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Efficiency and innovation have quietly embedded sustainability into the DNA of the chemical industry—long before the hype cycles and regulatory pressures. Mitch Toomey, VP of Sustainability and Responsible Care at the American Chemistry Council (ACC), joins host Victoria Meyer to discuss how sustainability priorities are shaped by business needs, customer expectations, and practical realities. Mitch shares his journey from management consulting to the United Nations, BASF, and now ACC, spotlighting the business case for sustainability and the real progress chemical companies are making in reducing emissions and waste, even as industry output grows.
The conversation explores how the expectations around sustainability have shifted, why incremental improvements and transparency matter, and how the value chain—spanning suppliers, manufacturers, and customers—is working together to deliver meaningful results. Mitch addresses common public misconceptions about the chemical industry, offers insights into aligning diverse member interests at ACC, and closes with advice for future leaders who want to make an impact across business and policy.
Victoria and Mitch explore the following topics on this episode:
- The business case for sustainability: how efficiency and profitability drive lasting change
- Why chemical companies focus on practical, measurable sustainability improvements.
- How chemistry shapes everyday life
- Aligning diverse players across the chemical value chain for real sustainability progress.
- Mitch Toomey’s advice on careers and impact in sustainable chemistry.
Killer Quote: "What’s a safe and sustainable facility is a profitable facility." – Mitch Toomey
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Creators and Guests
What is The Chemical Show: Where Leaders Talk Business?
Looking to lead, grow, and stay ahead in the trillion-dollar global chemical industry? The Chemical Show - the #1 business podcast for the chemical industry - is your go-to resource for leadership insights, business strategies, and real-world lessons from the executives shaping the future of chemicals. Grow your knowledge, your network, and your impact.
Each week, you'll hear from executives from across the industry - from Fortune 50 to midsize to startups. You’ll hear how they're tacking today's challenges and opportunities, their origin story (what got them here!), how you can take and apply these lessons and insights to your own business and career.
We talk:
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Founder and host Victoria King Meyer is an expert interviewer - who brings out the best in each guest. She gained her industry experience at leading companies, including Shell, LyondellBasell and Clariant. Today, she is a high-performance coach and advisor to business leaders in chemicals and energy, as well as the host of The Chemical Show podcast, and founder of The Chemical Summit.
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Welcome to The Chemical Show, the
podcast where Chemical means business.
I'm your host, Victoria Meyer,
bringing you stories and insights
from leaders driving innovation and
growth across the chemical industry.
Each week we explore key trends,
real world challenges, and the
strategies that make an impact.
Let's get started.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Welcome back to The Chemical Show.
Today I am speaking with Mitch Tome,
who is the VP of Sustainability
and responsible care at ACC,
the American Chemistry Council.
Mitch has a mix of public and private
sector experience, um, across a
variety of roles in sustainability
and strategy, including with
United Nations and with BASF.
Before he joined a c.
C in 2022, Mitch and I are gonna
have a great conversation about the
business case for sustainability, why
sustainability still matters and more.
Mitch, welcome to the Chemical Show.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
Thank you.
It's great to be here.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Great to have you.
Let's start with your origin story.
What got you interested in sustainability
and ultimately into chemicals?
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: Um,
it's a, it's an interesting route.
Um, and I, I started, uh, in kind
of management consulting and on the
business side, when looking at ways
to eliminate waste and inefficiency
in businesses, really looking at it
just from the bottom line perspective,
as you normally would in, in a.
in a management consulting assignment.
what I found was that the efficiencies
gained by doing a, a better, a, a more
efficient way of doing business had,
uh, dividends that were non-financial.
You know, and, and if a, if a company
would show, so choose, they could market
their, their products by advertising
some of these efficiencies that they
gained, for example, and less using
less water or, uh, producing less waste.
Almost as a, a kind of an add-on benefit,
uh, to the, the kind of, the better.
Financial return on the product.
And so that was a, uh, a, a a great,
uh, kind of field of, of innovation,
uh, looking at ways to, to, you know,
simply make businesses more efficient.
When I, uh, saw that the United Nations,
uh, was really, you know, taking a, a,
a new new stake at, uh, looking at their
own operations and the efficiencies there,
I found that to be like an incredibly
exciting challenge, the, the idealism
in me about, you know, maybe using this,
this kind of opportunity and my skills to.
To, to, uh, better, uh, how the,
the world tackles these things
was a, an appealing, uh, idea.
I spent 15 years at the UN in different
capacities bringing that kind of
mindset to, the sustainability and the
environmental aspects and, and making
sure that there was a grounding, uh,
a bit in a business case, uh, for,
for making, taking that forward.
'cause what what we were determining
at the UN at that time was, while
this is a public sector, kind of
agreement and the, the, the things that.
Can, can happen, uh, with the kind of
national agreements at the United Nations.
The real work happens
in the private sector.
The real work happens in converting
those aspirations into practicalities.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah,
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
I was very interested in how that,
you know, kind of transition from
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: I.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
aspiration to the reality works,
uh, studied carefully what, uh,
which, which industries were both.
