We are delighted to welcome you and inspired by your commitment, that’s present here today – commitment to explore the value proposition of Green Chemistry for your organization, to recognize the potential of Green Chemistry to offer the twin benefits of economic competitiveness & environmental preservation, and to initiate the process of implementation of Green Chemistry within your organization.

We pledge to serve this commitment of yours and welcome that spirit which is open and willing to explore the industrialization of green chemistry and engineering practices. The collective commitment of all of you, present here, is like the nucleus which will forward this field and drive the implementation and industrialization of green chemistry and engineering in the Industry.

Purpose & Commitment of IGCW: The Industrial Green Chemistry World (IGCW) is a platform created to facilitate implementation and commercialization of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering based products and technologies in the chemical industry.

IGCW2011 is an ecosystem to connect various worlds of the chemistry community – industry, academia, research institutes, government & regulatory bodies, associations, NGOs, students and media. An ecosystem to bring all these stakeholders together and to collectively explore new concepts, engage-in conversations, exchange ideas and collaborate to accelerate the industrialization of green chemistry and engineering, in a way, that it becomes the only way of doing chemistry.

Dimensions of IGCW & its reality: We take this opportunity to share with you some realities about various dimensions of IGCW:

IGCW-Symposium brings together 23 global experts from industry, academia, government bodies and NGOs, presenting on strategic issues, industrial case-studies, innovations and emerging trends. IGCW-Symposium is host to 300+ chemical companies of diverse scales, from over 3 continents and 10 Countries. It will be attended by over 1200 chief representatives from the functional domains of management, R&D, plant & operations, over three days.

IGCW-Expo is the world’s first showcase exclusively of green chemistry and engineering based initiatives, technologies, services, products and solutions. Over 50 organizations will showcase their innovations to over 4000+ visitors from the Chemical Industry at IGCW-Expo.

IGCW Awards is an acknowledgement of individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions through implementation & commercialization of Green Chemistry and engineering.  We are delighted to declare that IGCW-2011 has received 41 case studies for IGCW Awards, compared to 21 case-studies received in 2009. This is an indicator not only of the recognition of the unsustainability of the present course of manufacturing, but also  that there are an increasing number of committed stakeholders pro-actively engaged in addressing the sustainability needs of the chemical industry.

180° Seminar Series are 3 hr technical sessions organized to create deeper technical understanding of the delegates on specific areas like Green Solvents, Green Catalysts, Green Engineering, Green Processes, etc.

Students Conference & Teachers Workshop being conducted after IGCW is an expression to expand awareness about Green Chemistry in the academia inside of our commitment to have our future generation of chemists & chemical engineers “Green Conscious”.

Opportunities at IGCW:  IGCW is a phenomenal opportunity for all of us to “intervene” in to our current practices, the way we do our chemistry and to question our existing paradigms to address chemical industry’s environmental challenges. It’s an opportunity to create new paradigms – by shifting, from resource-intensive approach to profit-centric model, from regulation-driven pollution-control practices to e-factor driven pollution prevention strategies, and from effluent treatment to recycle streams at the source.

IGCW is a platform to connect the providers of these possibilities to its industry-driven seekers. It is a collective opportunity to create a next generation DNA for the chemical industry that will drive the implementation and industrialization of green chemistry and engineering.

Participation at IGCW:  With this we invite you to participate in IGCW-2011 and to view this event as an opportunity, to make the most of the presence of global experts by interacting with them and exchanging ideas. Network, visit the exhibition and participate in specific 180o Seminar of your interest.

Open up this opportunity to people in your network, personally invite them to visit the exhibition halls, to explore the subject specific seminars and utilize this platform for generating a ‘green’ consciousness amongst our Industry peers and colleagues.

We invite you to participate from the receiving and sharing context, by extending your interactions with the young generation and senior alike, and take tremendous value from the event, both from the known and unknown. An event with such a grand purpose gives us an opportunity to create relationships which are grounded in purpose, and may transform brief interactions into long-term relationships to fulfill mutual commitments in this direction that will ultimately, I dare say, benefit all of humanity and, once and for all, demonstrate that Green Chemistry can improve competitiveness and profitability.

