The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production ties together diverse groups, conducts scientific research, but most importantly, spearheads change.  The following results illustrate how the Lowell Center brings sustainability to life:

By conducting scientific research that leads to improvements in state and healthcare policies.

• The Lowell Center's report, “An Investigation of Alternatives to Mercury-Containing Products” was used as supporting material that led to the country’s first bans of mercury containing products for switches, relays, and medical devices in Maine and Connecticut.
• Led an initiative to encourage healthcare payers to finance effective environmental interventions for asthma patients.  As a result, three managed care organizations in Massachusetts opted to pay for and provide in-home environmental assessments and materials to reduce environmental asthma triggers.

By encouraging dialogue among U.S., state and federal stakeholders about sustainable chemicals policy reform.

• As sponsor of the CG3 workgroup (Green Chemistry and Commerce Council), the Lowell Center continues to bring together companies, government and non-government organizations who are leading the green chemistry movement for developing new products.
• Organized nationwide workshops to train more than 300 companies and other organizations about REACH—the European Union chemical directive—to help companies stay competitive in a global marketplace.

By conducting research and providing technical assistance to the health care industry to reduce occupational and environmental hazards.

• Developed the Sustainable Hospitals Project web site, www.sustainablehospitals.org.  It helps healthcare practitioners identify and evaluate safer alternatives to existing products and practices.

By developing asthma patient registries and establishing a standardized system of data reporting.

• On behalf of the Boston Public Health Commission, the Lowell Center is developing an asthma registry in Boston, Massachusetts to improve patient quality of care and target prevention and control programs.

By improving the way organizations define and track progress towards sustainability.

• Developed the Sustainability Indicators and Management System to help industry measure and implement more sustainable forms of production.

By leading a group to advance a Common Agenda for Health and Environment.

• The Lowell Center developed the Toward Tomorrow web site, www.towardtomorrow.org to encourage people to share their visions of the most important elements of a healthy human population and environment.

By developing a white paper that reviews the current state of the science on environmental and occupational contributions to cancer. 

• The resulting paper, “Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer: A Review of the Recent Scientific Literature,” demonstrates why environmental and occupational cancers should be given serious consideration by individuals and institutions concerned with cancer prevention.

By conducting research on commonly used brominated flame retardants - decabromodiphenylether, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and  hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD). 

• Identified potential alternatives for specific types of uses.  Conducted an initial assessment of key characteristics such as performance, cost, health and environmental concerns.  

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