Green Chemistry in the New Economy

On Friday, November 4th, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute will be convening an invite-only opportunity forum, in partnership with a cadre of Bay Area organizations interested in promoting a cleaner, healthier future for California.

Our world is a material one, in the parlance of Madonna. The questions that Cradle to Cradle asks are, how are those materials made? What’s in them? And what happens at the end of their ‘useful life’?

Why Green Chemistry?
In virtually every material and product manufacturing process, chemistry is at play, either in the materials themselves (plastic and synthetics) or the treatments that make a product look and feel the way we expect it to (paint, solvents, softeners, hardeners, polishers). There are thousands of chemicals, and more being invented each day, for every imaginable purpose. Many of them have toxic effects on human health, and on the health of the environment.

Green chemistry (first coined in 1991) is a chemical design framework that calls for chemicals and chemical processes that are as minimally harmful to people and the environment as possible. With chemicals and chemistry so pervasive throughout the built environment, addressing sustainability at a chemical level goes to the root of the problem, as opposed to dealing with the eventual waste generated by doing things the old fashioned way.

Why now?
In September of 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law AB1879, the "Safe and Healthy Consumer Products Act", giving the state of control broader regulatory control over toxic substances found in consumer products sold in the state of California. SB509, signed at the same time, created a toxics clearinghouse, from which Californians would be able to determine the effects of substances used in consumer products.

Green chemistry offers a unique opportunity for California to once again establish itself as a leader in innovation, taking up the call, and inventing the materials of the 21st century. AB1879 will require that anyone selling products in the state of California know what materials are in those products, and to find green alternatives to the most toxic elements.

Where is the value?
As investors increasingly turn to green tech, clean tech, and renewable energy to place their bets on the future, many turn to California, still a hot bed of technological innovation. An opportunity exists in promoting the innovation sector for the very materials that our society relies on, in making them cleaner and greener.

According to research firm Innovest, investment drivers behind adoption of green chemistry include:

   * Increasing costs of feedstocks (such as oil)
   * Growing demand for Eco-efficient products
   * Public concern over toxic chemicals in consumer goods
   * Increasing numbers of scientific reports condemning the presence of toxic chemicals such as flame retardants and bisphenol A (BPA) in household products
   * Increased media attention and litigation focused on consumer exposure to toxic materials
   * Regulatory drivers (such as increasingly stringent toxic regulations in EU)

In a 2007 report, Innovest noted "the failure to adapt leaves room for liability or, in some instances, loss of market share." The report examined the role of chemical liability in products, and cited examples of the above market drivers, as well as the increasing role of shareholder advocacy in directing company policy as regards their use of toxic chemicals.

By embracing green chemistry, investors and businesses can avoid liability, increase product quality, and take a leadership position in promoting the health of their customers and the environment.

Green Chemistry in the New Economy
On Friday, November 4th, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute will be convening an invite only opportunity forum, bringing together a broad array of leaders from around the Bay Area to create a plan to attract jobs, investment, and innovation in California, centered around green chemistry as the framework for development. These recommendations will be presented to Governor Jerry Brown, in support of his drive to incentivize investment and job growth in the state. California is poised to once again establish tech innovation leadership, laying the path for nationwide adoption green safe and healthy alternatives to toxic materials.

The Green Chemistry in the New Economy event on November 4th is invitation-only, but if you feel that you would be a valuable participant, please request an invitation by emailing chathri[at]ongreen[dot]com, briefly outlining your reasons for wanting to attend.