The ACS Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI), in partnership with industry leaders, is launching the Natural Polymers Consortium (NPC) to explore the utilization of natural polymers to accelerate the development of more sustainable functional materials. Companies working in this area are invited to join, while academics and NGOs interested in developing relevant chemistries are welcome to partner.
Events
ACS Fall 2024, August 18-22, 2024, Denver, Colorado & Hybrid
The ACS GCI NPC will convene in Denver for its first official face-to-face meeting with the Founding Members. Other events open to parties interested in learning more and joining the ACS GCI NPC:
- Tuesday, August 20, 2024: Global Collaborations on Natural Polymers as Substitution of Synthetic Materials, ACS POLY Division Symposium, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. MDT at Tower Court B in the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. Co-organized by Dr. Jun Wang (Colgate-Palmolive), Dr. Wei Gai (Dow) and our CAS colleague Dr. Qiong Yuan.
- Tuesday, August 20, 2024: ACS GCI Networking Reception, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. MDT. A social reception organized by the ACS GCI where we have invited members and interested parties of the ACS GCI NPC.
- Wednesday, August 21, 2024: A presentation by Dr. Jun Wang at 4:20 p.m. MDT titled “Embracing nature’s wisdom for materials transformation” at the Bluebird Ballroom 3B in the Colorado Convention Center, a part of the “Achievements in Elevating the Chemistry Enterprise: Advancement of Energy Transition & Smart Materials” Presidential symposium.
Past Events
June 2024: A symposium entitled “Natural Polymers for Sustainable Chemistry Applications” was held at the 2024 Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference in Atlanta, GA, featuring eight speakers from academia, government and industry who presented new research in the utilization of terrestrial and marine-based natural polymers in applications ranging from packaging to healthcare materials.
March 2024: ACS Spring 2024 Meeting. Potential NPC founding members participated in a business meeting in New Orleans on March 19, 2024, to formalize the strategic priorities, group structure, and membership of the NPC Business Plan. A session describing the NPC was presented by Jun Wang (Colgate-Palmolive) in the symposium, "Cross-Sector Partnerships for Innovation and Talent: Collaborate with Industry and NGOs."
February 2024: ACS Webinar entitled "Harnessing the Power of Natural Polymers: Innovation Opportunities for Circular Materials" featured a panel discussion on how the NPC is positioned to connect researchers in a pre-competitive manner to address the most critical development and application of natural polymers for commercial products.
August 2023: ACS Fall 2023 Symposium in San Francisco entitled “Natural Polymers – A Back to the Future Approach to Deal with the Plastics Issue,” featuring 19 speakers from academia, government, and industry. A hybrid NPC business meeting brought 50 participants to discuss the group structure, membership, and strategic priorities.
May 2023: A kick-off call brought over 60 prospective members together to discuss the formation of the NPC.
Vision
Natural polymers innovations can sustainably meet modern human needs.
Mission
Catalyze the sustainable development, production, and application of natural polymers in material science and the foundational science that drives the acceptance and inclusion in policy and regulatory processes.
Strategic Priorities
The NPC is a collaboration poised to accelerate innovation in this crucial area through our strategic priorities:
- Facilitate communication, discussion, and collaboration between scientists across industries, government, NGOs, and academia that (i) foster new ideas related to natural polymers; (ii) promote development of research tools that accelerate progress towards sustainable natural polymers; and (iii) enable the scaling within chemical and biomanufacturing for commercial impact.
- Promote and support research in transformative natural polymers materials and enabling technologies that accelerate progress in the field.
- Develop metrics and tools to evaluate the life cycle impacts of natural polymers to enable future product designs.
- Advocate for recognition & support in policy for these innovative and sustainable polymers to enable the material transition.
Companies working in this area, as well as academics and NGOs interested in developing relevant chemistries, are invited to participate. Founding Members will establish the membership fees and structure in 2024.
Questions? Email Us.
Press
ACS GCI Launches the Natural Polymers Consortium
May 2023 | The Nexus
