Giving Compass' Take:

• Meg Wilcox highlights three advances that are bringing the concept of green chemistry into the mainstream: better communications, policy support and meaningful collaboration.

• This article states, "companies are under pressure to get chemicals out of their supply chains, or they want new, sustainable options. Market demand is huge." How can donors help further the progress of green chemistry?

• Here's an article on building a sustainable business for a healthier world. 

Green chemistry as a concept has been kicking around since the 1990s, when the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxins first coined the phrase. Decades of research and the proliferation of green chemistry groups, journals and conferences have yet to bear much fruit, however, as more than 98 percent of chemicals today are still petroleum-based products with varying degrees of health and environmental impact.

But that may be changing, say representatives from Unilever, Gap, Seventh Generation and the nonprofit, business-to-business forum Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3). During a GreenBiz 20 workshop, "Green Chemistry: Building a Vision for Innovation," in early February, panelists discussed advancements in three priority areas that could help bring green chemistry into the mainstream: informing the marketplace; securing supportive policies; and collaborating up and down the supply chain.

Green chemistry’s 12 foundational principles for hazard-free chemical design are well accepted by the scientific community, but not so easy for non-scientists to understand. That’s been a barrier to progress.

To accelerate adoption of green chemistry, said Michele Jalbert, co-director of GC3, "you need to persuade people at the C-suite and in your supply chains. You need a language that can create a dialogue."

Simpler language that reframes the principles of green chemistry as "sustainable chemistry" can do that, she said. "Sustainable chemistry pings on all the right notes for the C-suite and decision-makers in your companies." The focus is on how sustainable chemistry can demonstrate improvements in health and the environment while achieving other broad sustainability goals such as increased energy efficiency and reducing waste and natural resource use.

Read the full article about green chemistry by Meg Wilcox at GreenBiz.