Sustainable Innovation Through Green Toxicology: Principles, Methods and Applications

Abstract

Green toxicology is an emerging and transformative discipline that integrates the principles of toxicology, green chemistry, and sustainability to design safer chemicals and materials. Its core objective is to minimize human and environmental toxicity by embedding predictive toxicological assessment early in the chemical design process. By adopting a proactive rather than reactive approach, green toxicology employs advanced tools such as in vitro assays, in silico computational modeling, high-throughput screening (HTS), organs-on-chips, and adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) to evaluate potential hazards efficiently without relying on animal testing. This field emphasizes the “benign-by-design” concept, ensuring safety throughout a product’s life cycle—from synthesis and use to disposal. Industrial applications span pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agrochemicals, and nanomaterials, where green toxicology supports innovation, regulatory compliance, and sustainable manufacturing. Despite its promise, challenges remain in the form of standardization of protocols, validation of predictive models, and regulatory acceptance of non-animal methods. Future directions involve integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for enhanced predictive modeling, expanding green-by-design approaches in academia and industry, and aligning these innovations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Overall, green toxicology represents a paradigm shift toward sustainable chemical design, advancing public health protection, ethical testing, and environmental preservation.