Sustainable chemistry

A Definition of Sustainable Chemistry

"Sustainable chemistry is a scientific concept that seeks to improve the efficiency with which natural resources are used to meet human needs for chemical products and services. Sustainable chemistry encompasses the design, manufacture and use of efficient, effective, safe and more environmentally benign chemical products and processes."

A Definition of Sustainable Chemistry

"Sustainable chemistry is a scientific concept that seeks to improve the efficiency with which natural resources are used to meet human needs for chemical products and services. Sustainable chemistry encompasses the design, manufacture and use of efficient, effective, safe and more environmentally benign chemical products and processes."

Brochure: Chemicals Management and Plastics

OECD work on sustainable chemistry

Sustainable chemistry is an integral part of the work on chemicals management at the OECD. Taking a proactive sustainable chemistry approach supports risk management of chemicals, materials and products from their conception and enhances life-cycle thinking.

Sustainable chemistry is also a process that stimulates innovation across all sectors to design and discover new chemicals, production processes, and product stewardship practices that will provide increased performance and increased value while meeting the goals of protecting and enhancing human health and the environment.

The environmental and societal benefits of sustainable chemistry include:

Avoiding the use of persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic, and otherwise hazardous materials;
Using renewable resources and decreasing consumption of non-renewable resources,
Minimising negative environmental impacts of chemical processing and manufacturing;
Providing technologies that are economically competitive for and advantageous to industry.

Latest publications

Workshop report on flexible food-grade plastic packaging

This workshop was organised to understand the barriers the industry faces to more sustainable design of flexible food-grade packaging from a chemicals perspective, discuss policies being put in place by governments, and identify where additional policies could help. Another complementary objective was to understand to what extent the issues discussed are specific to flexible food-grade packaging as opposed to general across different types of plastics or plastic packaging.

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Report on a chemicals perspective on designing with sustainable plastics

The development of plastic products does not systematically take sustainability, particularly from a chemicals perspective, into account. This report seeks to enable the creation of inherently sustainable plastic products by integrating sustainable chemistry thinking in the design process.

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Case study on biscuit wrappers

This case study on biscuit wrappers was developed to provide input to and inform the development of general considerations for design of sustainable plastics from a chemical perspective.

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Case study on detergent bottles

This case study on detergent bottles was developed to provide input to and inform the development of general considerations for design of sustainable plastics from a chemical perspective.

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Case study on flooring

This case study on flooring was developed to provide input to and inform the development of general considerations for design of sustainable plastics from a chemical perspective.

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Case study on insulation

This case study on insulation was developed to provide input to and inform the development of general considerations for design of sustainable plastics from a chemical perspective.

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