Majority of the number of side products in the direct chlorination methane shows inconsistency with the atom economy

principle of the green chemistry. The chlorination of methane does not necessarily stop after one chlorination. It may actually be very hard to get monosubstituted chloromethane. Instead di-, tri-, and even tetra-chloromethanes are formed resulting in a low conversion value for chloromethane such as 35% which means that at the end of the reaction 65% of the reactants cannot be incorporated as desired product and it is unavoidable waste. On the contrary, the chloromethane yield in the reaction of methanol with hydrochloric acid is 99%. The green chemistry also dictates that whenever possible, generation of toxic substances should be avoided. The chloroform and carbon tetrachloride which are formed during the methane chlorination are among the substances with high ozone depletion potential. The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer and its amendments control the phaseout of Ozone-Depleting Substances' production and use.
In conclusion, chloromethane production is designed in a less hazardous way when methanol and hydrochloric acid are used instead of methane and chlorine.