OECD chemicals committee adopts working paper applying "Safe and Sustainable by Design” concept to nanomaterials

The Chemicals and Biotechnology Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) adopted on September 2, 2022, a working document on the application of the “Safe and Sustainable by Design” (SSbD) concept to nanomaterials. These working descriptions – as the document is called – will be used in the further work of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials, a body of the Chemicals Committee. Most notably, the work of the Working Party on nanomaterials includes: 

• Supporting innovation to ensure that nanomaterials and advanced materials are developed in a safe and sustainable way supported by a circular economy.
• Supporting a process for identifying and prioritizing the elements to be considered for safety and sustainability.

The document outlines working definitions for the key concepts of sustainability and SSbD. For the OECD Chemicals Committee, environmental sustainability entails remaining within the planetary boundaries and using green and sustainable chemistry principles to minimize the environmental footprint of chemical products. Socio-economically, the beneficial social impact and contribution to growth and innovation of products has to be ensured.

As for SSbD, its application to nanotechnology can be summarized in three pillars: 

• Safe and sustainable products, which can be achieved by minimizing hazards and potential environmental issues at the design stage 
• Safe and sustainable production, which relates to occupational and process safety and environmental preservation aspects (for instance, resource consumption and occupational health and safety).
• Safe and sustainable use and end of life, which must be aligned with the circular economy and the waste hierarchy.

Discussions on a SSbD concept to guide policy discussions have been ongoing in several organizations after the European Commission included the concept in its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, published in October 2020. As a result of the Strategy, the Commission has been undertaking a far-reaching reform of its chemicals legislation and policy framework, including a development of the SSbD framework for research purposes. You can learn more about the SSbD concept and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability through our webinar on the topic.