We always feel smarter when we read Joel Makower’s articles for Greenbiz. Here’s a recent post about Green Chemistry, the science of addressing pollution prevention at the molecular level. It gets a tad technical, so we’ll let Joel explain the challenges that exist for this interesting (and relatively new) branch of the environmental movement.

California Puts Green Chemistry Under The Microscope

by Joel Makower, for Greenbiz.com

There’s a classic, geeky science joke that “Chemists have all the solutions.” That’s starting to appear true from an environmental perspective, though it remains to be seen whether those solutions will actually come to market.

Green chemistry, a common-sense discipline that’s less than twenty years old, has been emerging in recent years from the lab and into the marketplace, making inroads in conventional chemical companies and creating opportunities for upstarts.

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8 Billion Plastic Hangers in Landfills Each Year

Each year, an estimated 8 billion unrecyclable plastic hangers and more than 3.5 million wire hangers end up in landfills, enough to fill almost five Empire State Buildings. The vast majority are made of seven different types of low-grade plastics, and separating them adequately is too complicated (and time-consuming) so most municipal recyclers choose not to accept hangers. Plastic hangers require over 1,000 years to break down, while wire hangers can take over 100 years to decompose. In the retail world, hangers are so ubiquitous as to be both vital and almost invisible. It’s hard to imagine a retail model that doesn’t involve a clothes hanger. In recent years, a new trend has emerged in retail, as suppliers are shipping pre-hung garments so that individual stores need only open the box and hang up the garment. This practice shortens the lifespan of a hanger, requires more to be made, meaning more bound for landfills. Oakland, CA-based GreenHeart Global has launched its Ditto Hangers, made from recycled paper and PET plastic, as it seeks to bring sustainability to an environmentally-challenged industry. more…