Preventing Pollution Before It Happens
Tom Murray | EPA Senior Biologist

Have you ever asked the question: “Why not prevent pollution before it becomes a difficult-to-control reality”?  Well, an energetic collection of EPA scientists, economists and entrepreneurial thinkers have been addressing this question since the late 1980s.   Through Congressional action to pass the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 and fueled by several Presidential Executive Orders, this small group of individuals nested primarily within the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances and the Regions, has methodically taken the pollution prevention message from the imagination to the corporate boardroom.  Who would have imagined back in the 1970s that today we would be working in partnership with major corporations to consider the environment in the design of their products? Who would have imagined that we would be teaching the principles of environmental accounting and green chemistry and engineering in our universities and that environmentally-preferable purchasing would become a routine practice?  Who could envision that in the 21st century we would witness a sea change in corporate policies from one of profitability to one of sustainability or green profitability and that the buildings these corporations occupy and the meetings they conduct would be built upon environmental principles?

From a professional who has spent his entire career in public service protecting the environment, words cannot adequately express the satisfaction of watching major corporations embrace the principles of pollution prevention as a central tenet of the business case, assuming responsibility not only at the corporate level but also throughout the supply chain.  Today, companies are viewing EPA not only as a regulator, which it always must be, but also as a source for valuable information, peer-reviewed tools and good old-fashion know-how.  Companies are working in partnership with EPA to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals and reduce waste while increasing efficiency.  Moreover, they are finding ways to convert by-products into marketable commodities. And the beauty of it all is that they are able to do so while achieving significant cost savings up and down the supply chain.  A win for everyone! 

Tom Murray is chief of the Prevention Analysis Branch in the Pollution Prevention Division
 of the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.  

Learn more about pollution prevention