Today was bittersweet, as we had to say goodbye to the wonderful city of Amsterdam while getting on the road towards Rotterdam. However, we had the chance to explore a company Nouryon that put a serious emphasis on sustainability and presented this well to us, helping to show how a major company places an emphasis on reducing its carbon footprint and impact on the environment. Unfortunately, photos weren’t permitted on the premises, so I will have to tell the story of today without many pictures.

We started the day with an hour-long drive towards the Nouryon facility, giving us a chance to see more of the beautiful Dutch landscape. Then, we arrived and were greeted with a large facility with several buildings and an automated gate that ensured the security of the company’s activities. The work the company does on polymers and other materials is entirely sold to clients based on it not already being known, so protecting this profitability through extra security makes sense. The company then presented itself to us, highlighting the ways in which sustainability shapes the business practices of this particular branch and of the company’s locations in over 70 countries. I found a key connection to our work on sustainability when they showed how they hoped to transition to more renewable energies and the different metrics by which they measured their ability to recycle the goods they produce, showing how standards can help a company rise to the occasion in the context of sustainability. Further, I really found it interesting how the company criticized the EU’s failure to do full risk assessments, as a hazardous material that would be banned might not necessarily be an actual risk due to lack of exposure. I felt mixed on this, as there has to be a happy medium between the US’ lack of regulation and EU’s regulation stifling the companies without proper cause.

We then walked to the laboratories of the company, where we split into groups to tour the various ways in which the company deals with the production, testing, and creation of chemicals for use by various industrial purchasers. I was shocked by how much the company invests into the high standards of relative clean energy use and the safety of its products for consumers (mainly through testing the biodegradability of its materials in a natural environment). One question I had about this on the tour was how much of the safety measures are unique to the EU, and the guide responded that the practices of safety for OCED (a group of countries who work to determine safety guidelines for chemicals) countries that Nouryon is in are standardized. I appreciated how responsive the workers were to questions, and I particularly found it compelling how sustainability factored into the production of a conditioning agent they wanted to be as biodegradable as possible (which made me think about how many artificial chemicals I put in my scalp).

Next, we explored a testing area for the volatility of different chemicals, where we had explained to us the importance of combustion testing for a company that makes as many chemical products as Nouryon. He explained how an unpredictable compound can burn at very low or high temperatures and produce a combustion that can be large in scale and difficult to contain, posing a threat to consumers. Consumer safety is an underrated part of sustainability, as human rights and the ability of humans to live a safe, healthy life are key aspects of the field that are often not mentioned. Thus, Nouryon placing focus on these issues shows their commitment to sustainability even further. We were taken into a room with a giant pressurized chamber where these tests take place, sealed behind a giant door that resembled one at a bank vault. I was shocked at just how large this testing area was, and it was even more surprising to see the “trophies” of metal wreckage from particularly volatile testing. We did not have the chance to see a live demonstration, but given the risk posed by these tests, I could understand.

Finally, we were given a presentation on Polymer recycling, one of the primary focuses of the Nouryon location we were visiting. I found it compelling to see that chemical recycling is still in its infancy as a viable method for companies to implement, even though statistics we were presented indicated a coming shift to implement it more comprehensively. Recycling’s inefficiency was something I already knew, but I was still disappointed to hear that less than 20% of plastic used on Earth is recycled. If this number was raised, there would be a significant decrease in the environmental impact of plastic use. I appreciated how the two hosts took the time to answer one of my questions about how the company was involved in the legislation made by EU countries on the issues. This work as a analyst for a company is something I am very interested in, and I find that type of work fascinating. Overall, today was a successful site visit, and I felt it was the most pure sustainability work I have done on the trip so far. I am very excited to see the Hague tomorrow!