Sustainable chemistry: Green, circular, and safe-by-design

The chemical industry’s traditional “take-make-waste” model poses significant socio-environmental challenges, emphasizing the urgent need for a shift toward sustainability. Addressing these challenges, frameworks such as green chemistry, which focuses on reducing waste and pollution; circular chemistry, emphasizing resource efficiency and recycling; and safe and sustainable-by-design (SSbD), prioritizing product life cycle safety and sustainability, have emerged. However, their effectiveness is suboptimal when they operate in silos, hindering the realization of a fully sustainable and circular chemical industry. In this primer, we delve into the specifics of green chemistry, circular chemistry, and SSbD, highlighting their individual contributions. More importantly, we recommend a novel approach to integrate these frameworks, showcasing how their synergistic application can overcome existing barriers and significantly enhance the chemical industry’s sustainability profile. This comprehensive guide aims not only to inform but also to inspire actionable change, emphasizing the chemical industry’s critical role in fostering a sustainable, resilient, and thriving future.