Most kind of integral to,
to kind of managing these
efficiencies and the chemistry.
The business of chemistry seemed
so important to every industry.
It really caught my attention
and I, I dove in full force.
Uh, I did end up moving over to BASF,
uh, looking at, uh, taking their.
Their programs into North America,
into a market-based system.
Really exciting to, to learn the business.
Uh, and I found my way here to ACC
looking at not only the deep, uh, kind of
understanding of the chemical business,
but this larger picture of how do we,
how do we play our role in society?
What do we, how do we
bring folks together?
do we ensure that folks understand
what we do and, and the value
we bring, to this conversation?
And, you know, and the, and the
efforts and the actions we're taking,
uh, to make, make positive change.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
That's great.
I love that.
In fact, a couple things
that stand out for me.
Number one, you talk about efficiency and.
I often say the chemical industry is
inherently sustainable because we are
always looking, not necessarily for
sustainability in its truest sense, but
inherently it's been about efficiencies.
How do we take that waste stream
and turn it into something better?
How do we have less emissions?
Because emissions are both, you
know, bad from the environment,
but also they're costly.
So it's this whole aspect of.
Building sustainability in because
it makes good business sense and
there's a good ROI, as opposed to it's
just this targeted, uh, aspiration.
Right.
So it's
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: That's
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: kind of just
worked work its way into, its our DNA.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: It,
it is so hard to, in a market system,
it, you know, you can't push a button
and, and have all the actors in your
economy, uh, act in a certain way.
We wouldn't want that.
That's, that's the, the joy of, of,
of living in a, in a kind of a, an
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
uh, as we do.
Uh, however, the downside of that is
you can't program in societal change
as you might through an authoritarian,
uh, kind of, of centrally government.
Managed, uh, regime.
But that's okay because it does happen.
And I think that the customers in this
case are making their interests known.
Uh, businesses are adapting to, appeal to
these customers just as we always have.
I mean, let's, let's remember this,
this industry and our organization
is, uh, is over, uh, a century old, a
century and a half, and, and we've seen
a lot of, a lot of societal change.
And you know, as we know in this
country, we come up with amazing
innovations to get us through challenges,
because we have this open invitation,
uh, to join into the marketplace.
And so I
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Absolutely.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
really an important, uh, you know,
consideration is that it's not just
deciding that this is the direction we
should go, but the incremental choices
to satisfy customers along the way.
And not, you know, and to maintain
a sustainable business, which is
one that can indeed offer a return
and can keep itself in business,
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
for the long term.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Yeah, I mean, I, I think
that's so, uh, important and I
think as you're, as you point
out, innovation comes through
creativity as opposed to having
too many boundary conditions.
I mean, you still have to have boundary
conditions, but, um, we probably wouldn't
have some of the innovations we had have
today had we been following a really set
path, and structure that was required.
So,
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: I
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: so,
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
something you just
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
of the industry and
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
we'll get to it again.
But, you know, we, we have, um,
data, through our Recon Responsible
Care program that, that tracks
the emissions of our members.
That shows the emissions
intensity has decreased.
or so since, uh, 2017.
Um, we can get the, the specific number.
I, I, maybe Jenny has the, but you
know, this shows that regardless of
the external forces and, you know,
the societal demands, this has been
an effort to, uh, eliminate waste and,
and kind of watch the bottom line.
Uh, and we've seen that intensity
of waste, uh, decrease because it's
more efficient and more profitable.
To have a lower waste system.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: absolutely.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: that
we, we are, I think, optimally aligned
with the society's, interests here.
Uh, because it, you know what's,
uh, a safe and sustainable
facility is a profitable facility.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Absolutely.
And I think what's interesting
with that data that the decline,
uh, in emissions since 2017.
We've grown as an industry.
Our output has grown, so our output has
grown and our emissions have reduced,
which is a win-win, win for everybody.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
It is hard sometimes with these
big challenges that always seem
intractable to, to recognize the,
the, the progress we've made.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah,
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
I think it is important because
so much work has gone into
innovation and thinking of new ways
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: I, yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
uh, old problems.
It never feels like it's enough, but I
think we, we, we owe it to ourselves to,
to reflect on the positives that have,
that have, uh, happened over the past.
Uh, this, this, this has been an
incredible, uh, period of innovation.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
Absolutely.
So Mitch, I know one of the things
we're talking about today is around
the business case for sustainability.
Mm-hmm.
But what really makes
a sustainable business?
Well, great, great question.
And this is probably true of
anything within our industry or
without, it's basically a, you
know, a sustainable business is.
A business that can operate, you
know, profitably, efficiently, safely,
and, and survive for the long term.
You know?
And so I think that regardless of, you
know, the new kind of externalities and
the new expectations of sustainability,
I think it's important to remember
that we've always had a, an issue
of is it a sustainable business?
