It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.
Historically the environmental movement and pollution prevention has focused on recycling, treating, or as a last resort disposing of waste. The EPA's Pollution Prevention Act in 1990 provided a platform that for the first time targeted pollution at the source as the best method for pollution prevention. Since 1990, the EPA has provided a number of incentives through awards programs, such as the Green Chemistry Presidential Challenge Awards, for industries and researchers to focus on green chemistry initiatives. One award winner that is an excellent example of pollution prevention is Pfizer, who won a Green Chemistry Presidential Challenge Award in 2002 for the re-design of the active ingredient, sertraline, in Zolft (one of the most widely prescribed anti-depression drugs). By re-designing the synthesis of Sertraline, Pfizer was able to not only improve the yield of the overall synthesis, but they also eliminated 690 tons of waste per year.
Supplementary Content
discussion