Chemicals

GMA Chemicals focuses on accelerating deep decarbonization of the chemicals sector, while supporting efforts to address chemicals’ non-climate impacts.

Outputs from the chemicals sector play an important role in our lives. Our food, healthcare, transport, housing, and many other things rely on products from the chemicals sector. However, chemicals production is also the largest industrial energy consumer and the third largest source of industrial CO2 emissions. Not only are the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions significant, they are projected to rise if no action is taken to decarbonize the sector – and the sector is not currently on track to remain within carbon budgets consistent with global climate goals.

While decarbonizing the chemicals sector is critical for the achievement of these climate goals, the complex, distributed nature of the sector, and its heavy reliance on fossil fuels both as energy and as product feedstocks, contribute to making the chemicals sector particularly hard to abate. In addition to emissions abatement, many products from the chemicals sector are also contributors to the global plastics waste crisis.

GMA Chemicals, in partnership with RMI, is facilitating collective procurement of low-emission chemical products through a book-and-claim system. The initiative aggregates demand from companies across consumer goods, technology, packaging, apparel, and healthcare sectors to enable direct transactions between corporate buyers and chemical producers. Through Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs), member companies can financially support decarbonization at chemicals manufacturing facilities and address upstream Scope 3 emissions—without requiring restructuring of complex supply chains. Email chemicals@gmacenter.org to learn more.

RFP for Low-Emissions Ethylene

GMA and RMI will launch a Request for Proposal (RFP) for low-emissions ethylene in Q1 2026. Ethylene is the backbone of most common plastics and the single largest contributor to petrochemical emissions. Following a successful Request for Information that closed in December 2025, this pilot procurement will enable chemical producers to offer Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) to corporate buyers seeking to address upstream Scope 3 emissions from petrochemical inputs. More details will be shared when the RFP is released.