When I was in business school, you
know, you would be challenged to,
to, okay, if you're gonna design
a business, how can you make sure
that it has its own internal?
Profitability mechanism to, to
stay in business and doesn't
always require new capital.
And so, you know, that's where we started.
And I think that that's a
sustainable business now.
It does, you know, as I
said, safely and efficiently.
Well, this is where we bring in
kind of society's interests in
the sustainability of a business.
But, you know, you, you do this by,
you know, using your materials very
efficiently by, by, you know, scrutinizing
your waste streams and, and anything that
might be producing slack in your company.
And so.
This is a, this is a perfect
reminder of how important that is.
In running a business now as we add
on, you know, kind of environmental
responsibility and so on, it has to
be seen through that very same frame.
So you have to, you have to find a
way to add those benefits on to the
core factor of having a business that.
Is able to stay in business, able to
maintain the jobs, able to maintain
its, its tax, pa tax, uh, payments
into the, into society and so on.
So that's the first and foremost role
and responsibility of a, of a business.
Yeah.
And a sustainable business is
one that can maintain itself.
Yeah, that's great.
And in fact, uh, you know, there's so many
companies across the chemical industry
that have been in business for 75 years,
a hundred years, a hundred plus years.
That truly is the market sustainability.
And you're doing it not just because
of profitability, but it's also
being a good corporate citizen.
Right?
This whole aspect of license to
Operate, which ties in with a lot of
things I know that a, c, C and its
member companies work on in terms of.
Safety and sustainability and
emissions and responsible care, that
it all becomes part and parcel of
what becomes a sustainable business.
That's right.
You reduce waste, you
pay less for disposal.
I mean, it is very clear that there's an
economic return to these, to these things.
You know, if you can do your.
Resource management.
Well, you avoid legal risks and, you know,
regulatory reputational risks and so on.
And so that, that's, that's allowing you
to, to kind of just maintain your role as
a positive member of the, of the economy.
Let's get back to basics here,
but, you know, this is a, a
big changes take a long time.
We, we wanna make sure
that we have responsible.
Actors in the, in the mix.
And as you said, our members have, you
know, they, they've been in business
for a long time, but I have to, I,
I'll tell you, they have changed what
they've made over that time to respond
to society's demands, you know, and
that's how they stay in business.
And so, so you have to be ready for that.
And, and we're seeing a, you know,
kind of a, a very interesting, uh,
set of new expectations and interests.
Uh, but they only lay on top of a
sustainable, uh, business model.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Absolutely.
So let's talk a little bit about
sustainability priorities, um, for ACC.
How, you know, obviously you've
got a lot of experience, Mitch, in
figuring this stuff out on a global
stage and then here on a US stage.
But you know, when we look at it, what
are the sustainability priorities for
ACC, and then how do you align them or
how do they align with the industry and
with your member company priorities?
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: Sure.
Well, it's, you know, I think
our, our basic priorities
are very human priorities.
It's, you know, clean, water and
air, you know, high quality, looking
at, uh, circularity and reducing
waste, as we've just talked about,
that, you know, no one wants to.
a big wasteful system, whether it's at
their household or, or in a company.
And of course looking at things like
emissions, greenhouse gas, how can we
reduce those, um, to the degree we, can
Now, those priorities are not just for
our own facilities, but we feel we have,
uh, kind of a role to play as we have
in society over, over time, to bring
solutions to our customer industries
so that they can further innovate.
at the long stretch of history, you
know, we've, we had a, a, a worry
that we wouldn't have enough food to,
to, to satisfy the human population.
Well, amazing chemistry
innovations came and nitrogen,
uh, fertilizers were invented.
And, and suddenly we now, can
basically pull fertilizer from the air.
These amazing, they, these, uh, these
chemistry solutions that have come.
And now we, we do have a.
you know, the, a plan, uh, for, for, for
serving humanity, um, you know, these
medical devices, uh, dis distribution
of, uh, immunizations or whatever kind
of, uh, medical equipment you need, uh,
the sanitation and the sanitary state
of that can only be achieved through,
uh, through careful use of chemistry.
And, you know, these, these
applications are just as important
as what we do within our facilities.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Yeah, I like that.
And in fact, sometimes I think emit,
you and I both know, you know, when you.
Get outside the industry and you're
talking to people that aren't actively
engaged, that will sometimes, you know,
throw down these statements of, oh,
plastics are bad, or chemicals are bad.
It's like, well, do you
like washing your clothes?
Do you like having clean clothes?
Do you like having appropriate
sanitization of medical equipment?
How about that fine little
phone that you've got?
That's.
Made up of electrical components,
but a whole lot of chemical
components or chemically influenced
components in manufacturing.
And um, I think it's just a good reminder.
I think you guys use the statistic,
something like, what is it,
98% of everything is touched
by the business of chemistry.
Is that right?
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: Yes, uh,
it is and, and I, and I think it's, it's
an important thing to recognize that, you
know, we are an, an industry that, that.
certain raw materials into useful other
materials and, you know, that, that,
that is the, uh, a critical point.
