UKLA President’s Report
In an earlier column in Lube magazine, I made reference to “VUCA”, the term used to describe the increasing Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity in today’s world. Whilst often applied to global politics and also to businesses and organisations involved in more fashionable enterprises and industries, it certainly applies to the world of lubricants too.
The nature and the speed of change (Volatility) continues to accelerate, driven particularly by the possibilities of digitalisation and other technologies and also by the torrent of information, amongst other factors. Customer demands change more rapidly, planning cycles become shorter, and you have to sift out the real information you need from all the data.
The lack of predictability (Uncertainty) in many aspects of our business, economic and political environment also makes planning more hazardous, especially over the long term.
UEIL President’s Report
I hope that the summer was an opportunity to relax and recharge your batteries. For me, this was one of the best summer holidays ever. Last year, on a particularly dark and cold Swedish winter day, we decided to book a summer trip to Costa Rica, without knowing much about the country, the only rationale for the decision being that it was warm and inexpensive. We discovered the most amazing country, with incredible nature, and home to 6% of the world’s biodiversity.
Since the 1980s the Costa Rican government has made environmental protection a top priority, and in 2009 it started a comprehensive plan to achieve the objective of a neutral carbon footprint by 2021. Over the last four years, the country has generated more than 95% of its domestic electricity from renewable energy, with its latest record being the ability to run 300 days on 100% renewable energy in 2018.
While Costa Rica is leading the way globally in terms of investment in renewable energy, the EU is also making progress towards a climate-neutral, circular economy. In March the Commission presented the results of its three year Circular Economy Action Plan
4 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.153 OCTOBER 2019
The multiple factors and interconnected forces you need to take into consideration (Complexity) make decision- making more complicated, especially for those trading across global regions.
And old certainties are being challenged, and power and influence are being diffused, making situations more Ambiguous than before.
It’s certainly a fascinating time, for the industry as well as in our politics globally, and the best strategy is to embrace these new uncertainties, whilst sticking to fundamental principles, such as providing clear and ethical leadership, formulating well-thought through strategies, and subjecting decisions to rigorous analysis, whilst staying flexible to modify your plans as situations change.
David Hopkinson, UKLA President
and outlined the potential for (1) further strengthening the policies supporting circular, sustainable products, (2) developing tools aimed at protecting the environment and human health, (3) making products more energy and resource efficient, and (4)
empowering consumers to choose better products.
At UEIL’s Annual Congress on 23-25 October 2019 in Cannes we will have a session dedicated to the circular economy and are honoured to have Pénélope Vincent-Sweet, an expert working for the European Environment Bureau, speaking about the EU policy landscape on the Circular Economy. The session will also include a panel discussion where Dimitris Kontaxi (Federation of Recycling & Energy Recovery Industries and Enterprises in Greece) and Apu Gosalia (Fuchs) will join Mrs Vincent-Sweet to discuss with all delegates how the circular economy is shaping the European Lubricants industry.
I am very excited about this year’s Congress and I look forward to seeing you in Cannes!
Valentina Serra-Holm, UEIL President
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