The chemical industry’s traditional ‘‘take-make-waste’’ model poses significant socio-environmental challenges, emphasizing the urgent need for a shift toward sustainability. Addressing these challenges, frameworks have been developed such as green chemistry (focussing on reducing waste and pollution); circular chemistry (emphasizing resource efficiency and recycling); and safe and sustainable-by-design (SSbD, prioritizing product life cycle safety and sustainability).

Slootweg acknowledges that the effectiveness of these three key concepts is suboptimal when applied separately, hindering the realization of a fully sustainable and circular chemical industry. In his paper, he delves into the specifics of green chemistry, circular chemistry, and SSbD, highlighting their individual contributions. More importantly, he recommends a novel approach to integrate these frameworks. Using a few striking examples, he showcases how their synergistic application can overcome existing barriers and significantly enhance the sustainability profile of the chemical industry. The paper forms a comprehensive guide that aims not only to inform but also to inspire actionable change, emphasizing the chemical industry’s critical role in fostering a sustainable, resilient, and thriving future.

Paper details

J. Chris Slootweg: Sustainable chemistry: Green, circular, and safe-by-design, One Earth (2024), DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2024.04.006

See also

• Chris Slootweg in Nature Chemistry: ‘Green Chemistry is an outdated concept’
• “Modern chemistry is rubbish”