THE ECOCHEM CONFERENCE in Basel Switzerland (Nov 19-21) was an event with many senior people from big industry players. I expected a lot of ‘Greenwash’ but was impressed by the apparent seriousness of some industry giants to strive to be greener. I was especially impressed by the prevailing strong optimism, and the focus on viable solutions. Some hybrid solutions were presented that conjoined green and petrochemical products. A realistic compromise given the installed capital basis in the giant chemicals industry.