Whatever gives a favorable edge has always been a big deal to sustainability and to the technological changes embraced by chemical industries. On that ground, pressure is imposed to green chemistry’s advocates ensuring the environment’s health while plugging into lucrative innovations. That is why the said greener style’s potential remains at rest as long as the hesitation between industry and academia prolongs. In 2002, Martyn Poliakoff et al. authored an interdisciplinary article entitled “Green Chemistry: Science and Politics of Change” discussing the industries’ necessities on making its own sector compliant to green chemistry, issues encountered on the said sustainable measure’s growth and development, and the implementation’s Achilles’ heel. Honestly, green chemistry has been in a virgin state in sustaining the Mother Earth’s wellness; it really has a long transition to go through before it attains its succession. Actually, its evolution has to be a basic criterion on identifying what is best for the economy and on promoting what is good for the ecosystem. Green chemistry’s struggling existence provokes humans to facilitate the scientifically sustainable breakthrough; accordingly, the article successfully views the environmental supplements vital for the green chemistry’s actuality. Now, it is a challenge to see green chemistry’s vibrant essence to everyone living in a color-blind community.
In this article, chemical industry was given an emphasis on its function in the sustainability of people’s economy and in the unborn innovations. Conventionally, manufacturing sector employs procedures with chemicals inflicting adverse outcome on environment; subsequently, elimination or at least reduction of the risks is at minimum through the limitation of exposure. On the other hand, the green chemistry’s movement pursues minimized risks by minimization of hazards. Likewise, regulations backed up by legislations reduced chemical industries’ negative impact and greatly improved environmental conditions. Poliakoff et al. identifie3d four themes related to green chemistry such as the involvement of the industry and the academe, the ambitious goals, the implementation’s barriers, and the scientific challenge. Under academe-industry engagement, the stimulation of interest promoting green chemistry’s responsible care and sustainable development is further increased through academic research and industrial extension. Also, the authors affirmed the presence of the growing consciousness towards processes and technologies that consider the full realization of green chemistry’s potential yet the said greener movement doesn’t have enough time for its systematic translation of its principles into industrial processes. Still, transition from research laboratory to commercialization has a long way to go. Conversely, the less profitable nature of environmentally friendly trend makes the present technological advancements outdated in terms of economic aspect for the introduction of the revolutionary practical scientific application will transform chemical usage nature and manufacturing process. Taxation, sanction’s reinforcement, and green chemistry’s availability are the determined barriers in implementation. According to the article, it has been a challenge to provide payback within a short period of time. To accept the challenge, alternative feedstocks, solvents, and synthetic pathways have been laid down.
Much greener industry had been the green chemistry’s ultimate purpose; as a result, most of this sustainable discipline’s principles are heavily anchored on waste management, production efficiency, and human health safety. This is to emphasize that green chemistry caters environmental, economical, and human aspects. Considering this doctrine, green chemistry’s success will be a collaborative effort between the industry and the academia. Academic learning and industrial application have to work alongside not only to conceptualize what green chemistry is but also to actualize what it means truly. Being green is not an ostentatious statement adhering to sustainability rather it is more of imperative mutualism contributing to a win-win situation between humankind and the environment. To carry out the industries’ nature being green, involvement is the key. Green chemistry’s principles will never be upheld if nobody is willing to pioneer its growth and development. For that reason, it is a must to establish intensely the industry-academia participatory role on green chemistry’s script.
Despite of its promising standpoint, green chemistry’s characteristics of being new and radical might challenge the manufacturing conventions. With this notion, implication will stay as it is if the process remains intact — real results are better than assumed possibilities. As a consequence, the greener advocacy is far from being an action word for this field’s vocabulary has to be realistic in order to make a smooth transition. In fact, reinforcement used favors punishment than the reward system. Based on the article, the present taxation schemes implicitly set aside the imposition of positive sanctions and fortunately, concentrate on the environmental violators. If this setup continues, the mentality of having pollution in moderation will be exacerbating then. Well, there is nothing wrong in penalizing those who violate; however, if people are to invest on sustainability, why not focus the limelight on the constructive initiatives. In addition, the catch now is whether the green chemistry has chemical advantage over other technologies or it is just a liability. And it is a general truth in business that profitability is the main consideration and that is where green chemistry struggles. On the contrary, green chemistry’s technologies that are successfully developed build a competitive advantage among companies investing on these.; therefore, sharing is just a mere imagination. How is it possible to make green chemistry a reality if still, competition is an issue? Why is it difficult among industries to work together for the production’s betterment? Indeed, chemistry’s greenness will only receive lesser light if the emergence of competition is still a primacy.
Moreover, the availability of green chemistry’s technologies is the primary concern for most of the chemical industry sectors. How are they going to comply if the procedures and methodologies ensuring sustainability are not as readily available as the traditional? If industries are to guarantee the green chemistry’s basic tenets, access in technologies has to be present along the way. Availability is now the catalyst of green chemistry’s fulfillment. By all odds, the scientific challenge is presently step-by-step accepted as alternatives are now involved in the process. At this point, it is meaningless to say that there is an availability issue. What matters now is the productivity offered by the alternatives. If the substitution works, then, it is feasible for green chemistry to embrace it totally. As a matter of fact, waste produced from the process is used as feedstock/ raw material in the next. Organic solvents have been replaced by ionic and supercritical fluids and at present, catalysis improves the process. Thus, these changes will only be accommodated if those manifest real advantage. Undeniably, industries have insightful future in green chemistry if and only if action sounds stronger than words.
On that note, green chemistry is not all about whatever gives an edge rather it is more of deviating from whatever believed to be sustainably better for the economy and the environment yet contributes much worse. In such case, being green particularly in chemistry is not easy but the spectrum of efforts proves that profitability and sustainability will soon meet halfway nevertheless. Thus, it is not appropriately to say that green chemistry’s future is in coma for as long as the society’s will to fortify this field’s cornerstone is burning; still, it is on fire on making its own potential moving. For sure, sooner or later, the word ‘green’ in green chemistry will be given a sound identity. For now, let its infancy be continued — the seed is just about to sprout!
2019-10-1-1569920726