Green Chemistry and Design for Sustainability �Because

							Material Assessment for Creative, Positive
      Design of Industrial Activity

     International Experts Dialog on
  Substitution and Alternatives Assessment
             December 2-4, 2004
  Lowell Center for Sustainable Production
              Lauren Heine, Ph.D.
         Green Blue Institute (GreenBlue)
               Charlottesville, VA
               www.greenblue.org
                                             1
            “Cradle to Cradle” Design


• Use current solar income

• Celebrate diversity
  – Of geographies, cultures,
    needs and designs


• Waste equals food




                                        2
             Metabolisms

Biological                  Technical
Metabolism                 Metabolism




Biological                 Technical
Nutrients                  Nutrients




                                        3
   Value of a Big Picture Mental Model


• Engages technical and non-technical employees
• Provides vision but not a prescriptive approach
• Focus on “materials” and “metabolisms” points to
  importance of systems and collaboration with
  others in the value chain




                                                     4
     Organizational Change and Continual
                Improvement


 Awareness     Assessment    Implementation     Reviewing/
& Motivation   & Strategy        Setting and    Reporting
                               Reaching Goals




                            Repeat


                                                             5
             Focus on Design


• Analyze and fully understand the chemical
  composition of materials used
• Select materials for safety to humans and
  ecological systems
• Design materials to be ‘nutrients’, either for
  high value recovery or other beneficial use




                                                   6
Material Assessment




                      7
  Table 1. Physical Matter and Typical Endpoints
      included in Environmental Assessments
                                        (from Overview document)

                                 Endpoints included in Environmental Assessments
Type of     Inherent   Environ- Environ-           Environ-   Recycl-     Design for Use fewer    Remove
Physical    hazards of mental   mental             mental     ability /   dis-       materials,   hazard-
Matter      a chemical hazards hazards from        hazards    degrad-     assembly com-           ous sub-
                       from use extraction,        from       ability                ponents      stances
                                processing,        disposal
                                & production

Chemical        X           X



Material        X           X            X            X           X



Product         X           X            X            X           X           X           X          X
X = Has been included in assessments of that type of physical matter.


                                                                                                             8
              Chemical Assessment
• Priority Human Health     • Carcinogenicity (known or
  Criteria                    suspected)
                            • Endocrine disruption
                            • Mutagenicity
                            • Reproductive and developmental
                              toxicity

                            • Acute toxicity
                            • Chronic toxicity
• Additional Human Health
  Criteria                  • Irritation of skin/mucous
                              membranes
                            • Sensitization
                            • Other (e.g., skin penetration
                              potential, flammability, etc.)



                                                               9
                 Chemical Assessment

• Ecological Health Criteria   • Bioaccumulation
                               • Climatic relevance
                               • Content of halogenated organic
                                 compounds
                               • Fish/algae/daphnia toxicity
                               • Heavy metal content
                               • Persistence/biodegradation
                               • Other (e.g., mobilization of metals,
                                 regulatory issues, toxicity to soil
                                 organisms, etc.)

• Natural Systems              • Global warming potential
  Equilibrium Criteria         • Ozone depletion potential



                                                                        10
         Chemical Assessment Scoring
Green    = This is considered a preferred material. It is a positively identified, healthy, safe, non-
         problematic material.

         = This material presents low to moderate risks and cannot be classified as green, but it
Yellow
         also does not have any characteristics that classify it as red. For this reason, yellow
         chemicals are recommended for continued use.


Orange   = For this material, insufficient information is available to adequately assess its human
         health and environmental relevance characteristics. Two potential options are available
         (selection is based on the necessity of using the material and the time and budget
         available to conclusively assess the material):
                     1. Phase out the use of this material.
                     2. Fill data gaps with respect to human health and environmental
                     relevance characteristics.

         = Phase out the use of this material. Known health and environmental hazards exist, or
 Red
         the risk is too great to continue using it. Look for alternatives for replacement,
         redesign the material formulation, or at minimum, establish and implement a strategy
         for minimizing the risks (a technical solution).


                                                                                                         11
    Material Assessment Scoring for DfE
• Human Health and                 •   Green                   100%
                                   •   Yellow                  50%
  Ecotox Score- sum of the         •   Orange                  25%
  individual component weights x   •   Red                       0%
  the corresponding % credit
  divided by the total product
  weight                           •   Material is a technical or biological
                                       nutrient and a commercial infrastructure
                                       exists (100%)
                                   •
• Recyclability Score                  Material can be down-cycled and a
                                       commercial infrastructure exists (50%)
                                   •   Material can be incinerated for energy
                                       recovery (25%)
                                   •   Material is normally land filled (0%)


                                   •
• Recycled / Renewable                 Total of Post Industrial Recycled
                                       Content, Post Consumer Recycled
  Content Score                        Content, and Renewable Content. The
                                       % credit = the % recycled and/or
                                       renewable content.
                                                                              12
Value Recovery




                 13
       Design for the Environment Green
             Formulation Initiative
PURPOSE
  Encourage the design of I&I cleaning products with favorable
  environmental and human health profiles
APPROACH
  Develop positive lists of chemical ingredients based on product
  functionality for industrial & institutional cleaning products
PROCESS
  Multi-stakeholder approach involving formulators, raw material
  manufacturers, industry associations, NGOs and US EPA

     Funded by the US EPA Design for the Environment Program as a cooperative
                   agreement with GreenBlue as of September 2004

                                                                                14
                     Approach
              START WITH SURFACTANTS
1. Work with Technical Advisory Committee to establish criteria; suggest:
    •   Biodegradability (aerobic only)
         –   Include consideration of breakdown products
    •   Aquatic Toxicity
    •   Irritancy
    •   Percent bio-based
    •   Other: of toxicological, regulatory, policy or eco-labeling significance
2. Evaluate ingredients based on criteria
    •   Direct supplier submissions
    •   Research commonly used surfactants with EPA assistance
    •   3rd party review if necessary
3. Make results publicly available via web


        REPEAT WITH NEXT INGREDIENT CATEGORY
                                                                                   15
What a Positive Ingredients List Will
            Accomplish

• Promote Continuous Improvement Ethic
• Help Inform a Larger Audience
• Provide a Showcase for Chemical Ingredients with
  Positive Characteristics (Green Chemistry)
• Satisfy Increasing Demand for Formulator
  Program Services
• Empower Formulators to Choose Green



                                                     16
           Challenges for Assessment
• Stakeholder engagement in defining green attributes
• Avoiding tradeoffs between healthy chemistry, closed loops
  and energy impacts
• Developing the right tools for the right applications




                                                               17
END