Green and sustainable chemistry – The case for a systems-based, interdisciplinary approach

Summary Although the concepts underpinning green chemistry have evolved over the past 30 years, the practice of green chemistry must move beyond the environmental and human health-related roots of green chemistry towards a more systems-based, life cycle-informed, and interdisciplinary practice of chemistry. To make a transition from green to sustainable chemistry, one must learn to think at a systems level; otherwise green chemistry-inspired solutions are unlikely to be sustainable. This perspective provides a brief description of why the current situation needs to change and is followed by how life cycle thinking helps chemists avoid significant systems-level impacts. The transition from batch to continuous flow processing and novel approaches to isolation and purification provide a case for interdisciplinary collaboration. Finally, an example of end-of-useful-life considerations makes the case that systems and life cycle thinking from an interdisciplinary perspective needs to inform the design of new chemical entities and their associated processes.
Graphical abstract
Highlights • Green and sustainable chemistry must include a systems and life cycle perspective • Green and sustainable chemistry requires extensive interdisciplinary collaboration • Catalysis, purification and isolation, and batch to flow processing are discussed
Chemistry; Organic chemistry; Green chemistry; Green engineering