The Global Chemicals Outlook II states that “Further action at all levels is needed to disseminate best practices in green and sustainable chemistry education and overcome barriers in academia and the private sector”. To inspire and guide transformative action, UNEP has developed a Specialized Manual on Green and Sustainable Chemistry Education. By including formal, non-formal and informal aspects of green and sustainable chemistry learning, the specialized manual caters to education system actors as well as strategic change agents which influence the way chemistry is practiced. A synthesis of all dimensions of green and sustainable chemistry learning is offered in the Specialized Manual along with practical guidance, illustrative examples and organized educational resources. Ultimately, the Specialized manual strives to raise awareness, enhance knowledge and develop skills of all stakeholders who have a role to play in applying the Ten Objectives and Guiding Considerations. To assist in the consultation process, the original expert group from the Framework Manual was expanded to include specialists in chemistry education and learning from industry, academia and government. UNEA resolution 5/7 encourages stakeholders to use the Framework Manual. The Specialized Manual, and the UNEP activities on green and sustainable chemistry learning are an important aspect of fulfilling this aspect of resolution 5/7. For more information on UNEP's activities on green and sustainable chemistry click here.
The £41m funding boost for a Thames heat pipeline marks a significant shift in sustainable construction, moving decarbonising the built environment from policy ambition to practical green infrastructure. Capturing surplus industrial heat for up to 650,000 London homes strengthens the case for energy-efficient buildings, low carbon design and sustainable urban development at district scale. Rising household energy bills make heat networks an economic necessity as much as a net zero carbon priority.
A UN-backed taskforce has proposed measures to attract more capital into climate adaptation and resilience, reinforcing the need to treat environmental sustainability in construction as an investment issue rather than a compliance cost. Heat stress, drought, flooding and grid pressure now affect insurance, asset values, planning risk and construction programmes. Developers and lenders are being pushed towards whole life carbon, life cycle cost and building lifecycle performance as core measures of long-term value.
Materials remain a critical weakness. UK trials on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable products show that innovation in green building materials, renewable building materials and low carbon construction materials must be matched by recycling systems capable of processing them. The findings strengthen the case for lifecycle assessment, sustainable material specification, environmental product declarations (EPDs), resource efficiency in construction and clear end-of-life reuse in construction. Without stronger circular economy infrastructure, embodied carbon in materials and the wider carbon footprint of construction will remain difficult to reduce.
Industrialised construction faces the same systems challenge. Factories, standards, logistics, procurement and dependable demand must mature together if modern methods are to support low-impact construction, eco-friendly construction and carbon neutral construction at scale. Circular economy in construction depends on circular construction strategies, not isolated green building products.
The direction for sustainable building design is clear: net zero carbon buildings require whole life carbon assessment, net zero whole life carbon targets and credible evidence on embodied carbon. BREEAM, BREEAM v7, eco-design for buildings and sustainable architecture are becoming more important as clients seek measurable carbon footprint reduction across design, construction, operation and reuse. Sustainable design is no longer defined by individual products, but by integrated networks that reduce the environmental impact of construction across the full building lifecycle.
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