• Date 2022-07-18

DG RTD and the JRC have released the SSbD framework for the definition of the criteria and evaluation procedure for chemicals and materials.

The EU Chemical Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) aims at fostering a transition towards safer and more sustainable chemicals. To ensure this transition, safety and sustainability considerations should be integrated when assessing existing chemicals as well as alternative chemicals that might substitute them. The operationalisation of the Safe and Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) concept is one of the ambitions of the chemical strategy. There is, therefore, the need to develop a new framework for the definition of criteria for SSbD chemicals and materials. A framework for SSbD requires the integration of risk assessment and safety-based considerations with life cycle-based consideration, to ensure sustainability along the entire value chain. This report aims at reviewing existing frameworks for SSbD, identifying which are the sustainability dimensions included in those framework as well as the parameters, the methods, the models, the tools and the indicators used proposed to address the key issues at stake.

Publication:

Patinha Caldeira, C., Farcal, R., Moretti, C., Mancini, L., Rauscher, H., Rasmussen, K., Riego Sintes, J. and Sala, S., Safe and Sustainable by Design chemicals and materials Review of safety and sustainability dimensions, aspects, methods, indicators, and tools, EUR 30991 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2022, ISBN 978-92-76-47609-2, doi:10.2760/68587, JRC127109.
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC127109

Further information:

Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA): News, 15 July
EU safe- and sustainable-by-design framework released
https://nanotechia.org/news/eu-safe-and-sustainable-design-framework-released