China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) is expected to provide the framework that will allow the country to shift from an energy-guzzling economy toward a more sustainable model.

This will have huge implications for the environment and the local energy market. China is set to enter a crucial period where it will look to redress the imbalances of past decades - with an emphasis on environmental degradation - and it will provide the opportunity to explore other government agendas, such as encouraging innovation and improving the quality of life.

Chemical companies face increasing challenges as they are perceived as one of the main causes of safety and environmental problems in China. But what is frequently forgotten is that the chemical industry in China has over the past two decades also produced technological advancements that have addressed many of China's challenges.

Covestro, a leading supplier of high-tech polymers and a member of the chemical industry in China, believes the industry now has the chance to prove it can be a solution provider to achieve better environmental protection and higher levels of sustainability. These solutions lie in engagement in energy conservation, adoption of environmental-friendly technologies and the manufacture of sustainable products.

Chemical companies are now, more than ever before, expected to adopt clean and safe production and to join hands with players across the value cycle to produce energy-efficient and emission-reducing solutions. Companies should strive to reduce negative impacts in all areas of the supply chain, production and logistics, and urge partners, suppliers and customers to adopt equally stringent measures.