Chemistry International
Vol. 21, No. 1
January 1999
Reports
from IUPAC Sponsored Symposia
The OECD
Workshop on Sustainable Chemistry
Workshop
Outcomes
I. Conclusions/Workshop Statement
Workshop participants agreed that sustainable chemistry
provides a cost-effective means of
- reducing chemical threats to health and the environment;
- accelerating the pace of chemical innovation; and thereby
- contributing to economic competitiveness and sustainable development.
Workshop participants also agreed that efforts should
be made to promote the establishment of such programs by governments,
industry, and academia.
II. Recommendations
In order to achieve this aim, the workshop made a number
of recommendations either of a general nature that apply to all aspects
of sustainable chemistry, or of a more specific nature that apply to
one of the objectives listed above. The recommendations follow.
General
Recommendations
The following two overarching recommendations would facilitate the
promotion of sustainable chemistry in general and also the implementation
of the more specific workshop recommendations.
Recommendation 1: The existing OECD Steering Group
that was formed to organize the workshop should remain intact and take
on the new responsibility of overseeing the implementation of these
recommendations. As part of these duties, the Steering Group will form
work groups or study groups as necessary.
Recommendation 2: OECD should publish the
proceedings for this workshop (including the results from the OECD-wide
survey), provided funds are available.
Specific
Recommendations
The following recommendations are organized according to the themes
that were the focus of the five breakout sessions.
- Awards and recognition for work on sustainable chemistry.
- Exchange of technical information related to sustainable chemistry
- Research and development
- Guidance on activities and tools to support sustainable chemistry
programs
- Sustainable chemistry education Awards and Recognition for
Work on Sustainable Chemistry
Recommendation 3: OECD should begin an activity
which (1) establishes an international program for rewarding
and recognising work in the area of sustainable chemistry; and (2) provides
guidance to countries interested in establishing national programs.
This activity will promote the incorporation of sustainable chemistry
concepts into all aspects of chemistry and environmental sciences and
the industrial sectors they affect by recognizing the value of this
approach with respect to environmental and economic sustainability.
a) OECD should assist in the establishment and implementation
of an annual international awards program to recognize excellence
in the area of sustainable chemistry. The following elements would be
important to the successful implementation of this awards program
- the OECD Steering Group should create a work group to manage this
program that would include representatives from international and
regional professional societies, relevant intergovernmental organizations,
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and industrial trade associations;
- the official presenter of the awards should be a multinational
governmental body;
- the exact nature of the nonmonetary award should be defined and
established; and
- eligible recipients of the awards can include representatives
from academia, industry, government, and nongovernmental organizations.
b) OECD should develop guidance on methods to design national
awards and recognition programs in the area of sustainable chemistry.
The workshop recognized that the essential elements of an effective
international or national awards and recognition program would require
- the award or recognition be given by a group which is highly respected
by the public;
- the award be highly visible both to the scientific and industrial
communities as well as the general public; and
- the information collected during the award nomination process
(including, for example, information on the economic and envir-
onmental benefits of a particular innovative technology that incorporates
the principles of sustainable chemistry), should be made available
to the relevant community. Exchange of Technical Information
Related to Sustainable Chemistry
Recommendation 4: OECD should establish an information
exchange activity on sustainable chemistry. To do so, OECD should
a) identify existing communication channels;
b) coordinate among these channels within OECD countries;
and
c) encourage development of new communication channels
deemed necessary.
The purpose of this activity is to help promote the development
and functioning of an international sustainable chemistry community
by
- facilitating the exchange of information through established programs;
- providing enabling information to developing programs; and
- communicating program opportunities and results to both technical
and nontechnical audiences. Research and Development
Recommendation 5: While it is recognized that OECD
cannot fund or carryout actual research, OECD should (1) encourage member
countries to undertake sustainable chemistry research and (2) facilitate
the development of effective research activities in institutions and
other organizations.
a) OECD should encourage governments to initiate research
programs. The approach and specific rationale for doing so can be developed
by the Steering Group or other experts as it sees fit.
b) OECD should organize member country expert meetings
to identify basic (i.e. precompetitive) research agendas to facilitate
the exchange of information and experiences and to foster cooperation.
c) OECD should monitor the implementation of and results
from research programs for the purpose of improving the effectiveness
of future programs.
d) OECD should encourage national and multinational research
funding organizations to increase research funding for sustainable chemistry
and foster international collaborations for short- and long-term research.
Guidance on Activities and Tools to Support Sustainable Chemistry
Programs
Recommendation 6: OECD should assist in the development
of guidance on sustainable chemistry activities and tools to improve
awareness and support of sustainable chemistry activities in member
and nonmember countries.
a) To improve awareness and adoption of sustainable chemistry,
the following actions are recommended:
-
Stakeholders in sustainable chemistry should be
identified and informed about the initiative. OECD should facilitate
contact with international organisations, national governments,
industry and trade associations, labour and trade unions, environmental
and other NGO's, academia and other relevant parties.
-
SME activities in sustainable chemistry should be
stimulated by engaging innovative companies, trade associations,
governments, and professional associations through mentoring, education,
and training of SMEs.
-
Academia, industry, governments, and other institutions
should develop opportunities that support greater cooperation between
the various fields of chemistry and other related disciplines (e.g.,
analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, engineers) on the design
and implementation of sustainable chemistry projects.
b) Tools should be developed to support national sustainable
chemistry programs. These tools could include the following:
- developing new (or adapting existing) mechanisms for monitoring
progress, exchanging information, and benchmarking; and
- exploring, through existing OECD programs, economic incentives,
including the internalization of environmental costs.
c) National governments or others should, as appropriate,
establish qualitative or quantitative targets with realistic time scales.
Sustainable Chemistry Education
Recommendation 7: OECD should promote the incorporation
of sustainable chemistry concepts into chemical education (within and
outside of academia) and provide support material to do so.
a) It is recommended that approaches and material be developed
that can describe and promote the benefits of sustainable chemistry
education programs to:
- the business community, through publications in relevant press,
provision of material to relevant conferences/meetings, and by targeting
existing programs (such as Responsible Care), etc.;
- the scientific community; and
- the public.
b) It is recommended that OECD develop guidance on how
to implement sustainable chemistry education programs based on materials
from existing programs and new materials developed to meet unique needs.
This guidance could involve:
- surveying existing sustainable chemistry education programs (including
experiences on what worked and what did not work);
- identifying educational needs, including identifying barriers
and drivers to meeting those needs (i.e., identify gaps);
- developing materials to meet unique educational needs that cannot
be met by existing programs (i.e., fill gaps);
- compiling materials from existing sustainable education programs
and newly developed materials, and developing guidance on how to
use these materials;
- convening educators at a workshop to more thoroughly assess the
situation; and
- disseminating the package of guidance/material (e.g., using the
Internet, conferences/ meetings, continuing education programs,
networks, professional societies, trade associations, media, etc.).