Advancing Circularity through the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

[ACSGCI]

Contributed by Edmond Lam, Assistant Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute

As this year’s winners convene in just two weeks at Climate Week NYC for the 2024 EPA/ACS Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Ceremony, we’re simultaneously preparing to welcome applications for the 2025 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards (GCCAs) to recognize chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use. One of the focus areas of the program is Chemical and Process Design for Circularity (Focus Area 2). This focus area was recently introduced to recognize the design for greener chemicals and materials that have both performance functionalities and a viable path for reclamation and reuse after the product has reached the end-of-life of primary use. This category is increasingly critical as plastic pollution worldwide becomes unbearable for communities around the world.

Contributed by Edmond Lam, Assistant Director, ACS Green Chemistry Institute

Many incumbent plastic materials in consumer products are difficult to recycle and reuse due to several challenges including the use of manufacturing processes that combine plastic with other non-similar materials, food contamination, and structural degradation that eventually lowers the quality of the plastic compared to virgin plastics. Low-quality plastic materials are of little interest to downstream manufacturers, and unfortunately, these materials end up being discarded in landfills or incinerated, causing considerable environmental harm.

The products that fall under Focus Area 2 are differentiated from Focus Areas 1 and 3 (Greener Synthetic Pathways and Design of Safer and Degradable Chemicals, respectively) in that they should not only be made and managed in a manner consistent with the principles of green chemistry, but the engineering, the energy, materials, and reagents used to recirculate should be quantitated. Further, examples of features that categorize technologies as Focus Area 2 include:

• Design and selection of functional materials that are durable, have reduced environmental impact, improved ability to be chemically recycled or upcycled, and are compatible with circular processes.
• Design of processes for recycling or upcycling materials to keep chemical components active in the economy for as long as possible. Development of methods to promote efficient recycling of polymeric materials are also in scope.
• Creation of closed-loop systems where chemicals and materials are continuously reused, remanufactured, and recycled.

In addition to aligning with one of the three focus areas, a nominated technology must meet each of the following six criteria be eligible for an award:

1. It must be a green chemistry technology with a significant chemistry component.
2. It must include source reduction.
3. Its sponsor must be an eligible entity.
4. It must have a significant milestone in its development within the past five years.
5. It must have a significant U.S. component.
6. It must fit within at least one of the three focus areas of the program.

If you or your company has a technology that you believe meets these criteria, we encourage you to submit an application. The Call for Nominations for the 2025 GCCAs is open now through December 13, 2024. Additionally, the EPA will host an informational webinar on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, from 2-3 p.m. ET, to educate stakeholders on the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards and the nomination process.

The award ceremony for this year’s winners will take place on Thursday, September 26 in New York City in conjunction with Climate Week NYC.

You can also read about past winners on the EPA website.