Reporting from Tokyo

The first international symposium on Green and Sustainable Chemistry (GSC) was held in Tokyo in March 2003. I was one of some 700 people who attended this high-level event and I am delighted to report that it was a great success in terms of the programme which was stimulating and wide-reaching, the level of participation which included leading figures from academia, government and industry, and in terms of the organisation which was first class throughout. A number of the most significant papers at the Symposium will be published in this journal and we are already processing the first of these for publication in future issues.

I was very pleased to hear some inspiring papers from ‘captains of industry’ at the Tokyo meeting. There were excellent presentations from senior representatives of many companies from around the world including BASF, Rohm & Haas, Pfizer, Sumitomo, Nippon paint, Fuji and BP.

The session on ‘Implementation of GSC by Industry’ added to the impressive industrial contribution to this symposium.

There were many other notable highlights in Tokyo. The 2nd GSC Awards ceremony was held at the magnificent Chinzan-so and was open to all of the Symposium delegates. Representatives from Japanese Ministries attended the event which rewarded examples of excellence in green chemistry from researchers and from industry. One guest of honour deserves special mention—the Nobel Laureate Professor Noyori (see Profile in this issue)—who gave an excellent talk which showed real warmth for the implementation of green chemistry.

The real commitment to introducing green chemistry into the education process in Japan was highlighted by a special evening session on ‘Education and Enlightenment for GSC’ which was open to non-registrants. The session was designed to demonstrate the importance of education in promoting GSC and related experiences in teaching the next generation. There were presentations from Japan, Korea, the USA and the UK which covered school level and University education as well as public awareness. It is pleasing to see two articles in the front section of this issue of Green Chemistry which describe efforts to incorporate the principles of green chemistry into undergraduate chemistry practical classes. That one of them is from a developing country helps illustrate the international importance of the green chemistry educational movement.

Improving the public awareness of science and the public appreciation of the importance of chemistry in particular are also fundamentally vital areas if we are to improve the poor image that we have among the general public. I was very pleased to be involved in the organisation of a ‘first-of-a-kind’ event ‘Green Chemistry and the Consumer’ held recently in London. The workshop was organised by the Green Chemistry Network and generously sponsored by Marks and Spencer PLC. Delegates from many of the leading retail companies covering food, clothes, electronics and other consumer goods came together with representatives of the chemical industry and experts in renewable resources so as to provide a complete life cycle perspective. Representatives from government, academia, the media and pressure groups completed the audience. Retailers are in a powerful position with the potential to influence suppliers and encourage the implementation of greener processes and the availability of more sustainable and less hazardous products. One of the most lively debating topics at the workshop was on chemical testing and product toxicity issues. Whatever one’s views on the new European REACH and other systems designed to massively increase the requirements for testing the safety of chemical products, this is a sign of our times. It is very important that, like other aspects of green and sustainable chemistry, toxicity and environmental impact are also covered in the education process (see Green Chemistry, 2003, G13). I would be delighted to hear from any readers of examples of student courses where these topics are currently addressed.

James Clark, York, May 2003

---