A new EU project aimed at helping small and medium sized businesses in the chemical industry become more energy efficient has been launched.

The two-year ‘Sectoral Platform in Chemicals for Energy Efficiency Excellence’ (SPICE3) programme will help companies benefit from existing energy efficiency tools and provide information via an online platform, industry workshops and training.

According to the European Chemical Industry Council, SMEs represent 96% of European chemical companies and even though energy costs can represent up to 25% of their total production costs, many small firms don’t see energy efficiency as a priority or are not equipped to set up effective energy management programmes.

Martina Beitke, Energy Programme Manager at Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council said: “The European chemical industry has had a strong track record on energy efficiency for more than 20 years, especially for larger chemical firms. This project sets out to fill a gap between them and smaller companies that often lack the know-how and the right tools to effectively control energy use and run their plants in an energy efficient way.”