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.