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By ACS Green Chemistry Institute
Enabling green chemistry and engineering across the educational sector has long been a strategic objective of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute (GCI). We recognize that graduates equipped with skills for designing reactions and processes that are safer and less resource-intensive and who consider both upstream and downstream impacts strengthen the practice of chemistry. In 2023, the ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) revised the ACS Guidelines for Bachelor’s Degree programs to include green chemistry and systems thinking—an important moment for those eager to see green chemistry education advance. Around the same time, ACS GCI was launching a new set of curricular modules meant to assist educators in incorporating the principles of green chemistry and systems thinking in undergraduate general and organic chemistry courses. ACS GCI brought the community together to focus on Reimagining Chemistry Education in a 2023 Summit, and has continued transforming that vision into reality with workshops, mentorship networks, conferences, and online educational content. It seemed an opportune moment to conduct a survey of chemistry educators to understand the current landscape and penetration of green chemistry into university courses.
The survey, which ACS GCI conducted in summer 2024, received responses from 336 colleges and universities from 51 countries. Read more to understand where progress can be made, and what changes faculty expect to see in chemistry higher education in the coming years.
How prevalent are green chemistry and/or sustainability topics in chemistry programs?
Analysis of the global survey data reveals that green chemistry is gaining traction in academic curricula, though its adoption varies significantly by education level and region. Approximately 23% of departments worldwide report that they include dedicated green chemistry content in their undergraduate programs, while only 9.6% offer such content at the graduate level. This disparity suggests that green chemistry is more commonly introduced early in the academic pipeline, potentially as a foundational element in chemistry education.
Countries such as Australia, the United States, and select institutions in Latin America and Europe show relatively higher integration at the undergraduate level, reflecting efforts to embed sustainability principles into core scientific training. However, the lower prevalence in graduate curricula highlights a missed opportunity to deepen expertise in sustainable practices during advanced research training—precisely when students are poised to develop innovative solutions. These findings underscore the need for expanded curricular development and support, particularly in graduate programs, to cultivate the next generation of green chemistry leaders.
Looking Ahead
Respondents from 98% of institutions surveyed indicated they anticipate their departments “may be” or “will be” interested in integrating more content focused on green chemistry or sustainability in the future. When it comes to resources that can help drive the implementation of green and sustainable chemistry topics in education, more than half of institutions whose curriculum already includes those topics indicated that journal articles focused on education, curriculum resources, and textbooks were helpful in instituting them.
In addition to more traditional educational materials, respondents from two thirds of institutions surveyed indicated that digital content, including interactive content, would be helpful in expanding the curricular offerings in green chemistry and sustainability.
As more educators turn towards this kind of educational resource, the ACS GCI is also expanding our offering of Green Chemistry Teaching Modules. Stay tuned for regular updates and newly released modules coming soon, and make sure to check out the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community and green chemistry workshops at ACS Fall 2025 for more resources. Full results from this survey will be released in the future.