Sustainability Science: Resources, Materials and Chemistry

Every year, a substantial amount of chemical products and materials are produced, playing a crucial role in maintaining our high living standards and good health. However, their production and usage come with a range of complex and severe impacts on our planet. To tackle these challenges in a responsible manner, there is a critical need to shift towards greener, more sustainable chemicals, materials and products. Chemistry, as both a science and an industrial sector, has the potential to transform matter, thus enabling us to shift the material basis of societies towards greater sustainability. The production and utilisation of these materials have significant implications for our planet, human welfare, justice and health, both positively and negatively. To achieve sustainable development, it is crucial to reduce and transform resource use and material flows. This shift towards dematerialisation involves significantly reducing resource extraction and material throughput, while replacing toxic and persistent materials with benign alternatives. Therefore, it is essential to transition towards greener chemicals, materials and products, along with their more sustainable application, offering effective solutions to the needs of humankind and societies in a responsible manner.