The 6th Techco Forum, organised by the Polish Chamber of the Chemical Industry, focused participants’ attention on the implications of current and proposed EU regulations for the competitiveness of the European chemical sector. The discussions centred on energy costs, stability of the investment environment, regulatory risk and protection of the EU market against imports from regions with lower environmental standards. Participants also discussed practical challenges related to the implementation of the Fit for 55 package, the EU ETS and CBAM, the new EUDR Regulation, planned simplifications under the REACH revision and Omnibus packages, as well as the role of CCUS technologies and the circular economy. Many speakers emphasised the gap between the scale and pace of regulatory change and the real investment capacities of chemical companies, including plastics producers and converters, which operate under growing cost and competitive pressure.
Competitiveness under regulatory pressure
The meeting opened with an expert briefing, “Regulations, packages, plans – what do they mean for the industry’s competitiveness?”, led by Klaudia Kleps, Director of the Advocacy and Legislation Division, and Aleksandra Sutryk, Senior Regulatory Specialist at the Polish Chamber of the Chemical Industry. The latest initiatives of the European Commission were presented, from the Draghi report described as a “wake-up call” for Europe, through the Competitiveness Compass, the Affordable Energy Plan and the SME Omnibus, to the Action Plan for the European Chemical Industry and the Chemicals Omnibus package. These documents formally recognise the chemical industry as a strategic sector, crucial for the development of green technologies and the maintenance of supply chains.
The experts, however, pointed to a lack of operational solutions, including the absence of decisions on the reform of the EU ETS and the strengthening of CBAM, which could translate into improved operating conditions for companies. They stressed the need to reduce energy costs, ensure a stable and predictable investment environment, limit regulatory risk, effectively protect the EU market against imports and strengthen strategic autonomy. These demands had previously been compiled in the “Manifesto of Polish Chemistry”, published by PCCiP in 2024.
This was followed by a discussion, “From plans and strategies to actions – does industrial policy support the competitiveness of chemistry?”, with the participation of Paweł Bieniasz, Head of Strategy, Soda Business Unit at Qemetica, Damian Fogiel, Director of the International Regulations Office at Orlen, and Maciej Przymanowski, Transformation Expert at the Transformation and Decarbonisation Office of Gdańsk Refinery. The moderator was Aleksandra Sutryk. Participants emphasised the lack of concrete measures in EU initiatives on competitiveness and industrial transformation and pointed to the instability of the EU ETS system and growing import pressure from markets with lower standards. They highlighted the need to clarify instruments such as CCA, CISAF and the Innovation Fund, and to secure financing for decarbonisation technologies, including CCS and hydrogen projects. It was noted that current hydrogen targets are oversized, and that restrictive definitions and the favouring of selected solutions undermine the principle of technological neutrality.
EUDR and the circular economy
After the break, Dr Sergiusz Urban, Partner at WKB Lawyers, discussed the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR). He pointed out that this is one of the EU’s key environmental regulations, as it obliges companies to ensure full traceability of the origin of commodities at risk of causing deforestation. Companies placing such products on the EU market or exporting them will have to implement due diligence procedures including risk analysis, collection of detailed data, including geolocation of production plots, and submission of statements in the TRACES system. The high sanctions provided for in the Regulation make its implementation strategic for entire supply chains. Urban recalled that the obligations will start to apply to large and medium-sized enterprises at the end of 2025 and to SMEs in mid-2026, while discussions on possible deadline extensions and simplifications are underway in the EU.
In the next part of the agenda, Klaudia Kleps chaired the panel “Raw materials, waste, regulations, competitiveness – chemicals in the circular economy”, with the participation of Dr Eng. Daria Frączak from Łukasiewicz – Institute of Heavy Organic Synthesis "Blachownia", Grzegorz Semerjak from Orlen Południe, Sebastian Szuba, CEO of Hig Polska, Dr Sergiusz Urban from WKB Lawyers and Dr Eng. Anna Zalewska from Basf Polska. Panellists indicated that the biggest challenge to the development of the circular economy is regulatory uncertainty and inconsistency at both EU and national levels. Attention was drawn to chaotic regulatory changes, the lack of clear implementation guidelines, overlapping provisions and the lack of complementarity between horizontal and sectoral policies.