For, IGCW Team,
Nitesh

Even the companies want to do their bit to save the environment by trying new ideas, new concepts and innovations related to environmental domains. There may be challenges in the form of space constraints in their existing set-up, competition from Chinese manufacturers, customers demanding “greener products & processes” and increasingly tightening environmental discharge norms. But there is a solution -  “Green Chemistry”.

Science has the potential to address all these challenges together by providing various products and services, that can directly or indirectly help the industry to expand, and simultaneously reduce its environmental footprint. It is a revolution that includes everyone – from start-ups to large companies, research institutes, academic institutes and consultants, leading the charge. They may be based in India as well as across US & Europe. But the aim is to make people aware about green chemistry, green engineering & sustainability. And this is where we come back to India and its huge potential market for such products.

The IGCW 2011 – Expo is one such extraordinary opportunity for such companies offering Green Chemistry & Green Engineering based products and services, to reach out to the senior decision makers of over 300 pharmacy & fine chemical companies, and explore new business opportunities. It is an opportunity to reach out to a global audience, with world class solutions.

This month, Mr. Nitesh Mehta, Convener of IGCW 2011 and Founder Director of Newreka, will be attending the ‘Pharma ChemOutsourcing‘ and ‘Sustainable Chemistry Summit‘. We look forward to meeting you at these events to share information about Newreka’s services and the Industrial Green Chemistry World 2011. To meet Mr. Mehta at these events, you can contact him at nitesh.mehta@newreka.co.in. We request you to suggest a specific time slot for you and your team to meet us.

But in a tough competitive world, only the fittest survive. We need options that make us better than the best. This is where Chemical Weekly and Newreka Green Synth Technologies come in. The ‘Green Chemistry: Options for the Indian Fine Chemicals Industry’ seminar, organized by Chemical Weekly and Newreka Green Synth Technologies, was a free-to-attend conference held on April 14 at the Chemspec India 2011. Industrial experts demonstrated through presentations on how the Indian fine chemicals industry can leverage their yield growth and process improvement by incorporating principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering to reduce its environmental footprint, while ensuring cost-competitive manufacturing.

Following Speakers provided presentations at the Green Chemistry Conference:

Mr. Nitesh Mehta, Director, Newreka Green Synth Technologies P. Ltd., on Recycling at source – An effective alternative to end-of-the-pipe treatment.

Dr. M.G. Palekar, President-Pharmaceuticals & Intermediates, Atul Ltd. discussed key Initiatives in Sustainable Development.

‘Green’ processes for fine chemicals: Case Study by Prashant Barve, Head, Process Development & Engineering, National Chemical Laboratory

Simple Innovations and Novel Treatment Technology for Improved Effluent Quality – Case Studies by Sandip Zaveri, Director, CS Specialties Pvt. Ltd. was one of the highlights of the seminar.

This year marks the 6th anniversary of Chemspec India, and it will be an important meeting ground for some of the world’s largest suppliers of fine and specialty chemicals and associated products and services. It is the perfect opportunity to connect with not only future business associates, but also to make your business future proof!

At our organisation, we’re always trying to find ways of interesting the youth towards the topic of Green Chemistry. Only if the youth of a nation understand our mission, will it be successful. But, a little complicated that the subject is, getting youngsters enthused proves a tad tough So we got talking to some college students one of these days about our ideologies. These were third year BSc students from a Mumbai college. Admittedly, the session got a little too technical for them and I could see some of the students stifling yawns. One even got to the extent of commenting out loud, “What a waste!”

“Yes”, I said and startled all. They expected a chastisement of sorts but I’d found my turning point there. “It is a waste. If you take no message back, the session will have gone waste. All the precious resources – your time, my effort – everything wasted. It will have polluted our moods in the process and your HOD’s disappointment would be the byproduct. The other alternative is for us to make this session fruitful and negate waste, get a zero e-factor!”

