AVS 49th International Symposium
    Advancing Toward Sustainability Topical Conference Tuesday Sessions
       Session AT-TuA

Invited Paper AT-TuA1
A Framework and Practices for Advancing Toward Sustainability

Tuesday, November 5, 2002, 2:00 pm, Room C-210

Session: Benign Manufacturing, Climate Change, International Trade and World Economy, and Theological Considerations of Sustainable Development
Presenter: L.G. Heine, Zero Waste Alliance/International Sustainable Development Foundation
Correspondent: Click to Email
There is currently a movement, gaining momentum worldwide, toward what is commonly called sustainability or sustainable development. A generally accepted definition of sustainability is that which meets the needs of the present without destroying the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. While few would disagree that this is an imperative, there is confusion as to how to achieve this goal. Green Chemistry is often held up as a tool for chemists, chemical engineers and others who design materials to help move society towards the goal of sustainability. Green chemistry is the design of products or processes that reduce or eliminate the use and/or generation of hazardous substances. The focus of green chemistry is on design because it is at the level of molecular design that decisions are made that impact how the material will be processed, used and managed at the end of its life. A framework for sustainability called The Natural Step (TNS) has emerged from Sweden as a mental model of what sustainability might look like at the global level. In The Natural Step, four System Conditions are defined that characterize how humans can engage with the natural world in a way that will not lead to progressive deterioration. This model is helpful in defining what sustainability is NOT, but it is not prescriptive for how sustainability can be achieved. This presentation looks at the System Conditions as defined in The Natural Step along with the principles and practices of Green Chemistry, and ideas taken from frameworks for ecologically sound manufacturing and product design such as "zero waste" to illustrate how some businesses are positioning their companies to become more economically competitive through sustainable business practices.