Recap
The last session on day four of the SPOTLIGHT event series was on "Green Chemistry: Inventing a Circular Economy across organisations and industries" and presented by John Warner, one of the co-founders of the field of green chemistry. The session was moderated by Janina Haubenreißer (ISC3).
John Warner explained in his keynote that the pursuit of a sustainable circular economy in human society faces a significant hurdle. This obstacle stems from the independent development of various industries, which have evolved without recognizing the interconnectedness of adjacent processes. This results in the need to establish linkages that were not originally considered during development, which presents an enormous challenge. Although some industries have successfully implemented the principles of the circular economy, the majority of products and processes in industry remain disconnected and unsustainable in the long term. This session described examples of how organisations seeking a circular strategy benefit from integrating the principles of Green Chemistry with product design, manufacturing and supply chain management.
John Warner demonstrated that by practising chemistry responsibly with a focus on sustainability, it is possible to surmount this challenge and take the lead in establishing the essential technological ecosystems.
