Abstract Green Chemistry is the front end of technology in the chemical field, and for this reason, not all terms of the question are clear. After a preliminary analysis and definition of the most common terms and concepts, the main topic is addressed after a short description of the scenario in front of us and the enforcement actions. The focus of this chapter is the green chemistry applied to polymers. After a short list of the main routes available today, discussion is centered on PET/polyester analysis and perspectives.
This chapter provides an overview of the strategic tensions involved in persuading a Supply Chain to adopt Sustainable practices, with a particular emphasis on the apparel industry and Green Chemistry. These tensions arise from the conflict between a firm’s potential desire to use Sustainable practices to improve its competitive positioning (e.g., by creating a brand that is uniquely the Greenest brand on the market), and the reality that adopting Sustainable practices (e.g., Green Chemistry) will require the firm to cooperate with its Supply Chain and potentially with competitors, in ways that may undercut the opportunity for an enhanced competitive position (e.g., if everyone adopts the same Green practices, it is difficult for any individual firm to claim it is uniquely the Greenest firm). To some extent, this tension can be overcome by cooperation in ways that expand the market overall (e.g., take sales away from substitute products), while striving for competitive advantage against direct competitors (i.e., collectively this concept is called co-opetition, which is described in the last section).
