Improving innovation and growth within the european chemical industry through safe and sustainable by-design

The Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) is a design, development, production, and use strategy for chemicals and materials that emphasises delivering the desired function (or service) while avoiding or minimising detrimental effects on human health and the environment.  

The SSbD idea incorporates elements for the domain of chemical and material safety, circularity, and functionality, with sustainability consideration throughout their existence, minimising their environmental impact. 

The concept "Safe and Sustainable-by-Design" covers four areas: 

1. Going climate neutral 

2. Driving the circular economy 

3. Enhancing the quality of life 

4. Scaling up digital and tech 

In accordance with the SSbD concept, chemicals are produced/used in a way that maximises their benefits to society while avoiding harm to the planet and people. The production and use of safe and sustainable chemicals in Europe has become a benchmark worldwide. Chemical markets as well as chemical innovation are expected to be shaped in the future by the concept of SSbD. The concept should advance the creation of chemicals that are safe for people and the environment, provide a smaller environmental impact, and provide the expected performance and value to stakeholders along the entire value chain. It should be based on the most recent cutting-edge scientific research. 

On the 8th of December 2022, the European Commission published a “Recommendation” and an “Annex” that together constitute the long-awaited SSbD framework. The SSbD framework contains methods for assessing safety and sustainability features of chemicals.   The European Commission encourages all market stakeholders to use the “Recommendation” in their research and innovation activities. The “Recommendation” is launched at a testing phase with voluntary reporting. 

 The development is guided by the principles outlined in the Annex, which are to be used by industry and other stakeholders. For example, to prevent unfortunate substitutes, a hierarchy that prioritises safety is established. In addition, 'cut-off' criteria for the design of chemicals and materials must be established in order to encourage sustainable research and development. This would be based on the information cited in the chemical regulations of the EU as well as information that is not covered by those requirements, making the best possible use of the information on negative effects. Likewise, to assess the expected likelihood of having a negative impact on human health or the environment, every new chemical or material should be thoroughly compared to existing compounds that are structurally or functionally similar. Additionally, the supply chain should be informed of the SSbD actions taken, and all pertinent and non-confidential data should be made available in a high-quality findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) format for greater transparency and accountability. 

The outcomes from the current framework will direct efforts to build grading systems and standards as well as criteria for "Safe and Sustainable by Design." The Commission will begin the process of developing the criteria during the review stage of the input evaluation. The official criteria will most likely be published in 2025.