Chemistry shapes nearly every part of modern life, from medicines and buildings to electronics, energy technologies, and everyday products. Green chemistry offers a different approach, considering performance, safety, and sustainability from the start rather than addressing waste and hazards after the fact.
This approach opens new possibilities for scientific discovery. Green chemistry research breakthroughs will enable higher-performing materials, more efficient manufacturing processes, and products designed to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances, with applications across health, energy, infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing.
Strong interest is evident across the chemical enterprise in advancing the field of green chemistry. In a 2026 Morning Consult survey commissioned by the Moore Foundation, 75% of research and development and technology leaders said they want to see more green chemistry research, and 75% supported greater investment. Among those familiar with green chemistry, more than 90% said it can provide companies with a competitive advantage.
Realizing that potential will take more than investment in research alone. Scientific breakthroughs also need the right conditions to move from discovery toward broader use, including infrastructure, incentives, market demand, and connections across sectors. Creating those conditions opens opportunities for different partners to contribute at different points along the path from fundamental science to application.
Philanthropy can help advance fundamental research and strengthen the field. Industry can help identify needs, test new approaches, and create demand for safer, more sustainable chemistry. Investors and other partners can help promising ideas move toward commercial application and scale. Together, these complementary efforts can help scientific advances translate into new technologies, products, and economic opportunities.
Our own conversations with researchers, industry leaders, and others across the field have reinforced both the scientific potential of green chemistry and the opportunity for broader investment. To help realize this potential, the Moore Foundation is expanding its Green Chemistry Initiative to $196.25 million over 10 years, bringing the Foundation’s total support of green chemistry to over $200 million, building on its first grantmaking activities in green chemistry research.
"The potential of green chemistry is tremendous," said Paul Anastas, Program Director of the Green Chemistry Initiative. "We have an opportunity to make fundamental discoveries that change what is possible in chemistry and ultimately how chemicals and materials are designed and made. By investing in the science now, we can open new directions for research and innovation that we may not yet be able to imagine."
The Foundation's expanded commitment reflects what we believe green chemistry can make possible, but realizing its full potential will require participation and investment well beyond any one organization. We welcome conversations with funders, investors, industry leaders, and others interested in advancing the science and creating the conditions for discoveries to move from the lab into wider use.
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