2021 Annual and Sustainable Performance Report

“Our sustainable innovation dynamic should enable us to generate €400 million in additional sales in 2024 and up to €1.5 billion in 2030^*.

Armand Ajdari,

took over the Group's R&D Department at the beginning of January 2022. He talks to us about his vision for innovation, firmly rooted in the major challenges of sustainable development and linked to a vast ecosystem of innovators from the academic world and in business.

*compared to 2019

Boosting our R&D through partnerships

What challenges do you foresee as Arkema’s the new Head of Research & Development at Arkema?

Armand Ajdari: I am very honored to take up this position after my many years in R&D at Saint-Gobain. There is great responsibility associated with this role. For me there is one main challenge: to develop solutions that offer high performance and sustainability to our markets. The Sustainable Development Goals are on everyone’s mind and mean a lot to me personally. Arkema is working hard in these issues. We are living in a time of extraordinary acceleration with many opportunities. In order to take advantage of them, we need to be responsive and efficient, and to this end, our R&D must pay attention to what is going on in the world, in order to detect trends in our target markets and our key technologies as early as possible.

This requirement is echoed by the new prize to be presented by the French Académie des Sciences in partnership with Arkema, isn’t it? (see text box)

Armand Ajdari: This sustainable materials prize is a way of promoting our name and highlighting our ambition vis-à-vis the academic world. It is first and foremost an incentive and a mark of recognition for researchers whose passion is aligned with our materials science projects focused on sustainable development. This sponsorship is also a way to build relationships with high-level scientists for partnership opportunities, with a view to creating a pool of talented partners to improve our capacity for innovation.

How do you plan to preserve the spirit of open innovation that was so important to your predecessor Christian Collette?

Armand Ajdari: We live in a fast-changing world, where it is essential to make connections before you even really need them. We need to build relationships in our own value chain, with our customers and suppliers, but also with start-ups, SMEs and the academic and university world, among others. Open innovation involves approaching every problem by asking: are we open enough, who could help me better identify the problem and find a solution as quickly as possible?

In which areas will Arkema be investing most?

Armand Ajdari: In line with its brand signature, Arkema primarily invests in its five strategic R&D platforms linked to sustainable development. Our contribution to the emergence of new materials and technologies for energy is key, as in the case of electric and hydrogen batteries, for example. Another key area is the responsible use of resources, circularity and reducing our carbon footprint. We develop both the products and processes that make this happen. In addition to these platforms, performance solutions play a role in a number of growth markets, often combined with proposals offering an environmental benefit. There are so many opportunities that it is important to prioritize and mobilize our resources in the areas that promise to have the most impact and value. For this, we benefit from a range of complementary technologies, whether in materials, adhesives or coatings.
One of Arkema’s strengths is positioning itself as a “premium one-stop-shop” for its customers.

Arkema and the French Académie des Sciences launch a prize for innovation in chemistry for sustainable materials

At the beginning of 2022, Arkema joined forces with the French
Académie des Sciences to launch this prize, which is intended to reward scientists for scientific breakthroughs in the field of sustainable materials, i.e. materials whose life cycle and use will lead to major environmental benefits. This prize will be awarded every year at a ceremony at the Académie’s prestigious premises in Paris, and carries a cash prize of €25,000.