Information About the Green Chemistry Challenge

The Green Chemistry Challenge Awards promote the environmental and economic benefits of developing and using novel green chemistry. These annual awards recognize chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use.

EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention sponsors the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards in partnership with the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute^® and other members of the chemical community.

Since the inception of the awards more than a quarter century ago, EPA and the American Chemical Society have presented awards to 144 technologies that decrease hazardous chemicals and resources, reduce costs and protect public health. Winning technologies are responsible for reducing the use or generation of nearly one billion pounds of hazardous chemicals, saving over 20 billion gallons of water, and eliminating nearly eight billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents released to the air. 

Through 2022, the 133 winning technologies have made billions of pounds of progress, including:

• 830 million pounds of hazardous chemicals and solvents eliminated each year—enough to fill almost 3,800 railroad tank cars¹ or a train nearly 47 miles long.²
• 21 billion gallons of water saved each year—the amount used by 980,000 people annually.³
• 7.8 billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents released to air eliminated each year—equal to taking 770,000 automobiles off the road.⁴

These data are from award-winning nominations for the Green Chemistry Challenge. Adding the benefits from the nominated technologies would greatly increase the program’s total benefits.

2025 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards

The 2025 Green Chemistry Challenge Award application deadline is Dec. 13, 2024. An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute will formally judge the 2025 nominations and make recommendations to EPA for the 2025 winners. EPA anticipates announcing awards to outstanding green chemistry technologies in fall 2025. For the 2025 award cycle, nominees are required to disclose any types of uses and licenses the companies are applying for with EPA. 

Information about the 2025 Challenge:

• Award Categories
• Eligibility and Scope
• Selection Criteria
• Nomination and Selection Process (view the recorded webinar on the awards and nomination process)
• 2025 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Nomination Package (pdf) (589.64 KB)
• View past Green Chemistry Challenge Award winners.

¹ Assumed a tank car with a 110-ton capacity, which is equivalent to a rail car with a 286,000 gross rail load. Source: University of Kentucky College of Engineering.
² Assumed a length of 60 feet per rail car. Sources: The Greenbrier Companies.
³ Assumed 58.6 gallons of water per person per day for indoor use. Source: Water Research Foundation.
⁴ Assumed 4.6 metric tons of CO₂e per year, or 10,141 pounds per year, per car. Source: U.S. EPA.