Across every sector, from energy and materials to transportation and manufacturing, the call for sustainability is growing louder—and more urgent. Climate change, resource scarcity, shifting consumer values, and tightening regulations have all converged into a global reckoning: business as usual will no longer suffice. To remain viable, industries must reimagine not just what they produce, but how they operate—from supply chains and energy sources to waste management and product design.
Yet despite the imperative, the transition is notoriously difficult. Industrial systems are complex and deeply entrenched. Competitive pressures, fragmented value chains, and the sheer scale of legacy infrastructure can make sustainable transformation feel impossible. In many sectors, especially the chemical industry, collaboration between rivals is rare, innovation cycles are long, and the stakes—economic, environmental, and social—are extraordinarily high.
This is precisely the terrain where Charlie Tan thrives. As CEO of the Global Impact Coalition (GIC), Charlie is doing what many deemed improbable: getting some of the largest chemical giants to work together on solving sustainability’s toughest problems. By championing radical
collaboration, systems-level thinking, and results-driven innovation, he is catalyzing an industrial movement that prioritizes climate action without compromising competitiveness.
Whether it’s launching joint R&D initiatives to tackle plastic waste, piloting circular supply chain models, or amplifying corporate commitments at global forums, Charlie’s leadership is redefining what progress looks like in hard-to-abate industries. His work isn’t just about driving change—it’s about making sustainability operational, scalable, and, most importantly, shared.
Driving Collective Reinvention
Charlie’s journey into climate innovation didn’t start in an office environment —it started knee-deep in the realities of waste. He used to run a successful shipping waste oil collection business, working in ports around Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where the environmental impact was inescapable and impossible to ignore. It was gritty, it was complex, and it taught him two things fast: one, the sustainability gap is often operational, not ideological; and two, change only happens when you align interests across players who don’t normally sit at the same table.
Later, at the World Economic Forum, Charlie had the chance to scale that thinking globally, working with CEOs, ministers, and innovators trying to drive systemic change. That experience gave him a front-row seat to what works (and what doesn’t) when you’re trying to build real momentum across sectors.
The idea for GIC came from seeing the same pattern repeat: high-level ambition on climate, but limited follow-through at scale. He worked closely on the foundations of GIC when it was being built inside the WEF, so it seemed a natural fit to transition to the role of CEO. It certainly wasn’t handed to him, and had to be built from scratch, but with a broader level conviction that collective leadership could fill a critical gap between ambition and action.
Now at GIC, Charlie has brought those lessons with him: stay grounded in operational reality, focus on outcomes, and build coalitions that actually deliver.
Turning Ambition into Action
At the Global Impact Coalition (GIC), the mission is to accelerate the chemical industry’s transition to net-zero emissions and circularity by co-developing solutions that are commercially scalable and impossible to achieve alone. It is not a think tank—it is a CEO-led platform that transforms ideas into real-world impact. Its members include some of the world’s largest chemical companies, and together, they tackle high-risk, high-reward challenges through shared investment, technical collaboration, and rapid project deployment.
“Less talk, more results” is more than a mantra—it’s GIC’s operating model. For instance, its circular plastics initiative in the automotive sector: with over 100 kg of plastics used per vehicle and less than 10% recycled globally, the EU’s End-of-Life Vehicle regulation is pushing manufacturers to rethink their materials. GIC stepped in to unite chemical majors, OEMs, and recyclers to build a cross-industry solution that addresses supply, traceability, and material specifications. It has already launched pilots, tested recycled materials in actual car parts, and is now building a roadmap to scale across markets.
From advanced recycling and direct waste-to-chemical conversion to sustainable olefins and R&D hubs, GIC’s portfolio is designed to de-risk innovation, connect value chains, and scale what works. It is proving that when industry leaders collaborate, sustainability becomes not just possible—but profitable.
Global Impact
The WEF gave GIC its first breath of air —and that mattered. It allowed GIC to launch with access to top-tier leaders across industries and geographies and gave early credibility to what it was building. But from the beginning, the organization knew it didn’t want to stay in a purely convening role. It wanted to move fast, stay lean, and be laser-focused on results—not just visibility. That’s why a decision was made to spin out as an independent, Swiss-based association.
GIC has kept the global reach, the senior-level access, and the spirit of collaboration that WEF helped catalyse. But it has built its own model of governance and built its own strategy for impact. Given the hard times the industry is facing, it is important to lead with the value proposition.
