The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 17, 2020, that it is accepting nominations for the 2021 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards.  EPA intends these awards to recognize innovation by American businesses and researchers that redesign chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and manufacture of hazardous substances.  The 2021 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards nomination package is now available, and nominations are due December 4, 2020.  EPA states that it anticipates giving awards to “outstanding green chemistry technologies” in five categories in June 2021.  EPA will host a webinar on September 23, 2020, for those interested in applying.  During the webinar, EPA will provide an overview of the requirements, criteria, and tips for submitting a nomination package.
 
According to EPA, 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.  EPA notes that “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.