Science Advisory Panel

Science Advisory Panel Vision: The state of California has a chemicals policy in place that protects the health of Californians and the environment. The policy assists Californians to:

• implement strategies to stimulate a green chemistry industrial revolution to drive technological innovation and the development of safer, healthier, and more sustainable chemicals, products and processes and approaches across their life cycles.
• move from a system where materials are on a one-way trip from the cradle to grave to a system where products are recovered as raw material for reuse in new products and processes without harming human health or the environment.
• develop strategies to encourage the use of less-hazardous products, processes and approaches by encouraging the use of less-hazardous alternatives.
• motivate and support new investments in safer and more sustainable products, processes and approaches.

California has an unprecedented opportunity to establish new mechanisms to promote economic development while protecting human health and the environment. In order to accomplish this, all stakeholders must be represented and their concerns and issues heard. As an advisory panel of diverse backgrounds, we will strive to articulate to the DTSC various opportunities and issues from multiple perspectives, so that the agency may move forward in its work. We will be sure to identify concepts on which there is consensus. Where there are differing opinions, we will make every effort to represent the various viewpoints in a fair and honest way.

Mission: The Mission of the Green Chemistry Initiative (GCI) Science Advisory Panel is to advise Department of Toxic Substances Control Director Maureen Gorsen on scientific and technical matters in support of the goal of the GCI to significantly reduce adverse health and environmental impacts of chemicals used in commerce, as well as overall costs to California society, by encouraging the redesign of products, manufacturing processes and approaches. The panel will assist Director Gorsen in developing green chemistry and chemicals policy recommendations, and will ensure that these recommendations are based on a strong scientific foundation. The initiative is broad in scope and will consider a wide range of options, in an effort to identify the most effective means of strengthening California’s use of green chemistry.