We cannot expect to transition to a sustainable circular economy by continuing to rely on toxic chemistry.
I discovered the GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals comparative hazard assessment protocol very early in my career and am still thankful I did. The protocol walks trained users through 18 human and environmental health endpoints to assess individual chemicals, ultimately culminating with a benchmark score of benchmark one (BM-1) through benchmark four (BM-4) — with BM-1 being the most hazardous materials and BM-4 being the most benign. This assessment methodology was developed by Clean Production Action, a Massachusetts nonprofit specializing in safer chemistry. It offers many levels of training from a free 60-minute webinar to an intensive 120-hour Authorized Practitioner program. Familiarizing oneself with this program and using it in conjunction with the Pharos Project database can be quite useful in helping your organization design safer products and optimize existing chemistries.
The takeaway for me? We cannot expect to transition to a sustainable circular economy by continuing to rely on toxic chemistry. We should strive for infinite circulation of safe materials and nutrients in cycles. In other words, all materials should be chemically harmless before we consider them recyclable