St? Green Chemistry Program Fact Sheet
Chemistry Designed for the Environment
WHAT is GREEN CHEMISTRY?
Green Chemistry is the use of
chemistry for pollution
prevention. More specifically,
green chemistry is the design of
chemical products and processes
that reduce or eliminate the use
or generation of hazardous
substances.
By offering environmentally
benign alternatives to the more
hazardous chemicals and
processes that are often used in
both consumer and industrial
applications, green chemistry is
promoting pollution prevention at
the molecular level.
GREEN CHEMISTRY Focus AREAS
Green chemistry technologies
can be categorized into one or
more of the following three focus
areas:
# The use of alternative
synthetic pathways for green
chemistry
# The use of alternative
reaction conditions for green
chemistry
# The design of safer chemicals
that are, for example, less
toxic than current
alternatives or inherently
safer with regard to accident
potential.
GREEN
CHEMISTIOf
THE GREEN CHEMISTRY
PROGRAM
The Pollution Prevention Act established a
national policy to prevent or reduce pollution at
its source whenever feasible. The Pollution
Prevention Act also provided an opportunity to
expand beyond traditional EPA programs and
devise creative strategies to protect human health and the environment. A
highly effective approach to pollution prevention, green chemistry applies
innovative scientific solutions to real-world environmental situations, all
through voluntary partnership programs. This innovative approach to
pollution prevention through the environmentally conscious design of
chemical products and processes is the central focus of EPA's Green Chemistry
Program, an initiative under EPA's Design for the Environment Program.
How WAS THE GREEN
CHEMISTRY PROGRAM
STARTED?
Shortly after the passage of the Pollution
Prevention Act of 1990, EPA's Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) began
to explore the idea of developing new or
improving existing chemical products and
processes to make them less hazardous to
human health and the environment. In 1991, OPPT launched the model
research grants program "Alternative Synthetic Pathways for Pollution
Prevention". This program provided, for the first time, grants for research
projects that included pollution prevention in the synthesis of chemicals. Since
that time the Green Chemistry Program has built collaborations with many
partners to promote pollution prevention through green chemistry. Partnering
organizations represent academia, industry, other government agencies, and
non-governmental organizations.
WHAT is EPA DOING TO
PROMOTE GREEN
CHEMISTRY?
The goal of EPA's Green Chemistry Program
is to promote the research, development, and
implementation of innovative chemical
technologies that accomplish pollution
prevention in both a scientifically sound and
cost-effective manner. To accomplish its
goals, the Green Chemistry Program recognizes and supports chemical
technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous
substances during the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products and
processes. More specifically, the Green Chemistry Program supports
fundamental research in the area of environmentally benign chemistry as well
as a variety of educational activities, international initiatives, conferences and
meetings, and green chemistry tools. The program is composed of four major
program areas including green chemistry research, the Presidential Green
Chemistry Challenge, green chemistry education, and scientific outreach.
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GREEN CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
EPA's Green Chemistry Program supports basic research in green chemistry in order to provide the chemical tools and
methods necessary to design and develop products and processes that are more environmentally benign. In 1992, EPA
awarded six grants to fund basic research projects that consider impacts to human health and the environment in the
design of chemical syntheses. In 1992 and 1994, EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics and Office of Research
and Development, respectively, signed Memoranda of Understanding with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to
jointly fund green chemistry research. These initial activities were the beginning of the establishment of a number of
research opportunities that have, to date, awarded tens of millions of dollars in the form of grants for basic research in
green chemistry. These opportunities include a number of industry/university/government consortia. In addition,
EPA's Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) includes green chemistry in its research grants solicitation, as
does the EPA/NSF "Technologies for a Sustainable Environment" solicitation offered every 1-2 years.
PRESIDENTIAL GREEN CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge promotes pollution prevention and industrial ecology through an EPA
Design for the Environment partnership with the chemical industry. Through high level recognition and support, the
Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge promotes innovative developments in and uses of green chemistry for pollution
prevention. The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge recognizes outstanding accomplishments in green chemistry
through an annual awards program; it also supports innovative research in green chemistry through the EPA/NSF
"Technologies for a Sustainable Environment" solicitation. The green chemical technologies recognized and supported
by the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge are scientifically sound, are economically viable, and directly reduce
risks to human health and the environment by reducing the hazards associated with the design, manufacture, and use of
chemicals.
GREEN CHEMISTRY EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
In order for green chemistry to be incorporated effectively into chemical product and process design, it first must be
incorporated into the education system. For green chemistry to become widely adopted and practiced, chemists must
be formally educated about green chemistry during both their academic and professional training. To accomplish this,
EPA's Green Chemistry Program supports a variety of educational efforts that include the development of materials and
courses to assist in the training of professional chemists in industry and education of students in academia. EPA's
primary partner in these efforts is the American Chemical Society (ACS).
SCIENTIFIC OUTREACH
In order for green chemistry to become standard practice in industry, academia, and government, EPA's Green
Chemistry Program is working to communicate both the concept and the science at all levels of chemical education, to
all sectors of industry, to decision- and policy-makers, and to the scientific community in general. EPA's Green
Chemistry Program supports a number of outreach projects that include organizing and participating in prominent
meetings and conferences, such as the National Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference and the Gordon Research
Conference on Green Chemistry; publishing in scientific journals and books; and developing and disseminating
computational tools and databases.
Office of Pollution
Prevention and
Toxics (7406M)
EPA 742-F-02-003
March 2002
Visit EPA's Green Chemistry Program Web Site
for further details and future updates
www.epa.gov/greenchemistry
U.S.ERA
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