By John Richardson
ALL SORTS of experts keep telling us that identifying the world’s problems is incredibly complex.
But it, is in, fact, incredibly simple – all you have to do is to meet Basic Needs such as coping with ageing populations and providing sufficient water, electricity, shelter, healthcare and education.
Satisfying these needs does, however, require the kind of brilliance that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is bringing to the task. Solutions needs to be innovative and cost efficient.
The chemicals industry will be roiled by all sorts of challenges in 2017, during a year that promises to remind us of what the world was like in the 1930s.
But if chemicals companies can use their own type of brilliance, in chemicals engineering, then they can begin to lay the foundations of their future success. Success will come from tackling society’s Basic Needs. There are many incredibly bright and capable people in this industry who should be free to focus on chemicals rather than financial engineering.
Idealistic? Yes, why not? Whilst being realistic about the scale of the risks ahead in 2017, chemicals companies need to be idealistic because I believe the alternative will be to fall into despair, panic, and eventually financial failure as events unfold. You need a strategy for the next ten years, not just the next two financial quarters.
If you want an example, take a look at this chart from this important new study on global nutrition- by the Economic Intelligence Unit and the Barilla Center. You then need to set yourself an aggressive target for your company of reducing the amount of food that goes to waste every year. Idealism needs to be followed by innovative, low cost, practical and common sense solutions.
A happy festive season and a successful New Year to my readers. I will back on January 2..