How to improve the US sustainable chemistry strategy

On Dec. 19, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the long-awaited Federal Sustainable Chemistry Strategic Plan . Mandated under the Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act, enacted in 2021, the strategy was developed by an interagency team and outlines a series of goals and objectives to support the development and implementation of sustainable chemistry products and processes, including the following: discovering more sustainable chemistry for future processes and products supporting sustainable chemistry from discovery to commercialization promoting adoption of sustainable chemistry in business and government creating a 21st-century federal service for sustainable chemistry While the strategy’s publication is an important milestone in centering sustainable chemistry—the design of chemicals and chemical products that benefit society without harming health and the environment—as a key economic and sustainability priority for the nation, it misses some important opportunities that would significantly advance growth. First, unlike the European Transition Pathway