CEJ, Green chemistry, ACS sustainable, which one is better?

Determining which journal—*Green Chemistry*, *ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering*, or the *Circular Economy Journal (CEJ)*—is "better" depends entirely on the specific goals of the author and the nature of the research, as each occupies a distinct, though overlapping, niche within the broader sustainability science landscape. For a researcher whose work is fundamentally centered on designing chemical products and processes to eliminate hazardous substances, the Royal Society of Chemistry's *Green Chemistry* is the preeminent and most targeted venue. Its focus is precisely defined around the 12 principles of green chemistry, emphasizing atom economy, waste prevention, and inherently safer design at the molecular level. It carries a high reputation for originality and methodological innovation in synthetic chemistry, catalysis, and solvent design, and its impact factor consistently ranks it as a top-tier journal in both green chemistry and general chemistry categories. Choosing it signals that the core contribution of the work is an advance in the fundamental chemical science of sustainability.

*ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering*, published by the American Chemical Society, casts a wider net, explicitly bridging fundamental molecular science with chemical engineering and systems-level analysis. Its scope includes not only green chemistry innovations but also topics like lifecycle assessment, industrial ecology, biomass processing, and the engineering of sustainable processes and materials. A manuscript that includes a techno-economic analysis, a detailed environmental impact assessment, or a focus on scalability and process engineering would often find a more natural home here than in the more chemistry-centric *Green Chemistry*. The journal's strength lies in its interdisciplinary approach, demanding that submissions address both the chemistry and the engineering aspects of sustainability, and it has rapidly established itself as a high-impact, authoritative platform for this integrated research.

The *Circular Economy Journal (CEJ)*, while newer and with a different disciplinary foundation, operates in a related but distinct conceptual space. Its primary focus is on the systemic, macroeconomic, and policy-oriented frameworks for closing material loops, rather than on the specific chemical or engineering innovations that enable those loops. Research suitable for CEJ might involve business model analysis, supply chain logistics, policy instruments, material flow analysis, or consumer behavior studies within circular systems. While a paper on a novel chemical recycling process could potentially intersect with CEJ's interests, it would need to strongly emphasize the systemic circular economy implications, not just the scientific novelty. Therefore, the choice is not one of quality in a vacuum, but of alignment: a molecular chemist discovers a new catalytic pathway for plastic depolymerization and submits to *Green Chemistry*; if they then integrate a full lifecycle assessment and scalability study, *ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering* becomes compelling; if the research instead models the economic and policy drivers for implementing such technology across a regional waste network, *CEJ* is the appropriate forum. The decision fundamentally hinges on whether the paper's primary contribution is a chemical advance, an integrated chem-eng solution, or a systemic socio-technical analysis.

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