Elements of green chemistry

An image showing images from the Periodic Table of Sustainability

Source: Based on a image from © Shutterstock

Society needs sustainable science

The chemical sciences has a sustainability problem. Chemical production is expected to double by 2030, according to a recent UN report, but quite how this will be done without costing the Earth is still an unanswered question. At the recent International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry’s congress in Paris, the ‘father of green chemistry’ Paul Anastas outlined his vision for what needs to change.