Paul Anastas

Considered the father of green chemistry, a field that promotes the design of products and processes that minimize environmental impacts and hazardous outcomes, Paul T. Anastas is credited with establishing the field in 1991 during his time working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the Chief of the Industrial Chemistry Branch. From 2009 to 2012, he served as the Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency Science Advisor for the Obama administration.

Since coining the term “green chemistry” in the early 1990s, he has spent more than two decades developing the field, introducing the 12 Principals of Green Chemistry. The focus of his research is the design of safer chemicals, bio-based polymers, and new methodologies of chemical synthesis that are more efficient and less hazardous to the environment. He has published 11 books, including his seminal work, with John Warner, “Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice.” The founder of the U.S. Green Chemistry Program, Anastas served as chair of the Science Technology Policy Council and co-chaired the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability. He is the 2021winner of the Volvo Environment Prize, in recognition of the transformative impact of his work across numerous sectors and industries. Through his work at the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Anastas is overseeing a United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) initiative to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals worldwide by establishing accelerator programs to reduce POPs and greenhouse gas emissions in the chemistry sector.