And that's, you know, when I, when
I reflected on my, my career choice
of moving into this industry, it
was just that, just that thing.
'cause we were seeing amazing progress
on how people would, compensate for their
kind of the, the energy they were using.
They were getting, uh, you know, credits
for, for using, uh, certain types
of energy sources over, over others.
But there was no discussion
like that on materials.
Like how do you, how do you
get credits and benefits for.
For, for using a, a, a material
that has a lower, uh, lower
waste footprint or something.
And so that's where we are now.
And we we're trying to find ways to,
to securitize that and to show people
that, hey, you can buy a product that has
these ingredients in it , and it's up to
you, the consumer to make that choice.
There's no, no government
telling you what to buy.
But, you know, we're seeing a a, a
diversity of, of interests out in
the marketplace as we always have.
And, and chemistry is able
to satisfy all of them.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Yeah, absolutely.
So I mean that, that ties into this.
You know, I think about sustainability
as a, as sustainability with a big
S as I frame it, which seemed to
really kind of reach peak hype, if
you will, 20 20, 20 21, during the
pandemic, I mean, where everybody's.
Seemed to be focused on sustainability,
greenhouse gas emissions.
It became an everyday word.
A lot of companies set aspirational goals.
Of course, consumers say that
they want sustainable products.
They may not want to pay for sustainable
products, which is its own dilemma.
And yet today we're kind of in a different
economic environment, a different set of,
uh, governments across the world in place.
Um, and some of that
hype seems to have faded.
Yet, it's still really important.
So from your perspective,
what is that shift?
How do you see this evolution of
sustainability from where we were,
let's say 2020 to where we are today?
2025, heading into 2026.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
That's a great question.
I, I think about it a lot.
I, you know, you look at history, you
think of the, the, the Al Gore days.
There seemed to be, you know,
this, it almost a big movement
that was about to start.
And it, floundered because
of, uh, economic and, and, uh,
geopolitical con conditions as well.
Uh, so this is not a new
conversation, but I think what
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: you
know, and I reflect on my time at the, at
the UN around this time, you know, we had
the Pope in 2015 and, and Mark Zuckerberg,
you know, everybody descending.
It seemed like all of society
was, was asking, uh, leaders to,
to pay attention to these things.
And, we'd kind of come through
a lot of, uh, you know, the.
The Cold War and the dividends and so on.
Uh, you know, what do we do now that
we've got this, you, this future together?
And, um, looking at every country
as, as having some work to do on,
improving the lives of their citizens.
And so there's a lot of,
unstructured ambition out there.
Uh, and it seemed to coalesce into this
program of, you know, especially around
the, the climate and these things that
are everybody's job, but nobody's job.
You know, everybody, everybody has a, a
stake in it, but there's, there's never
been kind of an agreement on how to.
Manage these externalities.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Right.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: so
I think there was, a very interesting
conversation that, that occurred.
And I think that the, you know,
the costs to society and things
became, you know, very important
that we talk about the business case.
You can't just suddenly flip a switch
and, and, uh, convert all of the
industry to a, to a new fuel source
or a new, uh, you know, feedstock mix.
Uh, you know, our, our members, when
they invest in a big facility, they
wanna see it work for 40, 50 years.
And you know, they, they're, um, they
make an investment upfront as, uh,
in, in doing so every time they, they
make one, they, they take advantage of
the biggest new, uh, sustainability,
uh, features and the if efficient
heating and cooling and so on.
So they always become more efficient.
But I think that that's the, you know,
kind of the, the, the progression.
I don't know, did I, did I answer your
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: Mm-hmm.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
No, that's good.
So, you know, I think, I guess
maybe the, the question then is.
What's our current focus?
When you, you know, as you interact
with your, member companies, as you
interact with, government agencies, et
cetera, what's the current focus and
conversation around sustainability?
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
Well, I, I think it's the
business case, uh, conversation.
It's like the, you know, an efficient
company, uh, a safe facility, uh,
is more profitable and, and it's,
you know, the primary driver of
a, of a kind of a, a firm is to.
its customers and deliver economic value.
Obviously the, you know, we as a market
driven society have have looked to
companies to do more than that, and, and
everybody takes a role in, in pushing
forward, societal changes in a, in a,
in an open market system like this.
Nobody, as I said, nobody has one
command and control over that.
What's happening now is,
is folks are looking at.
affordability, you know, uh, looking
at how can they make the most of
their asset base, how can they squeeze
the most profitability out of it?
And it turns out that many of them are
saying, wow, if I make this system just
a little bit more efficient, then it'll
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
you know, pennies on the ton
and that grow, you know, and
that really makes a difference.
So, you know, ironically, we're back to.
The basics we're back to basics
of, you know, what does it mean
to be a sustainable business?
You can stay in business.
And, and I think the, you know, not
to oversimplify it, and I understand
that some of the societal expectations
of change might be more aggressive and
and dramatic than the business cycle,
normal business cycle would allow, but
I think we have to understand that we.