My point had hit home. The whole of the last hour’s presentations fell into perspective. Then questions flew thick and fast from students.

“What exactly is e-waste?” one asked.
I flipped back a few slides and explained. “E-factor is the amount of waste generated per kilogram of final product or the measure of environmental impact of the waste in your production processes.”
“But how is it of any concern to us?” another shot back.
“It concerns you in every living moment you spend on this planet. Every thing you use in the course of your modern life has repercussions on the environment, which has an immediate bearing on your life. The more you pollute, the more polluted things nature will give you. For every bit of plastic waste you generate, you’ll get one toxic fruit, vegetable or meat in the bargain. Now if that doesn’t alarm you, I don’t know what else will.”

“But what is the solution?” questioned one of the back benchers.
“Green chemistry! Just so we don’t have to deal with wastes and break out heads over trying to treat and recycle it, we should stop generating waste.”

“Is that possible?” the back-bencher asked, now riveted.
“Yes. That’s exactly what green chemistry is all about. We formulate solutions in a way that there are little or no by-products. And if there are by-products, we ensure, they are completely bio-degradable. Simply put, we remove the root of the problem!”

I could hear murmurs of approval from the class. I could see realisation in their eyes. And I knew, the session had not gone ‘waste’. Green Chemistry was working here too!

Have you ever faced such an ‘environmental moment of truth’? Tell me about it!

As the prestigious Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference (GC & E) rides its way back into the heartland of green chemistry with a fitting theme in its 14th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, a few thoughts on quality are rightly set to take the center-stage. The conference will pull thousands of professionals from different walks of the broad spectrum of this industry towards downtown Washington, DC between June 21 and 23, 2010.

At a time when the Indian green chemistry industry has stamped its credentials across the globe, the need and efforts for regulations, new technologies and its applications in consonance with international norms in the sector will be the key topics enveloping the conference. Rightly, its theme ‘Innovation and Application’ will spur these attempts as industrialists, researchers, chemists, industrial green chemical experts, students, entrepreneurs and scientists will be milling the venue – Capital Hilton, Washington, DC.

This year’s conference will focus on more than twenty areas of green chemistry and green engineering including the topics: Biofuels, Environmental health sciences, Biomimicry, International activities, Education, Pharmaceuticals, Energy, Sustainable Design Concepts, Entrepreneurship and Supply Chain Management. Last year’s conference attracted more than 400 attendees from 17 countries around the globe and according to the conference producers, this year’s conference will see even more people. This year, the world famous environmentalist, author and entrepreneur Paul Hawken, and US Congressman, John Tierney (D-MA) , author of the “Green Jobs” bill will present the key note addresses. There will be a full day of programs for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral green chemistry and engineering students. The 2010 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards are also something to look forward to. The winners will announced on the June 21.

The event would help the participants identify the various impediments to the growth and functioning of the industry by providing a unique platform to interact and network with the industry and policy makers. It would also help Indian companies like Newreka to showcase the Indian capabilities in the sectors and invite global investors to invest in these upcoming sectors in the country.

So let’s keep our fingers crossed!

Thus,  it is high time that this small but conscious and kind initiatives of companies gets its due notice in the world. Industrial Green Chemistry Workshop (IGCW – 2009),  in order to encourage such companies and  to provide them a platform to expose their initiatives, is all set to felicitate them for their benign initiatives which would help make this earth a better place to live. The award nominations has been divided into four categories, i.e., MNC / Large IGCW Awards, Medium / Small IGCW Awards, Academic / Scientist IGCW Awards, and Students IGCW Awards.

The aim of this workshop is to enlighten, encourage, and expose the impact of green chemistry and green engineering technologies at an industrial scale and allow altering realities on the ground. Industries, researchers and scientists, academia world-wide, committed to implement Green Chemistry based solutions are welcome to present an abstract for Industrial Green Chemistry Award recognition on topics pertinent to the IGCW themes.

So what are you waiting for? Get your Green Chemistry contribution recognized, apply for IGCW Award Nomination!