Nominations Sought for 2018 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

Nominations for innovations in six categories are due by July 2, 2018. The categories are academic, small business, greener synthetic pathways, greener reaction conditions, designing greener chemicals, and climate change.

The American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry Institute® (ACS GCI) on May 1 announced the call for nominations for the 2018 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, for companies or institutions that have developed a new process or product that helps protect public health and the environment. EPA supports the continuation of the awards in 2018 under the institute's sponsorship.

"The Green Chemistry Challenge Award is the nation's most prestigious award program for green chemistry innovations," says Mary Kirchhoff, Ph.D., director of the ACS GCI and executive vice president of Scientific Advancement at ACS. "We are pleased to continue supporting this program by hosting the award this year."

Nominations for innovations in six categories are due by July 2, 2018. The categories are academic, small business, greener synthetic pathways, greener reaction conditions, designing greener chemicals, and climate change. As in past years, an independent scientific panel convened by the institute will make recommendations for winners; the ACS GCI Advisory Board will make the final selections.

Winners will be notified by Aug. 31, and the awardees will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in October 2018.

ACS noted that, during the 22 years EPA has run this award program, it has received more than 1,700 nominations and has presented 109 awards, and the program reportedly has helped cut hazardous solvents and chemicals by more than 826 million pounds, saved 21 billion gallons of water, and eliminated 7.8 billion pounds of airborne carbon dioxide releases.

For more information about the award and the nomination packet, visit https://www.acs.org/gcca.