We've built the, you know, this,
the system, to allow us to have
these freedoms and, and the
flexibility in the marketplace.
But we have to take that as,
as an understanding of what
the design constraints are.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
the decision, as the conversation,
you know, the high level conversation
moves, moves on, the actions on
the ground are still happening.
I mean, we
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
who are, , there's a, a
technology called carbon capture.
You may have heard where you, you kind of.
Plug up the smoke stack, if I can use
a, a simple way of talking about it.
And then you, you, you put that exhaust
into a, into a container or you actually
convert it into useful, uh, material.
It's after all it is chemistry.
And you know, we specialize in converting
unusable chemistry into usable chemistry.
And so we've had members take their
exhaust and turn it into products.
And so this is actually now
happening and these are things that
companies are doing not because.
Some NGOs telling them that it's
a good thing to do, but because
they're building a new, uh, frame
of their business through that,
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
also have many members who happen to
have very efficient processes already.
Instead of changing their processes,
they're just talking about it more,
you know, and so that they can
talk about their efficiencies and
their lower, footprints and so on.
Uh, but simply because they've always done
a good job of being an efficient company.
So, you know, the, the
conversation is different.
Uh, there's a concept called
the hype cycle, I don't know.
And on technologies, usually they
talk about, oh, a new ai, it's a,
it's gonna gonna change everything.
And there's a huge bubble of hype.
Inevitably there's a crash.
'cause it doesn't solve
all those problems.
But what you see on, if you look at hi
historical, trends is that it does come
back to about a half what they call
a plateau of productivity, which is
maybe not as high as the hype, but it's
much higher than the starting point.
And so I think what we've seen with
sustainability is we've traveled
through this exuberant, you know,
kind of ambitious phase where everyone
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
looking to see how we could
push it as far as we can.
And now it's hitting a little
bit of the reality check.
Uh, but I think that the, you know, it's
not that the program has failed, it's
just that the ambition was a little bit
too, uh, rapid, for the realities of,
of how it meet needs to be implemented.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Yeah, I think that's right.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
the implementation is not always
as breathtaking in its advances.
Because it is a grind everyday
decisions by people all over this
country in our facilities, making
small tweaks to the controls and,
and, uh, changes to how they.
Formulate, uh, all adding up, to a
new, a new type of, of chemistry.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Yeah, I like that.
And in fact, uh, your, your
colleague, uh, Karen Knick.
Hosted a panel at the Chemical
Summit recently and about the
business case of sustainability.
And that was part of that
conversation with, member companies
around maybe moving past the hype.
Um, and we've certainly
seen recently several m.
Big projects get delayed.
Um, big project announcements that
were considered green or, carbon
neutral carbon reduction projects.
And yet, what we're seeing is a lot
more strategic discipline, right?
So continuous improvement where
there's a real business case and
where action is really achievable.
Right.
So I think it's this, step by
step improvements as opposed to,
uh, you know, I love that phrase
of the hype cycle that you talked
about, because that, you're right.
It, it exists everywhere.
It's like, woo, we're
gonna go change the world.
Well, we are gonna change the world,
but it's not gonna be a big bang.
It's gonna be step by
step in a pragmatic way.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
That's right.
And I think, you know, it, it, we, we
all, uh, see the data, we see the numbers,
uh, the international organizations talk
about which sectors are emitting, how
much you know, of a percentage of the,
you know, and our, our, our industry.
You know, has a, a, a, a piece of that.
I think it's something like 15%
of the emissions, uh, is, is, but
what I always focus on is that 85%
that we sell into, you know, like
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
course we are, we're doing everything.
We, we're reducing our emissions.
We're, we're taking care of our 15%.
We're doing what we, what we
need to do there, as we can,
as we grow more efficient.
But I, I compel folks to, to consider,
the huge upside in using these advances.
To, you know, kind of reduce the
emissions and, and make our, customers
products more efficient as well
by incorporating these efficient
ingredients that we're producing.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Absolutely.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
that it's not just about us, you know,
taking care of our own, which we do,
and our responsible care data has shown.
Transparently what we, our members have
been able to do over the past decades.
but it's also this, this impact, you know,
invite us in, invite chemistry into your
innovation and your product development.
And we're seeing the, these new
conversations between, customers and,
and consumer goods and, packaged goods.
Other things coming to the
chemistry, uh, vendors thing.
How can we do this in a different way?
How can we change the this to to, to
meet our, our new customer demands
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: by
one, product by product, customer by
customer, conversation, by conversation.
The reality is changing.
You know, there are new options, there
are new, uh, abilities and, and the
industries that support us, the power,
uh, energy industry, others, they're,
they're thinking in new ways as well.
So we can do a lot ourselves, but we
are rely on our suppliers, and our
customers to, to kind of bring us along
and, and we bring them along with us.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Yeah, absolutely.
I think it's definitely
a value chain, right?
