Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design: the Case of Smart Nanomaterials. A perspective based on a European Workshop

The European Commission’s Green Deal is a major policy action plan aiming to achieve a climate-neutral, zero-pollution, sustainable, circular and inclusive economy, driving both the New Industrial Strategy for Europe and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. Innovative materials can help to reach these policy goals, but they need to be safe and sustainable themselves. Thus, one aim is to shift the development of chemicals to Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design, and develop a new systems approach and criteria for sustainability to achieve this. A virtual workshop was organised in September 2020 by the Joint Research Centre and the Directorate-General Research and Innovation of the European Commission, with participants from academia, non-governmental organisations, industry and regulatory bodies. The aim was to introduce the concept of Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design and identify challenges in achieving safer and more sustainable Smart Nanomaterials, as an example of innovative materials, and to deliver recommendations for directions and actions necessary to meet these challenges. The discussions focussed on aspects of designing Smart Nanomaterials and how to shift to Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design, Regulatory Preparedness, and the implications of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. The following overarching themes were identified: (i) a need for an agreed terminology, (ii) how to achieve a transition from Safe-by-Design to Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design, (iii) preparedness of regulators and legislation for innovative chemicals/nanomaterials and (iv) a common understanding of the principles of Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design. This paper presents the authors’ view on the state of the art as well as the needs for future activities, based on discussions at the workshop and further considerations. The considerations concerning the case of Smart Nanomaterials can illustrate the implementation of the Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design concept for other advanced materials and for chemicals and products in general.

MECH Agnieszka;  GOTTARDO Stefania;  AMENTA Valeria;  AMODIO Alessia;  BELZ Susanne;  BOWADT S.;  DRBOHLAVOVA Jana;  FARCAL Romeo;  JANTUNEN Anna Paula;  MALYSKA Aleksandra;  RASMUSSEN Kirsten;  RIEGO SINTES Juan;  RAUSCHER Hubert; 

2021-12-15

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

JRC125986

0273-2300 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230021002348?via%3Dihub,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125986,   

10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.105093 (online),