CCNJ CONGRATULATES MEMBERS BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB AND MERCK & CO., RECIPIENTS OF THE 2021 EPA GREEN CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE AWARD – InsiderNJ
TRENTON – (June 16, 2021) – Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the 2021 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, including CCNJ Regular Member companies Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation and use of hazardous substances.
“Our industry has come a long way to ensure that we continue to contribute to society by providing innovative solutions through the advancement of green chemistry,” said Dennis Hart, CCNJ executive director. “Both Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck & Co., longtime members of the Council, demonstrate through their life saving products how essential chemistry, and in particular green chemistry, is to our lives. I join with others in congratulating them and all of our members that are committed to a better quality of life through chemistry.”
The EPA press release stated the following about the award recipients:
- Bristol Myers Squibb, New York, for a new class of sustainable reagents – substances used to cause a chemical reaction. These new reagents use less solvents and are derived from limonene, a waste product from discarded citrus peels, which increases sustainability and decreases environmental impact. They also can tolerate air and moisture better than traditional reagents, eliminating the need for expensive technology and specialized shipping and storage.
- Merck & Co., New Jersey, for developing a green and sustainable manufacturing process for a drug used to treat chronic coughs. By incorporating green chemistry techniques into the manufacturing process, the team not only replaced two highly toxic and hazardous chemicals, it also reduced carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions. Life-cycle assessment data shows that these changes are expected to decrease the carbon footprint of manufacturing this drug by more than 80 percent.
Winning technologies are responsible for annually reducing the use or generation of hundreds of millions of pounds of hazardous chemicals and saving billions of gallons of water and trillions of BTUs in energy.
Recently, CCNJ updated its sustainability statement. While our industry’s legacy of discovery is inspiring, we have learned from our past shortcomings and are more resolved than ever in being solution providers and not contribute to the impediments that can negatively impact our society. Our member companies are committed to conducting operations in a responsible manner, which promote sustainable and environmentally sound solutions based on science.
The Chemistry Council of New Jersey (CCNJ), founded in 1955, is the trade and advocacy organization representing the interests of more than 60 New Jersey manufacturers and 45 firms in the business of chemistry. Our membership consists of large and small companies that are part of New Jersey’s chemical, pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, petroleum, flavor & fragrances, and precious metals industries. The CCNJ is committed to a better quality of life through science.