It's a value chain, uh, not just the
chemical companies, but as you say,
suppliers, customers, and then down
to the consumers as well, right?
I think, uh, even just my own consumer
experience as a consumer, um, and
having a household full of consumers,
but, you know, every time I go to a
industry conference and I learn something
new about the way products are used,
and how improvements are made.
And it's like, oh, well that makes sense.
Right?
I mean, I, I joked earlier about
like our phones, our iPhones, our
androids, whatever people have.
If you think about just how much
technology is harnessed in those
phones, and how the chemical industry
and other industries have evolved and
innovated to make these things work.
Um.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: Yeah.
And it's
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: EVs electric
vehicles like require a whole new set
of paints and coatings and wire coatings
and things that you wouldn't think about.
You're like, oh, we're just
putting the parts together.
No, you're putting the parts together
to work in a better and different way.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
That's right.
That's
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: I, yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
know, it is, a, it's a time of, uh, of.
Dramatic change all
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: you
know, and I think that, you know, we,
we went there, there had been, you
know, these, these economic concerns.
Well, who's gonna pay
for the climate change?
How these products, I think pricing,
has become such a, a dynamic concern.
Uh, you know, in, even for class,
if it's a classic or, or a legacy
products and things, nobody really is.
Certain where pricing
is going on, anything.
So it's a, it's not as easy as
it was to kind of make the case
for, for these new formulations.
But at the same time, because everything
is in flux, if you can show that,
hey, you know, we're gonna do this new
initiative, uh, it'll end up, you know,
satisfying some of our customers who want
sustainability, but we're actually gonna
save a lot of money if we do it this way
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Yeah, absolutely.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
know, and, and our, you know, when we
talk to customers and do surveys and
things, people believe us more when
we say, Hey, this is, you know, we're
not doing this just 'cause it's good.
Right thing to do.
It's actually good for
our business, you know, so
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Right.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
you know, we can, we can make a case.
So we talk to our investors and
other things about this and that
the, the member companies do.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
you know, and it, it's, we, you
have to find those opportunities.
You
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: I.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: navigate
carefully through this complex environment
and find those successes, uh, where,
where the customers, uh, need the most.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Absolutely.
It's all about product
market fit, as they say.
Yeah.
So, clearly, uh, Mitch, one of the
things that you've done throughout
your career is really working with
a wide variety of constituents,
government, non-governmental.
Um, I know that in the work that you
do today, um, with ACC, this whole.
Area of alignment of interests,
across member companies, across
your, you know, the public sector.
What have you found to be really
critical in making that happen?
Because I recognize, certainly for
ACC, there's some of the biggest
companies, fortune 50 companies, top
biggest companies in the, in the world
are part of the chemical industry.
There's also a lot of small companies,
mid-size, small companies So we've
got, you know, we've got companies
that have a variety of interests.
How do you align those interests to get to
a common platform standard and approach?
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: our job
is not to force alignment on our members.
We, we have a, a very
diverse, uh, industry.
Uh,
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
we do, frankly, the, one of the
biggest customer segments of our
industry is our own industry.
And so even those members that are small
are, are interacting with our larger
members and they all, you know, want to,
you know, have the tide lift all boats,
so that we can, um, you know, kind of.
See progress, whether it's small or large,
but again, it comes down to the customer.
You know, every, business, large or
small, their whole job is to create
a customer and to satisfy a customer.
And so they, they need to
find what it will take to, to,
uh, to satisfy the customer.
Now, as I said, we, we've got some small
companies that that just happened to.
chemistry in a certain way that,
uh, everyone wants to do because
it's very efficient and they happen
to have this, they didn't even know
they had sustainability benefits to
sell, and they get to decide whether
they wanna market those or not.
You know, using wood product, you
know, all kinds of things that people,
uh, talk about now and as wanting in
their, in their chemistries and their
products and, Hey, we already do that.
Let's talk about it.
The larger companies have, a lot at stake.
They're, they're huge in operations,
big crackers, big investments.
Um, some of the other companies are,
less of an asset base, but they are
again, subject to the kind of the
demands of those larger companies.
So it's.
E every company has its own, stakeholders,
its own fiduciary responsibility to, its,
its stakeholders and its shareholders
to, to deliver on its own, uh, outcomes.
Uh, but what we attempt to do at ACC
to help all the members see the general
directionality of where things are going.
Um, and, you know, try to advocate
for the interest as broadly as we
can, uh, in, for example, third party.
Standards development.
You know, we're seeing things called
the SBTI, Science-Based Targets
Initiative and, and other things they're,
they're attempting as, as well as they
can to, to provide frameworks for.
Uh, industries to report
their emissions and so on.
And, you know, it's our job to make
sure that they're not making steps
that would make it impossible for our,
our smaller members to, to comply.
But also that there isn't something that's
just so unwieldy that rather large or
smaller members wouldn't be satisfied.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: again,
I think what we, when we talk about going
back to basics, looking at the long game.
The business case for sustainability.
