IChemE President Jane Cutler launches the IChemE Sustainability Hub.

 

The history of the Sustainability Hub

In March 2021, we received a very generous donation from Ian Shott, former IChemE President 2009–2010, who wanted to support the development of sustainability knowledge for chemical engineers.  

The Sustainability Hub programme began in May 2021, led by IChemE Fellow and previous Board member Dr Trish Melton, under the governance of a Steering Committee. The Steering Committee was composed of Ian Shott, IChemE Chief Executive Jon Prichard, IChemE President Jane Cutler and IChemE Past President Stephen Richardson. Working with key operating functions across IChemE, Trish used good project management practices to identify and deliver a clear scope which aimed to meet the Vision of Success. 

Recent Past President, Stephen Richardson, said: “As organisations navigate the challenges of climate change and sustainability, the systems-thinking skills of chemical engineers will become increasingly valuable. Many chemical engineers will be called upon to give advice and make informed decisions about issues they may not have faced before. This substantial donation will enable us to support our members with the knowledge required to contribute to sustainability goals in their professional day-to-day activities.” 

The Sustainability Hub’s Vision of Success

The Sustainability Hub’s purpose is to deliver a sustainability knowledge resource. It's Vision of Success is to: 

Inspire and support chemical engineers to make a positive impact on global sustainability as defined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):  

• throughout their learning and professional careers
• by providing quality sustainability knowledge that improves understanding and competency
• by leveraging the experience and know-how in our organisation and our network.

Sustainability Hub resources

There are two strands of resources in the Sustainability Hub: training and signposted knowledge. These resources will help users throughout their learning and professional careers. 

The Sustainability Hub will initially focus on four of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – those where chemical engineers play a key role: 

• SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing 
• SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation  
• SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy 
• SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

IChemE Members currently have free access to a suite of new online, on-demand sustainability training courses.   

The Technical Advisory Group (TAG)

In order to identify, source and peer review knowledge, the Sustainability Hub Programme identified that access to expert volunteers from the membership was a critical success factor. Following a successful recruitment process over the summer of 2021, the Sustainability Hub Technical Advisory Group (TAG) was formed. Each TAG member brings expertise in both the topic of sustainability and on a specific SDG. The TAG first met in October 2021 and are actively supporting the creation and launch of the Sustainability Hub and its development over the first year.  

Measures of success

We will measure success via a combination of benefit metrics and leading indicators such as:

• chemical engineer-authored publications on sustainability  
• visits to the Sustainability Hub  
• members taking Sustainability Hub training courses  
• articles on sustainability in The Chemical Engineer magazine.

Contact us

We welcome your feedback, suggestions and offers of help. To contact the Sustainability Hub please email sustainabilityhub@icheme.org.