EFFECT OF GREEN CHEMISTRY PRACTICES ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AMONG SELECTED MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION

Abstract

This study examined the effect of green chemistry practices on environmental sustainability among selected manufacturing industries in Benue State, Nigeria, and the implications thereof for integrated science education, using an ex-post facto research design. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The population comprised 1,240 science workers, environmental officers, and senior production staff drawn from selected manufacturing industries across Makurdi, Gboko, and Otukpo in Benue State. A sample of 180 respondents, comprising 108 males and 72 females, was drawn through stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using the Green Chemistry Practices and Environmental Sustainability Questionnaire (GCPESQ), a structured five-point rating scale questionnaire, which yielded a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.87 following validation by experts in Chemistry Education and Environmental Science. The study assessed the influence of green chemistry practices on environmental sustainability outcomes across manufacturing industries and examined differences in sustainability outcomes based on the level of green chemistry adoption, as well as the implications of these practices for integrated science education. Mean, standard deviation, and chi-square statistics were used to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses respectively at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that green chemistry practices significantly influenced environmental sustainability outcomes among selected manufacturing industries in Benue State. The findings further showed that environmental sustainability outcomes differed significantly between large-scale industries and small and medium enterprises based on the level of green chemistry adoption, while green chemistry practices demonstrated significant implications for the curriculum content of integrated science education at the secondary school level. The study concludes that the adoption of green chemistry practices is an effective strategy for promoting environmental sustainability in manufacturing industries while providing a valuable framework for strengthening integrated science education. It was recommended that green chemistry concepts be formally integrated into the integrated science curriculum in Nigerian secondary schools, that manufacturing industries should strengthen the adoption of environmentally sustainable production practices, and that the Benue State Ministry of Environment should enforce compliance with green chemistry standards through regular environmental audits and industry-school collaborative programmes.