Safety at the source: green chemistry's impact on supply chain management and risk

Traditionally, supply chain management of hazardous products has focused more on reducing the exposure to hazards than on hazard elimination. The advent of green chemistry provides opportunities to refine supply chain management, including procurement policies and practices, by developing safer products. Redesigned products and processes reduce the risks encountered in manufacturing, storage, transportation and waste control by mitigating the hazards associated with them. From a risk management perspective, since it is fundamentally better to mitigate hazards than to try to protect against them, green chemistry can be highly beneficial. We discuss the meaning of, and the experience with, green chemistry and explain how it contributes to green supply chain management and supply chain-related risk management. The fundamental benefit of green chemistry is that it provides safety at the source.