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The Science

Sustainable Chemistry for Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

The Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference will showcase cutting-edge science, engineering, and systems innovation that advance responsible consumption and production across the value chain. Our 2027 theme, Driving Responsible Consumption and Production, aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 and focuses on designing safer, more sustainable materials and processes, accelerating circular resource systems, and transforming industries through innovation, collaboration, and systems-level change.

2027 GC&E Conference Tracks

This year’s conference will feature approximately 42 technical sessions (7 concurrent morning sessions and 7 concurrent afternoon sessions) and 4–5 workshops. Workshops will take place on Monday, with technical sessions being held Tuesday through Thursday.

Tracks (~ Focus Areas)

Chemistry and engineering influence every stage of a product’s life cycle from resource extraction and molecular design to manufacturing, use, recovery, recycling, and end-of-life management. As such, they are uniquely positioned to advance sustainable consumption and production while improving environmental performance, protecting human health, strengthening economies, and supporting more resilient communities.

With this in mind, session and workshop proposals submitted should reflect the 2027 theme, “Driving Responsible Consumption and Production Through Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering,” inspired byUnited Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12). Proposals should address pressing global sustainability challenges and highlight chemistry and engineering solutions that advance resource efficiency, reduce waste and pollution, improve chemical safety, advance circularity, and strengthen supply chain resilience. Particular interest will be given to proposals that highlight pathways toward implementation and impact, including the adoption, scale-up, commercialization, and deployment of sustainable technologies, products, processes, and business models.

The Organizing Committee encourages proposals that contribute to one or more of the following SDG 12 priorities:

  • Sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources (Target 12.2)
  • Responsible management of chemicals and waste (Target 12.4)
  • Waste prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse (Target 12.5)
  • Sustainable business practices and sustainability reporting (Target 12.6)
  • Sustainable procurement and market transformation (Target 12.7)
  • Education, awareness, and workforce development (Target 12.8)
  • Global capacity building and technology transfer (Target 12.a)

The sessions may focus on any of the themes outlined below and should seek to draw connections, where appropriate, between fundamental research, engineering innovation, education, entrepreneurship, and real-world implementation. Session focus areas are shown below, noting that this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of potential topics.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Focus Areas are included below, but are not limited to:

Synthesis & Catalysis
  • Novel Reactivity and Selectivity
  • Bond Formation and Cleavage
  • Chemistry in Different Media
  • Emerging Synthetic Methodologies
  • Emerging Catalytic Technologies
  • Catalyst Design and Discovery
  • Reaction Mechanisms and Kinetics
  • Data-Driven and AI-Enabled Synthesis
  • Sustainable Synthesis of Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and Materials
Circularity of Chemicals & Materials:
  • Closed-Loop Supply Chains and Cradle-to-Cradle Design
  • Chemical Recycling and Upcycling
  • Circular Design of Materials
  • Resource Recovery from Wastewater
  • Capture and Valorization of Industrial Byproducts
  • Waste Prevention Strategies
  • Catalytic Depolymerization and Waste Conversion
  • Detoxification, Decarbonization, and Regenerative Systems
Sustainable Product Design
  • Sustainable Molecular & Materials Design
  • Safer-by-Design Chemicals
  • Alternatives Assessment
  • Design for Biodegradation
  • Eco-Friendly Packaging
  • Sustainable Materials for Construction and Manufacturing
  • Product Stewardship
  • Lifecycle Assessment and Systems Thinking
  • Design for Function & Low Hazard Collaborative Prototyping of Safer Consumer Products
Polymers
  • Bio-Based, Biodegradable, and Natural Polymers
  • Polymers from Renewable Feedstocks
  • Circular Polymer Design
  • Polymer Recycling Technologies
  • Sustainable Additives & Formulations
  • Plastic Waste Reduction Strategies
  • Polymer Lifecycle Management
  • Design for Polymer Recovery
  • Sustainable Elastomers and Composites
Greener Energy & Fuels
  • Sustainable Fuels and Feedstocks
  • Hydrogen Economy and Green Hydrogen
  • Renewable Energy Innovation
  • Energy Storage and Battery Systems
  • Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage
  • Critical Materials for Energy Systems
  • Integrated Energy Systems and Infrastructure
  • Equitable Access to Energy Technologies
  • Sustainable Mobility and Transportation Solutions
Sustainable Process Design
  • Sustainable Manufacturing Systems
  • Process Intensification and Optimization
  • Resource, Water, and Energy Efficiency
  • Green Solvents, Separations, and Recovery Technologies
  • Process Metrics, Modeling, and Decision Tools
  • Scale-Up, Translation, and Technology Implementation
  • Systems Integration and Life Cycle Engineering
  • Digital and Data-Driven Approaches
  • Safer Processes and Manufacturing
  • Infrastructure for Sustainable Production
  • Membrane Technologies for Recovery and Reuse
Education, Workforce Development & Community Engagement
  • Green Chemistry and Engineering Education
  • Curriculum Development
  • Undergraduate Laboratory Innovations
  • Workforce Development and Career Pathways
  • Career Pathways in Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
  • Industry-Academia Partnerships
  • Public Engagement and Science Communication
  • Environmental Justice
  • Community-Centered Research and Collaboration
  • Building Green Chemistry Communities
  • Integrating Indigenous and Local Knowledge
  • Climate Resilience and Community Solutions
Entrepreneurship & Market Transformation (NEW)

This new track focuses on bridging the gap between laboratory innovation and real-world implementation. Sessions should explore the scientific, business, policy, investment, and partnership models needed to bring sustainable chemistry and engineering solutions to market.

Startups and Emerging Technologies

  • Sustainable chemistry startups
  • University spinouts
  • Technology validation & scaling innovations

Investment and Capital

  • Venture capital for climate and chemistry innovations
  • Corporate venture partnerships
  • Funding translational research

Commercialization Pathways

  • Technology transfer
  • Licensing strategies
  • Pilot-scale demonstrations
  • Scale-up challenges

Market Adoption

  • Sustainable procurement
  • Customer adoption
  • Supply-chain integration
  • Market incentives

Entrepreneurship Education

  • Training scientists to be entrepreneurs
  • Academic incubators
  • Mentorship models

Case Studies

  • Successful commercialization stories
  • Lessons learned from failures
  • Industrial implementation journeys