During the General Assembly Mr. Friedrich Barth gave a presentation to introduce the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Center (ISC3), which has been founded by the German government as an independent thinktank for developing a view on global sustainable chemical developments. His presentation focused on the megatrends influencing the chemical distribution business environment. A clear shift is visible from the EU and USA to China and India. Mr. Barth illustrated this by explaining that China has used more cement in the past three years, than the US has done in the entire 20th century. The number of patents filed in Asia has soared past those in the West. Partly pushed by demand for sustainable solutions, there will be far-reaching technological innovations, for instance in the field of nanomaterials and blockchain.  He gave an overview of the impact of the megatrends and technological developments on different markets, such as nutrition, automotive and personal care. He noted that chemistry is a crucial facilitator of these developments, as is also acknowledged by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. Barth indicated he hoped ICTA and ISC3 would cooperate to stimulate sustainable chemistry. See here for his slides.