November 1, 2009 - Introducing our SusChemAlliance Newsletter

Green Chemistry – Clean Chemistry Leads to Sustainability

Sustainability is found in all aspects of our lives today and is no longer dominated by special interest groups. We see it and practice it on a regular basis, from recycling programs to what we buy. Political speeches almost always include references to sustainability, and corporate initiatives are more often focused on clean technologies.

Today, green technologies are moving into the mainstream and it seems that even the recession has not slowed this movement. Consumers are demanding green technologies right from design to disposal – a true life cycle approach.

As “green” continues to move to the mainstream and be widely used as a term, does it get misused? There is no well defined definition of “green”. It concerns me that “green” could get to the point of being too mainstream. Green is becoming a fundamental branding message for many corporations.

Of course, as consumers we want to see clean technology with neutral to positive impact on the environment. In most cases, that is defined as green products, but in all uses it is sustainability. The public has become much more conscious of the need for sustainability – from customers to governments, shareholders and employees. There is increasing public pressure for more green products. A study done by Info-Tech Research Group showed that 50% of corporations were planning to implement green programs in 2009 while 17% already had green programs in place. Recycling, waste and energy reduction, and sustainable sourcing of materials were main categories of the green programs.

There is a consciousness today that was not there 5 years ago about sustainability. This is leading to corporations looking at new ways to improve their bottom line through sustainable production of materials and chemicals. At the Sustainable Chemistry Alliance, we are focused on commercialization of sustainable technologies. We target products and processes that are already proven from a research and pilot scale perspective. Our interest is in helping move these technologies to commercial opportunities through start up companies or creating partnerships with existing companies. Our support can range from an advisory role to some limited investment. The Sustainable Chemistry Alliance is a non-profit organization with a mandate to facilitate commercialization of sustainable technologies for the benefit of Canada.

Our new newsletter SusChemAlliance is one of our communication vehicles to highlight the activities of the Alliance and its partners.

I trust you find this premiere issue of interest and invite your comments and suggestions.

Sincerely,
Murray McLaughlin
President and CEO
murraym@suschemalliance.ca