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Sustainable chemistry
This free course will cover the role chemists play in achieving the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and helping to ensure a sustainable future for the planet. In particular, it looks at how chemicals can be manufactured (at scale) whilst minimising any detrimental environmental impact – leading to a discussion of the principles of Green Chemistry and production of ammonia by the Haber-Bosch processes. Using mobile phones as a focus, the course will look at elements that are likely to be in short supply in the future, and the increasing necessity for urban mining.
This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course S218 Concepts in chemistry.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- recognise how chemists can play a role in achieving the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and helping to ensure a sustainable future for the planet
- understand the difference between linear and circular economies
- identify endangered elements in the Periodic Table and the necessity for recycling
- know how to calculate the atom economy for a chemical reaction
- be aware of the principles of green chemistry.
First Published: 26/06/2026
Updated: 26/06/2026
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