Green chemistry didn't just happen

For historical research, you don't always have to go far back in time. Arjan Linthorst proves that with his dissertation Research between Science, Society and Politics. The history and scientific development of green chemistry on which he recently received his doctorate from Maastricht University.

What Linthorst shows is that the origins of "green chemistry," which then gained traction in the Netherlands primarily under the banner of "sustainable chemistry," have very different origins in different countries. In the US, researchers from the Environmental Protection Agency in particular were driving forces in the formation of this new field, with the societal need to reduce environmentally polluting waste streams being the main driver. In the UK, the deteriorating public image of chemistry and the chemical industry was the driving force to pursue "green chemistry.

Read more (in Dutch) in C2W