September 2024, the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute launched the Natural Polymers Consortium (NPC). The consortium has been in the works for the last year, and several virtual and in-person meetings are being held to lay out the framework and focus of the collaboration, which is to catalyze the sustainable development, production, and application of natural polymers through research, discussion, evaluation, and advocacy.
Founding members of the NPC are Colgate-Palmolive, International Flavors & Fragrances, MonoSol, Procter & Gamble, and founding affiliate member RockyTech. The first cochairs of the consortium are Jun Wang of Colgate-Palmolive and Matthew Wagner of Procter & Gamble.
Natural polymers have been scientifically underexplored. 20th-century industries turned to more readily available and versatile petrochemicals as feedstock, and materials research turned to synthetic polymers and plastics. Today, though, natural polymers—like cellulose, silk, and rubber, which have been used by humans for thousands of years—are of high interest to biobased feedstocks, materials, packaging, and consumer product industries, which are seeking innovative functional materials with improved sustainability profiles.
For membership information, contact gciroundtables@acs.org.
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