Every member of GIC has skin in the game. They co-fund projects, they sit on the Executive Committee and CEO Advisory Boards, and they help steer the priorities.
“It’s not just symbolic membership—it’s active collaboration. That structure gives us the flexibility to work across borders and sectors while staying grounded in real outcome delivery,” emphasizes Charlie.
Where Urgency Meets Execution
GIC focuses on solutions that are both climate-relevant and commercially viable in the short to mid-term. That means looking for projects that already have some market traction, but need a coordinated push—whether that’s shared investment, demand aggregation, or regulatory clarity. It doesn’t chase shiny ideas that look great on slides but can’t scale.
Charlie shares that it’s also about timing. One needs to act with urgency, but one can’t rush things that aren’t ready. They ask: What will make a difference in the next 2–5 years, not just the next quarter? And who needs to be at the table to make that happen?
“For me, it’s a mindset shift. Urgency doesn’t mean chaos. And feasibility doesn’t mean playing it safe. It’s about finding that edge—where ambition and practicality meet—and putting real resources behind it. That’s where the work gets interesting,” says Charlie.
Prioritizing the Initiatives
To gain clarity on which technologies or initiatives need to be prioritized within the coalition, Charlie tries to ask three key questions before incubating anything:
Does it align with high-impact pathways for the chemical industry?
For example, the IEA highlights electrolytic hydrogen and CCU as primary tools for chemical industry decarbonization, alongside high-temperature heat pumps for energy efficiency. Similarly, chemical recycling is gaining traction—Europe recycles only ~30% of plastics, while post-consumer plastics in landfill or incineration represent ~67%, indicating massive room for improvement.
Is real demand building—but blocked by coordination challenges or unclear policy?
Take plastics for automotive: the global chemical recycling market is approaching USD 15 billion in 2023 with 9.4 % CAGR, driven by demand from automotive OEMs. Yet fragmented supply chains and patchy regulations mean projects stall in pilot mode.
Is there committed leadership?
Every GIC initiative needs executive leadership who are ready to co-invest, open operations, and steer scale-up. Without that, even promising projects never leave the runway.
Ensuring Scalability
Charlie often finds that too many climate initiatives get stuck in “pilot paralysis”—great ideas, great press releases, but no pathway to scale. With the GIC, his team does try and build for commercial scale from day one. That means they don’t run pilots just to prove technology—they run them to test market readiness, business models, and the real-world frictions that come with cross-company collaboration.
He believes a key part of this is starting by making sure the right players are at the table early—procurement teams, commercial leads, not just sustainability officers. If the people responsible for buying, scaling, or integrating a solution aren’t involved, the pilot won’t go anywhere.
Second, every project has shared ownership. GIC’s members co-fund, co-design, and commit resources—not just opinions. That level of skin in the game helps avoid the “we’ll watch and see” dynamic that kills momentum.
Third, they focus heavily on market signals and regulation. For example, in their automotive plastics project, they mapped upcoming EU End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) regulations directly to recycling integration targets. That alignment gives the pilot a real policy tailwind—and de-risks commercial buy-in.
Finally, they don’t wait until a pilot ends to plan for scale. They identify early what the scale barriers are—feedstock availability, lack of demand certainty, policy gaps—and begin solving those in parallel.
Building Momentum with First-Year Wins
It’s been a tough year for the chemical industry—margin pressure, regulatory shifts, and growing investor scrutiny. So, the fact that GIC has grown its membership during this period says a lot.
Charlie shares that they have welcomed new global players—spanning chemicals, mobility, and recycling—which tells that what they’re building at GIC is not just relevant, but urgently needed. Companies aren’t joining for the branding. They’re joining because they see GIC as a platform that helps them de-risk, accelerate, and scale sustainability commitments in a commercially smart way.
On the delivery side, GIC launched its first flagship project: a circular plastics initiative focused on the automotive sector. It’s a space with high pressure—OEMs need to integrate more recycled content to meet new EU targets, yet the supply chain is fragmented. GIC brought the key players together—chemical producers, carmakers, recyclers—and co-designed two real-world pilots, now underway in Europe.
On top of this, it is announcing at the end of summer 2 additional spin-offs from the GIC, with completely different focuses, but equally as important. And much more to come!
Promising Technologies for Decarbonization
GIC focuses on technologies that are commercially relevant, strategically aligned with global decarbonization priorities, and stuck—usually because of fragmentation, cost barriers, or policy uncertainty. GIC’s role is to unlock that next level of momentum by bringing the right companies together around shared solutions.
