Sustainable Chemistry Alliance (SCA)
The GC3, now Change Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry Alliance is a diverse group of companies reflecting the entire breadth of the sustainable chemistry value chain. We are chemical producers, biochemicals and biomaterials makers, major beauty and consumer products brands, and prominent retailers. Our brands are recognized globally, as are our commitments to sustainability. As the Alliance, we are advocates for US leadership in innovation, production and use of sustainable chemicals.
As chemistry is intrinsic to virtually all products, a broad swath of the US economy is engaged in the development of sustainable chemistry, including academia, small startups, major chemical producers, small to large commercial and consumer products companies, and retailers of all sizes who provide those products to the public. The GC3 Sustainable Chemistry Alliance represents this entire value chain. The SCA focuses on policies that can accelerate the development and scale of new sustainable chemistry processes and products. Alliance members have included: Dow, LEGO Group, P&G, BASF, Solugen, Reckitt, Cargill, Novozymes, and Levi Strauss & Co.
Sustainable chemistry innovation can offer improved human and ecological health profiles, enhanced energy efficiency, reduced environmental emissions and reduced waste generation while delivering high-quality products at competitive cost. Both commercial and consumer markets are clamoring for more sustainable chemistry in everyday products, sparking global competition to meet these growing demands. Effective policy ensures US companies and workers seize this innovation challenge and manufacturing opportunity.
Defining Sustainable Chemistry
In support of the Sustainable Chemistry R&D Act, the GC3 Sustainable Chemistry Alliance created a consensus definition of sustainable chemistry supported by Alliance members in 2019. SCA's definition of sustainable chemistry supports new innovations and encompasses research and development but commercialization and adoption.
The term sustainable chemistry includes the design, development, demonstration, commercialization, and/or use of chemicals and materials that:
- Are less toxic to human health and the environment
- Have lower energy consumption and related emissions
- Have reduced natural resource impacts
- Include optimized product design that reduces waste and reuses or recycles chemicals and materials across the product lifecycle.
Sustainable chemistry products demonstrate improvements in at least one of these properties, without significant degradation in another property, in their production, use, and/or end of life, compared to chemicals and materials in similar use.