In the webinar “Green Chemistry as the Foundation of Sustainability and the Circular Economy,” Dr. John Warner, a founder of Beyond Benign and the field of green chemistry, discusses how green chemistry can maximize sustainability when embedded into the early stages of research and development. To do so effectively, however, requires a specific set of critical skills. John is an award-winning industrial chemist with over 350 patents whose work has earned him honors including the Perkin Medal, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring, and the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal.
Read highlights from John’s talk below, or watch the recording here. This conversation was hosted by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
When we consider the real-world health issues linked to the chemical compounds used in everyday products, it’s no surprise that many people associate chemistry with harm rather than good.
“You open up the newspaper, turn on the radio, look on the internet, all we hear about is, ‘This is bad, this is scary, this is dangerous,’” John says. “If people in our society are talking about chemistry, it’s usually not for a good reason, and this is a problem. I think that we own this as chemists, and we need to do a better job communicating the value of chemistry to society while also accepting that there are problems.”
John argues that it’s not enough for society to simply want sustainable technologies. Advocacy can only take us so far if the scientists, researchers, and workers who help power the world lack the necessary skill sets to drive critical change.
We know change is needed and that humanity is facing multiple crises connected to chemistry and its impact on the environment. We have discovered the problems. Now, we need to take action to enable solutions. This is the domain of green chemistry—and the foundation for Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC).
The GCC is a framework to unite the higher education community around a common vision to expand the community of green chemists, grow departmental resources, improve connections to job opportunities, and affect systemic and lasting change in chemistry education. With green chemistry skills, chemists can work to anticipate the negative impacts of chemicals on human health and the environment. John says it’s not just a nice thing to do, it’s an ethical obligation.
“People in the general public, they’re not talking about our triumphs, they’re talking about our disasters, and we have a moral and ethical responsibility to do something about this,” John says. “But if students aren’t learning what makes something toxic, what makes something hurt the environment, how are they going to invent something that doesn’t?”
Knowledge is just the beginning; green chemistry needs to enter the mainstream. To do so, it has to work just as well as what’s out there—perhaps even better.
“What is most important is that green chemistry has to manifest in the real world,” John says. “This isn’t a journal article. This isn’t a webinar. Green chemistry must reduce hazards from our society. So of course, it has to be more environmentally benign, but it also has to work, and it has to have excellent performance because if it’s not as good as what people already can get, no one’s going to use it—and it has to have the right cost. It can’t be just wealthy people who can afford it. It has to be affordable for all.”
Some might say that’s a tall order. We already know that green chemistry works on a large scale because it’s happening in real time.
John points to several green chemistry success stories; among them are promising new ALS therapies, technology to restore degraded asphalt, and a device that keeps a battery charged using indoor ambient light.
Every year in the United States, roughly 20,000 chemists graduate each year (at all degree levels). These are big numbers, but few of these universities build their curriculum around human health or the environment. Thankfully, John says that the story is changing. From new guidelines released by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to the blossoming Green Chemistry Commitment headed by Beyond Benign and supported by corporate sponsors, seeds of change are being sown in academia.
“Imagine a student working in a lab doing chemistry research, and because they got it right, hundreds of thousands of people they will never meet are no longer exposed to a hazardous material—because they figured it out,” John says. “What could be more empowering? What could be more amazing?”
How to get involved:
- K-12 educators: Enroll in a professional development course to empower your students with safer, more sustainable science labs.
- Higher education leaders: Join the Green Chemistry Commitment to provide students with essential skills and training for today’s workforce.
- Connect with your peers in the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community, an online space for everyone in the green chemistry community to learn, share, connect, and grow.
- Subscribe to Beyond Benign’s newsletter to get green chemistry news, opportunities, and resources delivered to your inbox monthly.