Do you believe in green chemistry?

In 1998, Cher asked: “Do you believe in life after love?” This question speaks to the possibility of transformation and rebuilding self-worth after experiencing heartbreak. Generations of chemists have similarly faced challenges of rebuilding the environment or their sense of professional value when confronted with the heartbreaking reality of chemical pollution, waste generation, and environmental accidents. For us chemists, the concept could be translated to: “Do you believe in chemistry after hazard?” or even “Do you believe in green chemistry?”It’s a meaningful coincidence that the same year that Cher asked this question, Paul Anastas and John Warner developed the 12 principles of green chemistry. Nearly 3 decades later, textbooks, conferences, dedicated journals, publications, classes, workshops, and even C&EN columns showcase and discuss the impact of green chemistry in the development of safer processes and products for human health and the environment. Nevertheless, in several sectors, places, and systems, green chemistry remains an addition or an afterthought. Chemists need to consider how our belief in green chemistry’s potential to address sustainability through chemistry affects its advancement and implementation. In an objective and data-driven field such as chemistry, it is sometimes hard to weigh the importance of human systems involved in promoting the advancement of the discipline. But beliefs and values can push the chemical industry to pursue safer alternatives before regulators act, or they can frame sustainability as a competitive strategy instead of compliance. In education, the power of belief is even more transformative. Chemistry educators, then, sit at a crucial