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Background

The Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team defines sustainable chemistry as “the chemistry that produces compounds or materials from building blocks, reagents, and catalysts that are readily-available and renewable, operates at optimal efficiency, and employs renewable energy sources; this includes the intentional design, manufacture, use, and end-of-life management of chemicals, materials, and products across their lifecycle that do not adversely impact human health and the environment, while promoting circularity, meeting societal needs, contributing to economic resilience, and aspiring to perpetually use elements, compounds, and materials without depletion of resources or accumulation of waste” (2023 SC Landscape Report). Sustainable chemicals can support a more circular economy, harness renewable energy for chemical processes, reduce dependence on nonrenewable resources, and decrease the impact of chemical products and processes on environmental and human health.

Legislative Mandate

The William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, (P.L. 116-283) directed establishment of an Interagency Working Group to coordinate Federal research on sustainable chemistry. The NSTC created the Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team in the fall of 2021, placing it under the Joint Subcommittee on Environment, Innovation, and Public Health (JEEP).

The team is co-chaired by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation. 

Activities

The Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team engages with stakeholders to discuss and expand the science in this field. This has included organization of a NIST-hosted workshop series and release of a Request for Information to receive public comments. In 2023, the Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team released a report to Congress that assessed the discipline of sustainable chemistry, the role of the federal government, and opportunities for coordinated interagency support activities.

In 2024, The Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team released the Federal Sustainable Chemistry Strategic plan which identifies federal agency activities to advance the transition towards a more sustainable chemical future. This Plan identifies four strategic goals that are supported by the objectives and tasks within the plan:

  1. Discovering More Sustainable Chemistry for Future Solutions
  2. Supporting, Building, and Bridging Sustainable Chemistry from Discovery to Commercialization
  3. Promoting Adoption and Growth of Sustainable Chemistry in Business and Subnational Government
  4. Creating a 21st Century Federal Service for Sustainable Chemistry

Furthermore, there are five crosscutting themes that are:

  1. Federal investment into sustainable chemistry
  2. Circular economy
  3. Data sharing and artificial intelligence (AI) models
  4. Environmental justice (EJ) and equity
  5. Education and community engagement

By advancing these goals, tasks, objectives, and crosscutting themes, this strategy identifies opportunities to decrease duplication and increase efficiency as agencies foster the discovery and design of new chemicals and chemical processes, encourage the implementation of more sustainable chemicals and processes, and incorporate the principles of sustainable chemistry into decision making and policies.

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