ABSTRACT
In the first decade of the new millennium we have seen the road
map driving toward a sustainable society being widely addressed by
politicians, scientists, the media, environmentalists, and laypersons.
Unless you have a clearly expressed view on matters related to
sustainability in the widest sense, you run the obvious risk of
being seen as hopelessly obsolete. The concept is complex and far
reaching and encompasses subareas such as lean production, clean
technologies, environmentally considerate processes, recycling and
reuse of spent material, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and
minimization of raw material utilization. Expressed in this way, it
is bound to have a deep impact on individuals’ day-to-day lives.
This is further emphasized by a fundamental paradigm upon which
the vision for a sustainable world rests (as seen from a chemistry
perspective): “meeting the needs of the current generation while
preserving the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”1
