25 years of green chemistry

Abstract

In its simplest form, green chemistry may be defined as the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry was born out of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, and although the “12 Principles of Green Chemistry” how-to guide was not published until 1998, it’s fair to say that green chemistry is roughly at the quarter-century mark, and it is an appropriate time to step back and look at how it has developed. Not surprisingly, the ACS Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI) has been linked to green chemistry from the beginning. The vision of CEI is “a sustainable world enabled through the sustainable practice and use of chemistry.” We work to accomplish this through our mission to “advance sustainability thinking and practice across ACS and society for the benefit of Earth and its people.” Green chemistry has aimed primarily to reduce