The Ethical and Social Dimensions of Chemistry: Reflections, Considerations, and Clarifications

"Ethics in Chemistry" is a huge topic with various viewpoints and arguments on what it actually is and what compliance to ethical guidelines and participation in ethical discourse imply, covering principles of science and research ethics, profession ethics, and technology ethics. Overview and clarity are lost easily. The authors-members of the recently formed EuCheMS working party "Ethics in Chemistry"-present an attempt to collect and sort the ethically relevant aspects and challenges that chemists see themselves confronted with. Based on this list, strategies for ethical action are outlined. On the one hand, there are those issues that are a matter of compliance to existing guidelines and standards. On the other hand, there are those conflicts that arise at the intersection of science, technology and society and that need engaged chemists participating in the larger discourse for sustainability. This Editorial attempts to point out why this is important and what chemists can do in particular.