We're not talking about taking,
a totally different direction
on what a company does.
We're talking about using the core
delivery of a, of a company, which
is its products and its satisfied
customers to add on, if possible,
additional benefits to society simply
by reducing the waste, of that process.
And so I think that's a pretty
straightforward way for us.
Larger small companies
to, to align to that.
Uh, you know, there are that some are
being asked to, to make, and, and that's
at a company level if they wish to
enter into those types of commitments.
You know, that's a business strategy.
We don't make that case for
our members as ACC, that is
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
to commit our members to
a specific path forward.
We help them eliminate bottlenecks,
find ways to make things more efficient.
Uh, just as we suggest they, they are
doing in their, in their own operations.
We are helping to do in
the public sector dialogue.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
Love that.
Love that.
So I'm, I'm gonna ask this question
and we can choose to keep it or not.
So currently as we record this,
we're, um, in a government
shutdown, federal shutdown.
How is that affecting the
work that you are doing?
With the government elsewhere, like it's
for, for those of, how about this For
me, I, I get my news from the Wall Street
Journal and, and Chatter, so, uh, it's
hard to see what's really happening.
How does it affect an, an organization
like a c, C and its members?
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
Well, we, you know, we'd like to see,
the government operating well and our,
you know, our members are waiting for
permits, uh, you know, to, to build the
next, locations for America's workforce.
And, and those are in some cases stymied
and, you know, so we, we hate to see that.
And, we're hopeful that they
can resolve these differences.
I think that the bigger.
Picture I'd like to leave though
is this long, long-term thinking.
We have a lot, uh, you know, the,
from a multi-stakeholder approach,
of course, the federal public
sector is incredibly important.
There's a, an enormous amount of value
that comes from having a, a highly
functioning system there for in innovation
new chemistries, you know, allowing
for permitting, you know, the things.
That can only be done at the highest
levels and, will unlock the, you know, the
kind of economic potential of the country.
So we need to, you know, get
back to that and, and accelerate
that and do anything we can.
But you mentioned the
multi-stakeholder approach.
We've, we've got, you know, state, state
officials, uh, municipal officials.
Uh, non-governmental organizations,
charities, religious groups, others, you
know, the whole of society has an opinion
on, on where these things should go.
And government shutdowns don't, don't
shut down those aspects of society.
And so we owe it to our members,
whether we're helping them advocate
for their needs with the, with the
federal government, or with any other.
Uh, jurisdiction or kind of
a group, that work continues.
Um, so I, I think that's,
that's really the answer.
You know, we're, we're in a, we, we we're
150 year old, 160 year old organization.
We are on a long trajectory to serve
the long-term needs of this country.
Uh, we, we see the, the,
the value in a, in a highly
functioning federal government.
And, and we wish to, improve the
efficiency in any way we can propose.
But of course, that's the
business of the American people.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah,
and I guess we're, we'll wait and see.
Hopefully when this is published,
things will be back to normal.
Um, that's, I think everyone's wish.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
see if this, this question
even adds to this, you know,
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Exactly.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
I think we're, we don't have
much, much to say about it and,
and, uh, I would rather focus
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: the
things we can, can have an impact on.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Fair enough.
Fair enough, fair enough.
Okay, so I've got two
final questions for you.
One I think we maybe have already
addressed, but we'll, we'll ask it
again, which is, you know, what's
the biggest misperception that the
public or regulators have about
the chemical industry and how
would you like to correct that?
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: there
are a lot of, oversimplifications,
you know, about how things work in
the world and, and you know, things.
Fall into good and bad buckets, and we
make, you know, we make these decisions.
But I, I think it's important that,-
that folks understand and reflect on,
on, you know, how much of a different
approach our industry is, is taken over
the decades, you know, and, a kind, a real
inward focus on, you know, what can we do
to make sure that we're doing the right
thing as an industry and sharing that.
And that's our responsible care program.
I think over the past decades, uh, really
since the, you know, to turn to the.
The century.
We've been looking at, being transparent,
you know, showing, you know, what we're,
what we're up to, and, and you know,
the kind of the, how we operate, how
we improve year over year in the, in
the things that, uh, folks are worried
about and, uh, the emissions and so on.
It's been instructive to, to,
to show folks that, but there's
always a, a, a challenge in, in.
In talking to folks about things
that they can't touch and feel and,
and, and understand, uh, you know,
the, the abstractions that we need.
uh, the scientists of, of this country
that this industry have done miracles in.
Providing a, a gateway for, for the, the,
kind of raw materials that this, this,
this earth has provided us into these
highly refined solutions for health and,
and communications and, uh, wellbeing.
In that process, we sometimes forget,
how important the, the chemistry
process is to, to, to having all
those things as, as you mentioned.
So I think it's, it's not a
misconception as to that there's,
there's some specific fact that there,
that folks are, are getting wrong.
It's just that how, how much
progress we've made, how clean.
Safe, you know, uh, these, these
industries are the facilities.
