If chemistry is to contribute effectively to the development of a more sustainable world, it is essential that it is taught within a broader socioeconomic and ecological context.
References
The Council of the European Union. Council directive 96/61/EC of 24 September 1996 concerning integrated pollution prevention and control. EUR-Lex https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A31996L0061 (1996).
EPA. Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. EPA https://www.epa.gov/p2/pollution-prevention-act-1990 (1990).
Kümmerer, K. Sustainable chemistry: a future guiding principle. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 56, 16420–16421 (2017).
UN Environment Programme. Global chemicals outlook II: from legacies to innovative solutions. UNEP https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/report/global-chemicals-outlook-ii-legacies-innovative-solutions (2019).
MacKellar, J. J. et al. Toward a green and sustainable chemistry education road map. J. Chem. Educ. 97, 2104–2113 (2020).
Sjöström, J., Frerichs, N., Zuin, V. G. & Eilks, I. Use of the concept of Bildung in the international science education literature, its potential, and implications for teaching and learning. Stud. Sci. Educ. 53, 165–192 (2017).
Elschami, M. & Kümmerer, K. Design of a master of science sustainable chemistry. Sustain. Chem. Pharm. 17, 100270 (2020).
GPQV/UFSCar. Plasticized childhood. GPQV/UFSCar https://criancaeconsumo.org.br/biblioteca/plasticized-childhood-the-impact-of-plastic-toy-advertising-to-children-on-their-health-and-the-environment/ (2020).
Kümmerer, K., Clark, J. H. & Zuin, V. G. Rethinking chemistry for a circular economy. Science 367, 369–370 (2020).
European Commission. Chemicals strategy for sustainability towards a toxic-free environment. European Commission https://ec.europa.eu/environment/pdf/chemicals/2020/10/Strategy.pdf (2020).
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes-PrInt, Brazil) and the Robert Bosch and Alexander von Humboldt Foundations (Germany).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares no competing interests.
Additional information
Related links
EPA webpage: https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zuin, V.G., Kümmerer, K. Towards more sustainable curricula. Nat Rev Chem 5, 76–77 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-021-00253-w
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-021-00253-w
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Chemistry and materials science for a sustainable circular polymeric economy
Nature Reviews Materials (2022)