With this publication, Prof. Kümmerer presents a comprehensive and visionary body of work that clearly highlights the decisive role of Sustainable Chemistry in building a sustainable future,
said ISC3 Managing Director Thomas Wanner. His summary of the concept of Sustainable Chemistry, its impact, and its significance is more than a scientific legacy. It is already a standard reference work in Sustainable Chemistry.
Chemistry must be consistently embedded within sustainability – sustainability must not be treated merely as an afterthought. Otherwise, chemistry will not be able to make an effective contribution to sustainable development and risks losing further public acceptance. This means integrating scientific knowledge, societal needs, and ethical responsibility from the outset. It is crucial to understand that green, circular, recyclable, or renewable does not automatically mean sustainable. Sustainability must be the benchmark and the driving force – not chemistry itself,” says Prof. Kümmerer, drawing on more than 30 years of research and advisory experience in Sustainable Chemistry and pharmacy.
ISC3 strengthens the global transition to Sustainable Chemistry
The approaches presented in the publication reflect key fields of work at the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre – from promoting sustainable innovation and capacity building to helping shape international policy processes. The ISC3 Key Characteristics of Sustainable Chemistry, which were significantly shaped and co-developed by Prof. Kümmerer, also form an important link to the new scientific publication.
The center pursues a multi-stakeholder approach and relies on collaboration among policymakers, public and private actors, industry, academia, and civil society worldwide. It strengthens expertise and sustainability competencies, contributes to international chemicals policy, advises organizations, promotes innovation and entrepreneurship, develops education and degree programs as well as training courses, and initiates strategic alliances to advance the transformation toward Sustainable Chemistry.
From Molecules to a Systems Perspective
At the heart of the publication lies a paradigm shift: chemistry can no longer focus in isolation on substances, materials, and processes. Instead, it must consider sustainability impacts across the entire life cycle and in a global context. This includes ecological, economic, and social dimensions, as well as the temporal and spatial effects of chemical products and processes.
Sustainable Chemistry is understood as an integrative approach that goes beyond traditional concepts such as Green Chemistry or Circular Economy. It connects these approaches while expanding them through systems thinking, sufficiency strategies, and societal responsibility.
More Than Circular Economy: Reduction and Needs in Focus
With regard to the circular economy as one component of Sustainable Chemistry, Prof. Kümmerer emphasizes in the publication that not all substances and materials can be managed in fully circular systems, and that the effort required to do so must also be considered. If we take sustainability seriously, we must fundamentally rethink chemistry – not only to make it more efficient, but more systemic, forward-looking, and responsible. It is not enough to optimize individual processes or products or to close material loops. We must understand which functions we actually need, how overall material flows can be reduced, and what impacts our decisions will have over decades and across the globe,
explains Kümmerer, who advises, among others, the European Union and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This also means asking fundamental questions: Is a chemical solution needed at all? Are there alternative, non-material approaches that can fulfill the same function?
Sustainable Innovation Requires Early Rethinking
Sustainability cannot be added to products afterward. Rather, it must be integrated from the very beginning – starting at the molecular level and extending to business models and societal applications, according to one of the world’s leading experts in Sustainable Chemistry. This also places greater emphasis on responsibility toward future generations. Chemical innovations must not only function technically, but also be compatible in the long term, safe, and socially acceptable.
