| Since the industrial revolution in the last century, the public has become more concerned about preserving the environment and exploring the benefits of sustainability. Environmental awareness has had a major impact on industry worldwide. It has led to greater scrutiny of all industrial processes because they contribute the largest amount of environmental pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, reported in its Toxics Release Inventory, or TRI, that industrial facilities release more than 6.5 billion pounds of toxic chemicals into the environment each year. Of these 6.5 billion pounds, 100 million pounds contain cancer-causing agents. Environmental issues, such as pollution, resource depletion, climate change, and waste management, have forced industry to change processes as a means of reducing its environmental impacts. |
