing downtime and process variability.

Fluorinated gases: keeping cloud computing cool

Data centers use a significant amount of energy to power and cool the servers and other hardware, which generates a lot of heat. If this heat is not removed, it can cause the equipment to malfunction, leading to data loss and downtime.

F-gas refrigerants are used in data centers' cooling systems to transfer heat away from the equipment and dissipate it into the environment. They circulate through the cooling system and absorb heat from the warm air generated by the equipment, then release it outside the data center. 

Chemours’ low global warming potential solutions can keep cloud computing cool in Europe as we move towards the decarbonized economy.

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Decarbonizing the EU’s transport sector

The EU recognizes that the transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and so it is taking action to promote the adoption of zero-emissions vehicles.

Cars on street

Building a European battery industry

To achieve this goal, the EU has set out a comprehensive strategy that focuses on several key areas. The EU is investing in the development of battery technology, with a particular emphasis on creating a competitive and sustainable battery industry in Europe. This includes supporting research and development, promoting innovation, and improving the sustainability of the battery supply chain.

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Rolling out electric vehicles

Another priority for the EU is to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles. To do this, the EU is investing in charging infrastructure and promoting the use of electric vehicles in public transport and fleet operations. The EU is also supporting the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as an alternative to battery-powered electric vehicles. It has also agreed to phase out combustion engines by 2035.

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The chemistry behind the transport revolution

Fluoropolymer chemistry and thermal management solutions play a key role in the development of zero-emissions transport systems. The unique properties of high temperature resistance, chemical inertness, and low friction make fluoropolymers ideal for use in batteries and other components of electric vehicles, including wiring, coatings, and seals. This helps to improve safety and efficiency, and ensure that EVs meet the highest environmental and safety standards. Meanwhile, regulation of battery temperatures is key for the performance, safety and lifespan of electric vehicles. This is where thermal conductive foams can play a role – by absorbing and dissipating heat, they can reduce the need for active cooling and minimize energy consumption. Chemours’ refrigerants ensure that active cooling is done sustainably.

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Chemours’ vision for Europe’s transport sector

Chemours delivers the responsible chemistry at the heart of a decarbonized transport system. Both our advanced performance materials and our thermal and specialized solutions have an important role to play in the production and safe and sustainable running of the next generation of road vehicles. Europe’s ambitious policy goals coupled with innovative chemistry technologies can form the backbone of Europe’s carbon-free transport sector.

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Next-generation solutions for EV heat pumps

Battery electric vehicles with heat pump technology increase energy efficiency by balancing heat and cooling for cabin comfort and the battery thermal system. Our Opteon™ products enable heat pumps to operate. This thermal management solution will be critical to BEV innovation, enhancing efficiency and performance, including driving distance and charging times.

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