Right now, shares Charlie, a few areas stand out:
Traceable recycled plastics
GIC’s work in the automotive sector is advancing the use of high-quality, chemically recycled plastics in real vehicle components—like bumpers and interior trims. What’s promising isn’t just the tech—it’s the infrastructure we’re building around it: shared standards, traceability tools, and joint investment in feedstock sourcing. With the upcoming EU ELV regulation demanding more recycled content, this is a clear decarbonization lever with market demand behind it.
Drop-in low-carbon feedstocks
GIC is exploring how to accelerate the use of bio-based or waste-based feedstocks that can replace fossil-based inputs in existing chemical infrastructure. These “drop-in” solutions avoid the cost and complexity of retooling entire plants, which makes them scalable if supply and certification barriers are solved—something GIC is actively working on.
Barriers Hindering Circularity
One of the biggest barriers, per Charlie, is fragmentation—across supply chains, standards, and incentives. There are recyclers, chemical producers, and end users all speaking different languages, operating on different timelines, and dealing with different regulations. That lack of alignment makes it incredibly difficult to scale circular solutions.
Second, there’s a major trust and traceability gap. Companies want to use recycled content, but they don’t always trust the quality or can’t prove where the material came from. Without reliable data and certification systems, recycled plastics remain niche instead of mainstream.
Third, the business case is often shaky. Virgin materials are still cheaper in many cases, and policy frameworks aren’t yet doing enough to tip the balance. Even companies that want to shift to circular models struggle to justify the cost, especially in a margin-constrained environment like we’ve seen this past year.
Aligning for the Common Goals
As the CEO, Charlie needs to foster alignment among GIC’s diverse members. This alignment starts with a shared reality: every one of the members—whether it’s BASF, LG Chem, Mitsubishi Chemical Group, or others—is under pressure to decarbonise, secure supply chains, and respond to customers and regulators who are demanding more sustainable products. So, while they may compete in some areas, they’re facing many of the same challenges—and increasingly see collaboration as a strategic advantage, not a risk.
GIC helps them focus on what unites them, not what separates them. GIC structures its projects around common bottlenecks: fragmented infrastructure, regulatory uncertainty, and unclear demand signals. “When you put those problems on the table, it’s amazing how quickly alignment starts to form,” remarks Charlie.
GIC also makes sure the members have skin in the game. This isn’t a passive network—one doesn’t join just to listen in. Every member contributes funding, helps shape the agenda, and commits resources to delivery. That shared ownership drives accountability.
“And finally, we keep the conversation high-level and hands-on. We’ve got CEOs and executive teams aligned, but we also engage deeply with the technical and commercial leads to make sure what we’re building is actionable. It’s that top-down and bottom-up approach that makes the coalition actually work,” says Charlie.
Blueprint for Industrial Sustainability
Charlie believes the future circular chemical industry will feel, hopefully, surprisingly normal. That’s the goal. Recycled feedstocks, carbon transparency, and circular design won’t be innovation headlines—they’ll just be how the system works. The products won’t change—but the processes, the supply chains, and the emissions behind them will look totally different.
His job as CEO of the GIC is to help make that shift both faster and easier for the companies trying to lead. Right now, the burden of change is still too high. It’s hard to secure consistent recycled feedstocks. It’s hard to trace emissions. It’s hard to make a circular product that also works commercially. GIC exists to lower those barriers—by creating shared solutions, shared infrastructure, and shared investment.
“How close are we? Honestly, we’re maybe 30% there, closer in some product categories, like packaging, but much further behind in complex sectors like automotive or electronics. The technical tools are emerging. What’s missing is system-level alignment and scale. That’s what we’re building. But I’m optimistic. What we’re seeing now—from regulations to customer demand to investor pressure—is creating a new kind of momentum. Companies aren’t asking “if” anymore. They’re asking “how”—and that’s a major shift,” concludes Charlie.
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A Quote to Live By:
One quote that’s stuck with Charlie is: “Don’t confuse motion with progress.”
He explains:
“In the sustainability world—and especially in big industry—it’s easy to stay busy. There are always meetings, roadmaps, and projects to work on. But activity isn’t the same as impact. I try to remind myself (and the teams I work with) that doing less, better, is often more powerful than chasing everything at once. Focused action beats scattered effort every time.
It’s something we take seriously at GIC. We’re not here to be the loudest voice in the room—we’re here to get real things done.”
