I grew up in educational institutions appreciative of the environment. In both of those Katipunan schools, I was always reminded to be good stewards of God’s creation and keep clean as we go. The word sustainability was thrown around a lot in these classrooms. The sheer exposure to the idea combined with my interest in making things more efficient are the main reasons why chemical engineering resonated with me more in comparison to other fields.
Now, as a third-year chemical engineering student, I took the opportunity to apply for an internship at one of my department’s laboratories with its research focusing on sustainability. Contrary to most laboratories, it has a dry lab environment where computational analyses are done by computer models instead of actual experiments.
Because of the laboratory’s theoretical nature, my internship plan for this semester mostly consisted of reading literature. During our first week, I had to complete a module of videos and research journals to expand our basic definition of societal sustainability–economically inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and well-governed.
Such an ideal—frankly utopic—vision of society, however, is still very much far from reach. Our economy, for one, exists within the society and the society exists in the environment. It is easy to visualize our physical limitations with this ecocentric worldview, as changes in the environment will directly impact our society and economy, and vice versa.
To achieve this, the environment must be maintained to ensure safe living conditions for society. Consequently, good governance is required to implement policies that safeguard these natural resources all the while allowing development. This definition of sustainable development feels so grand and ambitious. My younger self would be thrilled to know there were already engineers and scientists striving for the same goals she had.Although chemical engineers alone will not attain sustainable development given the realities on the ground.
As a chemical engineering student, I do know that there are processes essential for continued development. The chemical process industry precisely operates on this–the industry focuses on converting raw materials into commercial products on a large scale. Many of the things we use daily, like fuel, medicine, and food, most likely went through a factory optimized by a chemical engineer. We would not be where we are now without the many contributions of chemical engineering to society.
However, the way these processes are currently created focuses too much on profit instead of sustainability. When unit operations and processes are discussed in my chemical engineering majors, it is often mentioned to choose the method that maximizes economic gain. Companies dislike the idea of shifting to greener technology because they believe it would reduce their profits in one way or another.
I get taught what type of units are the most cost-effective yet efficient in each situation. It is sometimes coincidental that maximizing its profitability also meant recycling some of the raw material back into the feed streams of a process to reduce waste.
In fact, the concept of sustainability has become the newest marketing strategy in the industry. As environmental issues arise, consumers start to demand greener and more sustainable products. Greenwashing is now commonplace in advertising. For example, metal straws are presented as an alternative to single-use plastic straws. Companies desire to look environmentally aware, despite being the perpetrators of harmful practices themselves.
In profit-driven engineering, the reduction of environmental impact is only an afterthought. Oil and gas industries utilize extraction methods inherently destructive to landscapes and inhabiting wildlife. Plastic, once a novel idea that allowed for the convenience of easy packaging of various items, can now be found polluting our rivers and oceans.
I cannot help but think that I will inevitably end up as a character in this system where production is valued over necessity. I do not want to end up working under corporations practicing unsustainable production for profit. At this point in my education, it is a contradiction between upholding my values and pursuing my chosen career path.
The promise of infinite growth without repercussions to the environment and, in turn, the quality of our lives is a lie that I continue to struggle against. Perhaps, it is possible in the future that with our chemical engineering tools and processes, we can cut back on our consumption and pollution—even growth itself—to set our path toward a truly sustainable growth and society.
Chemical engineering will always remain relevant in society, but it loses its value over time when the profession continues to separate itself from its social responsibilities. The most I could do now as a student is to master the foundations and immerse myself in the people advocating for sustainable engineering as our collective frustration may translate into the transformation of the industry that we are all disappointed with. ●