Delays were also noted in the implementation of key instruments such as extended producer responsibility and the deposit-return system. The chemical industry stressed the need for technological neutrality and for creating conditions for the development of mechanical, organic and chemical recycling. Chemical recycling is currently struggling with the absence of a legal definition, administrative barriers and difficulties in obtaining financing. From an innovation perspective, the scale-up phase is particularly challenging, with costly pilot processes and a limited appetite for investment risk slowing down implementation. At the same time, the growing potential of biofuels, oil recovery and new materials better suited to recycling was highlighted. Panellists emphasised the importance of educating public administration and consumers and the need for stable regulatory and financial frameworks to support the development of the circular economy and increase demand for circular products.
The role of finance in the green transition
In a special session by Bank Millennium and the Ican Institute, partners of the CFO Club, “Investment opportunities and green financing in the chemical industry”, the speakers were Marcin Puziak, Management Board Member responsible for finance at Qemetica, Agata Zieleniak from the Corporate Banking Marketing Department at Bank Millennium, and Dr Eng. Tomasz Zieliński, President of the Management Board of the Polish Chamber of the Chemical Industry. The moderator was Bartosz Gayer, substantive advisor of the Ican Institute CFO Club. The discussion confirmed that the chemical sector operates under strong regulatory, cost and competitive pressure while at the same time having to carry out major investments in decarbonisation, energy efficiency and process modernisation.
These investments often have long payback periods and affect short-term results, which increases the role of the chief financial officer as a co-creator of the transformation strategy responsible for aligning actions with regulation, corporate strategy and stakeholder expectations. Financial institutions, including Bank Millennium, were presented as investment and advisory partners offering preferential financing conditions for sustainable projects and support in obtaining public funds. Participants assessed that the direction and pace of investment in the coming years will largely depend on the EU regulatory environment, market requirements concerning environmental footprint and the availability of technologies that enable the achievement of climate targets.
Responsible Care and awards for companies
A regular item on the Techco Forum agenda is the presentation of Responsible Care Framework Management System certificates. In 2025, certificates were received by representatives of PCC Rokita, Brenntag, Keyser Mackay and Basell Orlen Polyolefins. A jubilee statuette marking 30 years of implementing the Responsible Care Programme was awarded to Anwil.
Transport of chemicals between safety and transition
Part of the programme was devoted to the transport and distribution of chemicals. In the briefing “Transport of hazardous waste – the example of Italy”, Agnieszka Janusz, Partner at Lexsential Studio Legale, presented the Italian, highly formalised system. It is based on the Waste Identification Form (FIR) and the obligation to register in the national register of waste operators, which includes the transport of hazardous waste. Registration requires demonstrating technical and financial capability and meeting numerous formal requirements. From 2025, higher sanctions for infringements will apply, increasing the importance of full regulatory compliance.
The briefing was an introduction to the expert discussion “At the crossroads of distribution, law and climate – the future of chemicals distribution and logistics”, with the participation of Łukasz Balcerak, Deputy Head of the Technical Department at the Transport Technical Supervision Authority, and Grzegorz Szenejko, CEO of Go Logis. The growing gap between regulatory ambitions and the realities of dangerous goods transport was highlighted. On the one hand, ADR and European regulations promote the "green" transition by allowing electric and hydrogen vehicles, supporting intermodality and introducing new technical and reporting requirements. On the other hand, the sector faces insufficient infrastructure, high energy costs, limited availability of alternative fuels and overregulation that does not always reflect operational practice.
Driverless transport and the wide use of zero-emission drivetrains were assessed as concepts that are ahead of current market capabilities. Attention was drawn to excessively detailed regulations, divergent national interpretations and erroneous amendments in ADR, which hinder the operations of carriers. Participants agreed on the need for dialogue between regulators, science and business and for joint development of solutions so that regulations support safety and transition rather than imposing excessive burdens on the sector.
