The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. These awards recognize innovation by American businesses and researchers that redesign chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and manufacture of hazardous substances.

“As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Pollution Prevention Act, EPA is proud of the innovations EPA’s Green Chemistry Award Winners have made toward better protecting our planet,” said Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “EPA looks forward to seeing how our 2021 Green Challenge Award nominees can make our country’s businesses more competitive, turn waste into marketable commodities, open new markets for products and services and protect public health.”

The 2021 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards nomination package is now available, and nominations are due by December 4, 2020. EPA anticipates giving awards to outstanding green chemistry technologies in five categories in June 2021. The agency will host a webinar on September 23, 2020, for those interested in applying. The webinar will provide an overview of the requirements, criteria, and tips for submitting a nomination package.

Since the inception of the program, EPA and the American Chemical Society, which co-sponsor the awards, have received more than 1,600 nominations and presented awards to more than 120 technologies. By leveraging these technologies, the use or generation of hundreds of millions of pounds of hazardous chemicals have been avoided, and billions of gallons of water and trillions of BTUs in energy have been saved annually.

An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute will formally judge the 2021 submissions and make recommendations to EPA for the winners. For more information on submitting nominations and to learn more about past winners, visit www.epa.gov/greenchemistry.