Earth Day 2026: The Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) — A New Sustainability Tool for The Evaluation of Method Practicality

Analytical chemistry is evolving toward more holistic method evaluation. While traditional metrics focus on analytical performance and green analytical chemistry addresses environmental impact, practical applicability is often overlooked. White Analytical Chemistry integrates these dimensions—analytical (red), environmental (green), and practical (blue).¹ Within this framework, the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) evaluates method practicality, considering factors such as sample preparation, automation, cost, and throughput.²

In this Interview, Natalia Manousi describes how to balance sustainability and practicality in chromatographic methods, highlighting trade-offs, the role of sample preparation, and the value of combining BAGI with established metrics to develop methods that are reliable, efficient, and suitable for real-world applications.

Manousi answers the following questions:

• What is the Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI), and how does it differ from traditional green analytical chemistry metrics in evaluating chromatographic methods?
• How should analysts prioritize between environmental friendliness, such as solvent reduction, low toxicity, and practical performance metrics —including throughput and automation— when BAGI and green metrics point to different “optimal” methods?
• BAGI rewards high sample throughput and automation. Do you think high-throughput methods are inherently more sustainable, or can they sometimes mask increased resource consumption per instrument?
• Since BAGI explicitly evaluates sample preparation complexity, how can chromatographers redesign sample prep workflows to improve both BAGI scores and sustainability without compromising analytical robustness?
• BAGI favors methods that quantify multiple analytes simultaneously. How realistic is it to push toward multi-residue or multi-class methods in routine labs, and what are the main technical barriers?
• With BAGI supported by open-source software, what challenges do you foresee in standardizing its use across laboratories, and how can the community ensure consistent, unbiased scoring?

References

1. Nowak, P.; Wietecha-Posłuszny, R.; Pawliszyn, J. White Analytical Chemistry: An Approach to Reconcile the Principles of Green Analytical Chemistry and Functionality. TrAC 2021, 138, 116223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2021.116223
2. Manousi, N.; Wojnowski, W.; Płotka-Wasylka, J.; Samanidou, V. Blue Applicability Grade Index (BAGI) and Software: A New Tool for the Evaluation of Method Practicality. Green Chem 2023, 25, 7598–7604. DOI: 10.1039/D3GC02347H