Implementation of green chemistry principles in circular economy system towards sustainable development goals: Challenges and perspectives

Tse-Lun Chen; Hyunook Kim; Shu-Yuan Pan; Po-Chih Tseng; Yi-Pin Lin; Pen-Chi Chiang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136998

Implementation of green chemistry principles in circular economy system towards sustainable development goals: Challenges and perspectives

Sci Total Environ. 2020 May 10:716:136998. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136998. Epub 2020 Jan 30.

Authors

Tse-Lun Chen¹, Hyunook Kim², Shu-Yuan Pan³, Po-Chih Tseng⁴, Yi-Pin Lin⁴, Pen-Chi Chiang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan; Carbon Cycle Research Center, National Taiwan University, No. 71, Fang-Lan Road, Taipei City 10672, Taiwan.
² Department of Environmental Engineering, The University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
³ Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan.
⁴ Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan.
⁵ Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan; Carbon Cycle Research Center, National Taiwan University, No. 71, Fang-Lan Road, Taipei City 10672, Taiwan. Electronic address: pcchiang@ntu.edu.tw.

PMID: 32044483
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136998

Abstract

Green chemistry principles (GCP) are comprehensively deployed in industrial management, governmental policy, educational practice, and technology development around the world. Circular economy always aims to balance the economic growth, resource sustainability, and environmental protection. This article offers a highlight on issues of significance within GCP and circular economy, and proposes the integrated strategies for GCP implementation from the aspects of governance, industry and education. At first, we developed a new categorizing system for GCP dividing to (i) pollution and accident prevention, (ii) safety and resource sustainability, and (iii) energy and resource sustainability. To assess the GCP practice towards the circular economy, the implementation of international movement of GCP in worldwide policy, especially those of Canada, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, United States and United Kingdom were reviewed. The policy implementation of GCP practices among governance, industries and education was analyzed. To integrate GCP into the circular economy concept, we also proposed five strategies of priority governance direction as follows: (i) establishment of cross-departmental collaboration, (ii) development of cleaner production and green product, (iii) provision of integrated chemical management system, (iv) implementation of green chemistry education program, and (v) construction of a business model. Finally, we discussed the prospects of disciplinary elements including the establishment of redesign-reduction-recovery-recycle-reuse (5R) practices for wastes reclamation, deployment of water-energy-food nexus with GCP to improve the food security and resource sustainability, and implementation of GCP in the green smart industrial park.

Keywords: Chemical management system; Circular economy; Green chemistry principle; PAS principle.