(An approach to) applied chemistry whose aim is to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of environmentally harmful substances in industrial processes, in agriculture, and in the life cycles of products.
Origin
1980s; earliest use found in New Scientist.
Definition of green chemistry in US English:
green chemistry
noun
(An approach to) applied chemistry whose aim is to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of environmentally harmful substances in industrial processes, in agriculture, and in the life cycles of products.