Specialized Manual on Green and Sustainable Chemistry Education and Learning

United Nations 3 years ago

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.
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 9 hours ago



Sustainable construction is entering a more demanding phase as climate resilience shifts from voluntary reporting to boardroom risk management. Developers, contractors and asset owners are under growing pressure to treat flood risk, heat stress, grid capacity and adaptation as core investment criteria. Whole life carbon, embodied carbon and life cycle cost are becoming central to procurement, planning and asset valuation, not optional metrics for sustainability reports.

The direction of European policy reinforces this shift. Ursula von der Leyen’s warning that prosperity will be shaped by climate action and AI points to stronger clean-tech and digital measures, with direct implications for sustainable building design, energy-efficient buildings and net zero carbon buildings. Analysis from Ember on smarter, more flexible energy systems strengthens the case for buildings as active grid assets. Low carbon design, demand optimisation and building lifecycle performance are becoming essential to decarbonising the built environment.

In the UK, official advice that Heathrow expansion would conflict with climate targets unless sustainable aviation fuel and greenhouse-gas removals scale materially sends a wider signal to infrastructure and construction. Carbon-intensive development will face closer scrutiny, with stronger expectations for credible mitigation, whole life carbon assessment and transparent lifecycle assessment. The embodied carbon in materials, the carbon footprint of construction and the use of low embodied carbon materials are likely to carry greater weight in planning consent, funding decisions and supply-chain evaluation.

The government’s post-Grenfell fire-safety update underlines a critical point for green construction: retrofit, insulation, renewable building materials and innovative green building products must meet stricter safety expectations. Sustainable architecture cannot advance through performance claims alone. Eco-design for buildings, sustainable material specification and environmental product declarations (EPDs) will need to support both safety and environmental sustainability in construction.

The market signal is clear. Sustainable construction is moving towards net zero whole life carbon, circular economy principles and resource efficiency in construction. Circular economy in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction and circular construction strategies are becoming practical routes to carbon footprint reduction and lower environmental impact of construction. BREEAM, BREEAM V7 and comparable frameworks are likely to gain importance as clients seek evidence-based standards for low carbon building, green infrastructure and sustainable urban development. Sustainability is no longer a decorative label for construction; it is becoming the specification for resilient, investable and compliant assets.

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