Comment Sustainability engineering and green chemistry The publication of research articles that describe advances in environmental technologies has always been a part of the mission of Environmental Science & Technology. In the past, most of the articles on this subject have dealt with processes for removal of contaminants from water, air, soil, and sediments, either for on-line control of emissions or for remediation of contaminated environments. Although this remains an important focus of environmental technology, there has been a steady shift in emphasis toward pollution prevention rather than after-the-fact cleanup. Pollution prevention became well appreciated as early as the 1970s as a result of work by pioneers such as Jim Ling at 3M, and the field has steadily matured since that time. Among others, Robert Ayres of INSEAD articulated the intellectual foundations of the field with the publication in 1994 of the concepts of industrial metabolism. Shortly thereafter, Robert Frosch, Thomas Graedel, and Braden Allenby laid out the principles of industrial ecology, which is the roadmap for future development of sustainable industrial systems—a field that has come to be known as sustainability engineering. In fact, the roots of this movement are quite old. As William Greider has pointed out in One World, Ready yo Not, the Greek root of the word economics is oikonomia, which refers to the management of the household and the husbandry of its valuable assets. Pollution prevention is simply that, a smart way to manage our planetary home and to protect its assets. Another important development in this field came as a result of the work of the late Joe Breen of the U.S. EPA, who helped define the new field of green chemistry. With colleagues such as Paul Anastas, Breen helped found the Green Chemistry Institute in 1997 to promote green chemistry research and development on a global scale. Across the world, research in green chemistry is growing rapidly, and already, we are seeing the tangible results. For the past two years, the editors and advisory board of ES&T have discussed how the journal should be involved in this important shift in the environmental protection paradigm. An inspection of our magazine pages will show that we have covered important developments in this field through features and news re-
© 2000 American Chemical Society
ports. Now, we have decided that we must do the same in our research section. Beginning immediately, therefore, we shall implement the following editorial policy to encourage the publication of the best works in the area of sustainability engineering and green chemistry. Sustainability Engineering and Green Chemistry. ES&T encourages the submission of papers in sustainability engineering and green chemistry that illustrate new ways that pollution of the environment can be minimized or avoided. Papers that address environmental issues of a large magnitude, such as global climate change, are particularly welcome, but all papers in these areas are suitable for publication if they meet ES&T's criteria and standards. In addition to the generalized criteria listed in our Editorial Guidelines, papers in this field must explicitly address how the subject science and technology contributes to the minimization, elimination, or reversal of the stated problem within the target application. Quantification of this contribution to the overall benefit of human health and the environment enhances the strength of the paper. This quantification can take the form of decreased amounts of toxic substances used or generated, enhanced utilization of renewable feedstocks, decreased toxicity or inherent hazard, or substitution of reduced-hazard substances in known quantities within a process. It is expected that laboratory-scale studies will clearly explain their significance as a model or demonstration study applicable to a larger environmentally related issue, without making claims regarding economics or superiority over existing or competing processes that cannot be substantiated. For further details of our editorial policy, please consult the ES&TWeb site (http://pubs.acs.org/journals/ esthag/ index.html).
William H. Glaze, Editor (
[email protected])
NOVEMBER 1, 2000 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS • 4 4 9 A
