Green Chemistry and Design

Green chemistry and design is formulating or designing a new product (or reformulating or redesigning an existing one) to reduce environmental, workplace, human health, and energy use impacts over the product's entire life-cycle. Product life cycle includes design, production of material and energy inputs, production, end use, end-of-life recovery, and all packaging and transportation between these steps.

Notices

DRAFT Guidance for Alternatives Assessment and Risk Reduction now available

See the guidance on the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association website.

The selection of an alternative chemical is important; in the past many manufacturers have selected alternative chemicals that are equally toxic or equally poor choices to replace a chemical being phased out.  For this reason, having alternatives assessment guidance is important for states considering or implementing priority chemical phase out regulations; it is also an important technical assistance resource for manufacturers who seek to voluntarily reduce or phase out priority chemicals from their products.

The draft Guidance was produced by the Washington Department of Ecology, the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse, and participating states.  Comments on the draft may be submitted through the web page above.

Hospitality business partners sought for BPA in Thermal Paper project

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is undertaking a statewide project to help reduce the use of thermal receipt papers, many of which contain BPA (Bisphenol A). About 20 Minnesota hospitality business partners are sought to participate in this project to get assistance to transition into paperless point-of-sale systems. Details can be found on the BPA in Thermal Paper Project webpage.

Safer Chemistry Challenge Program

The MPCA has signed on as an Alliance Member of the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable's (NPPR) Safer Chemistry Challenge Program.

Conferences/training

Minnesota 2020 has these trainings available:

• Cleaning Products Don't have to Kill
• Chemistry Behind Worker Safety

Plan for a MnTAP intern

PRODUCT CHEMISTRY/ENGINEERING INTERN — available to companies
Are you feeling the pressure of global demand for safer products? Industries like yours are increasingly being asked to disclose chemical components in products and being required to find alternatives for some chemicals or components. Many companies have begun developing goals and ideas for redesigning product chemistries, but are still wondering how to meet those goals.

The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) may be able to help your company work towards its goals regarding safer and greener product chemistries. MnTAP offers an intern program in which a highly qualified science or engineering student is placed in a facility to lead an in-depth project that results in green chemistry, waste reduction, and/or energy efficiency solutions. Students are paired with advisors who help guide the projects to completion.

All sensitive and proprietary company information is kept confidential by MnTAP as stated in MnTAP’s policy. Enforceable nondisclosure agreements are a key part of intern projects, so you can rest assured confidential business information is secure.

If you are interested in discussing the potential for a product design or chemical alternative project, please call MnTAP Director Laura Babcock at 612-624-4678.

See more information on the intern program.

Green Chemistry and Design College Curriculum Grant Projects

Leaders across Minnesota government, academia, and business are pursuing reformulation of existing products and design of new products using the principles of green chemistry and green engineering.  Equally important are strategies to raise awareness among the product designers of the future - today’s college students - of the toxicological and life-cycle impacts of chemical use choices on humans and the environment.  As part of the education focus within its green chemistry initiative, MPCA has offered grants to Minnesota post-secondary educators with the goal of shaping the future conduct of professional disciplines by integrating aspects of green chemistry into new or existing courses in chemistry, physical sciences, chemical engineering, business, social science, education, marketing and communication. See results of this grant work on our Green Chemistry curriculum web page. 

Green Chemistry and Design Demonstration Projects

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate the extent to which state grant support can stimulate green chemistry and design projects in the private sector. There have been three demonstration projects conducted to date.

Cortec developed a new alky/PVDC primer and a new self-crosslinking aliphatic urethane primer. Both primers are for use in industrial applications.

Salo worked to determine whether they can manufacture bathtub and shower units with low styrene soy-based or non-styrene resins and gel coats at similar cost and price and with equal or better performance compared to units made with current raw materials.

Ecolab redesigned several products used in general hard surface cleaning; glass cleaner, all purpose cleaner, neutral cleaner, acid bath cleaner intended for EPA registration, and acid bathroom cleaner not intended for EPA registration.  These cleaners are used in the markets of hospitality, building service contractors, long term care, and government/education.  The goal was to reduce the overall life cycle impact of chemical components of these cleaners and their packaging.

Projects for both rounds were completed by September 2012. See the Demonstration Project page linked on the left for case studies on these grant projects.

Legislative report on toxics in children’s products and green chemistry

This joint legislative report from MPCA and the Minnesota Department of Health was requested by the Legislature as part of the 2009 Toxic Free Kids Act legislation (Minn. Stat. §§ 116.9401 to 116.9407). Stakeholder comments were appended to the report before it was sent to the Legislature on December 15, 2010.

• Stakeholder comments appended to the report (lrp-gen-9asy10)
• Stakeholder comments received after the report had been sent (lrp-gen-9bsy10)
• Legislative charge (Minnesota Toxic Free Kids Act)

As directed the report includes:

• recommendations for consideration by the Legislature, 
• a summary of other efforts to address these issues by states, the U.S. government, and other countries where Minnesota companies do business,
• a discussion of potential funding mechanisms for the options, and
• a summary of stakeholder processes that helped inform the report.

Past events

More information

For more information about Green Chemistry and Design, contact Al Innes, alister.innes@state.mn.us, 651-757-2457.