Adoption of green chemistry—view from the Director of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute^®

“There can be both real and perceived barriers to the greater adoption of green chemistry.”

That statement, written seven years ago by the Royal Society of Chemistry's Environment, Health and Safety Committee, is just as valid in 2009 as it was in 2002. That does not mean, however, that we haven't made progress. Just the opposite. We have made tremendous inroads in addressing and overcoming many of the barriers that were cited in the Committee's “Note on Green Chemistry”.

For example, one of the listed barriers was insufficient guidance on best practices for green chemistry. Run a check today of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website and you will find a plethora of international programs and resources listed under the Agency's “Gateway to International Best Practices & Innovations” (http://www.epa.gov/ncei/international/chemicals.htm#programs). There are links to numerous databases and case studies, programs and projects such as European Eco-Label and REMADE Scotland, and assorted newsletters, publications and reports.

Unfortunately, the current global economic downturn we are experiencing will adversely impact our efforts to promote and market the idea of introducing new green chemistry and engineering processes. Companies are understandably pushing back on anything that might require additional monetary startup commitments. Of course, as I like to point out to executives, investors and lawmakers, green chemistry is a business and investment opportunity for our future. It can even be a competitive advantage.

I firmly believe that the monetary doldrums we are now experiencing are equivalent to a series of speed bumps we must pass over before we round the corner and get our green chemistry engines back up to highway speed. The speed bumps only temporarily slow down our journey to a sustainable world; they won't stop us from getting there.

On the bright side, a major area of progress for green chemistry and the entire field of sustainability, in my opinion, has been a notable cultural movement toward not simply an acceptance of the need for sustainable products, but indeed a demand for eco-friendly products and practices. Entire industries have emerged and blossomed around this demand.

As heartening as this societal response has been, we must keep our commitment to green chemistry front and center in our minds and actions. We cannot let up. We must renew and reenergize, making our case to the public, to lawmakers, to industrial leaders, to educators and to other chemists that green chemistry is the ultimate solution to a sustainable future. Communication is the key to advancing the green chemistry agenda and all of us have a responsibility in this area. When I say green chemistry what I really mean is green chemistry and green engineering are the keys to a sustainable world.

Sometimes, public and corporate memory can be short. Lessons learned and pledges made when times are lean are too often forgotten when things get better. As practitioners, teachers and staunch advocates for green chemistry, it is our individual and collective responsibility to tweak those fading memories. We must remind people that it is critically important not to lose sight of the fact that it is imperative that we find safer sustainable ways of conducting chemistry for the benefit of the citizens of our world without endangering or destroying the planet's precious resources and environment.

There's never been a better time to be a green chemist or engineer. If it sounds like I am beating the green chemistry drum a bit loudly, that's because I am! I'm proud to be one of the drum majors in our march toward sustainability.

Robert Peoples

Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute^®, Washington DC, USA

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