Life cycle considerations of solvents

The most sustainable solvent is the solvent that is not used. However, avoiding the use of solvents is oftentimes not possible, and efforts are needed to minimize their environmental footprint. This includes both minimizing the amount of solvent used and minimizing the impacts across the solvent's life cycle, which include raw material extraction and production, manufacturing, transportation, use, recycling, and final disposal. Evaluating solvents without using a life cycle approach would underestimate impacts, conceal trade-offs, and could result in regrettable substitution. This article discusses key aspects to be considered when evaluating and selecting solvents using a life cycle assessment approach.