Defining sustainable chemistry-an opportune exercise?

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I lost my elephant some days ago. Actually, it was an elephant keychain. This was a special present given by a Thai student who attended the Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development in July 2023, at Leuphana University, Germany, supported by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3). This event focused on the foundations and applications of sustainable chemistry in tackling the climate crisis, a top priority requiring responsible and coordinated transnational actions on many fronts, including through high-level scientific knowledge. The chemical industry is fundamental for providing goods for other industries such as construction, pharmaceuticals, agriculture-food processing, and electronics, with a global material production capacity of around 2.3 billion tonnes in 2020 and sales of chemicals projected at almost $11.3 trillion annually by 2030. Such growth reflects the importance of the science and industrial applications, leading to remarkable opportunities to promote a better life for all, considering the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there are also challenges and risks stemming from the energy demands, greenhouse gas emissions, and toxicity of many chemicals and their transformation products, as well as the lack of proper chemical and waste management programs in various countries.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereadk7430
JournalScience
Volume382
Issue number6667
ISSN0036-8075
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13.10.2023

DOI

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