I think if you were to take folks
through a chemical facility, they
would be surprised to see the kind
of the laboratory conditions and the,
and the hygiene and the cleanliness.
'cause they're maybe a con conception of
some, something from the 1970s that they,
they learned about in a, in a textbook.
So, you know, we've
come, we've come so far.
As a, as a country, I look at every
industry, how, how far we've progressed on
safety and automobiles and, and elsewhere.
This the very same progression, if not
more so because we, we know how important
it's in our industry has happened.
And folks would be delighted to, to
see, that they can be proud of their
American chemical, uh, industry, uh, even
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
other countries.
'cause we take, our role so
seriously, we, we audit the, the
data coming out of our members.
We really wanna make sure that
we're making that case very clearly.
This country's a fantastic place to,
do industry, to build and, make stuff.
You know, the, the, the, our, our,
we have great natural resources.
The, the emissions just by building
here are lower because of our,
uh, our ability to, to use the,
the natural gas and, and so on.
So, you know, we're, we're bullish on it.
I think that, you know, I, we, we,
we need people to understand that.
The, for the Great American Comeback.
As, as, uh, Lee Zelin, uh, the
administrator of the EPA says, we
need to power that, by going through
and, and actually building new things
and, and building, uh, facilities and,
and getting back into, uh, a spirit
of being makers in this country.
And we we're, we're
fully supportive of that.
And I hope that, uh, American citizens
and and consumers understand how
important that is to our, our national
strength, and making sure that we can,
we can deliver the solutions we need,
to Americans at an affordable price.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
Love that.
I think, I think it's so true, and I
think, this aspect of just how clean and
safe and well run chemical facilities are.
It, it's impressive, right?
I mean,
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
We're, we're very
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
truly impressive.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: proud of
the, the members' progress in these areas.
Yeah.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825:
Yeah, absolutely.
So, Mitch, final question for you.
I always, I like to close
with a leadership question.
So, you've obviously had the
chance to work with great leaders.
You yourself are a great leader.
If you were to give advice to somebody.
Newly entering the industry, whether
being entering the chemical industry or
following a path like you've followed,
perhaps working in, UN or the ACC or an
agency that really has the opportunity
to affect policies and practices more
broadly, what advice would you give,
what's critical to success in this space?
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
Well, I, you know, good question.
Uh, I'd reflect on it a little bit, but
I think the, you know, understanding the
problem, you know, understanding what
problem you, you see as most important.
And, and seeing a route for yourself
to help solve it, you know, and, and
really being clear about what the
problem is, you know, and I think
that this is, but you know, it ties
back to what it's sustainability, this
confusing language and people, you
know, being able to debate it endlessly.
not, you don't, you can't
take action on that.
You know, like I what we, when we
speak to people coming into the
workforce, they're like, I want to.
Change the filtering
of our air filtration.
'cause we know we can eliminate
this thing if we do it just right.
And they don't talk about,
I wanna do sustainability.
They talk about, you know, filtration
that they learned about in their
master's program and that they, if they
did it, they could change the game.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
we're looking at very detailed kind
of things and not this kind of larger.
Debate.
And so I would say don't be,
don't be scared by the, the
debate about the language.
There's anytime society changes
and new factors become important
and new performance criteria
become, uh, part of the mix.
There's a, as a uncertainty
about how to approach that.
Uh, but I, I would say, you know, focus
on something that you really feel.
Passionate about that, you know, what the
problem is and you know how and where to
solve it or where, where to contribute,
you know, 'cause, and, and that's,
as I was attracted to this industry,
it was only because I, every time I
looked at what could an industry do to
decarbonize, whether it's automobiles
or, or consumer goods or, or it always
came back to, well, if the, if the
chemistry was, you know, set up, that's
a, such a huge part of the footprint.
And so it, it was very clear that
if I wanted to have, uh, an impact.
You know, and, and use this, this kind
of unique multi-stakeholder ability to
bring, bring together, uh, the solutions.
The, the best place to do that would
be in the chemistry industry because
it, it is, you know, it's full of
incredibly smart people solving the
biggest problems of our society.
Kind of without any, any, uh, fanfare
or, uh, in some cases they have to
explain away why they're, why they're
solving society's problems because
folks are, are sometimes unclear as
to why we need these, these chemicals,
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Yeah.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825: it,
it is, uh, it's a job of, of, you know,
making sure that you as an individual
understand what you're trying to solve.
If you can show progress against a
problem, um, nobody can challenge
you as to what language you're using.
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Love it.
Great.
Well, this has been a
great conversation, Mitch.
Thanks so much for taking the
time to speak with me today.
mitch-toomey_1_10-08-2025_110825:
Yeah, it's been great.
I really appreciate it.
Good
victoria_1_10-08-2025_100825: Absolutely.
And thank you everyone
for listening today.
Keep listening, keep following,
keep sharing, and we will
talk with you again soon.
Thanks for joining us
today on The Chemical Show.
If you enjoyed this episode, be
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