Danail Hristozov

This study investigates all-carbon recyclable electronic (ACRE) materials as potential substitutes for conventional semiconductor materials in thin-film transistor (TFT) production.

Supported by AI tools, we developed a portfolio of indicators for SSbD assessment, whose relevance was evaluated using a statistical approach.

The Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework for chemicals and materials was established under the European Green Deal Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, aiming for a zero-pollution economy and a toxic-free environment. In line with the European Commission’s SSbD recommendation and framework, a pre-market sustainability assessment must take a life cycle perspective covering all pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. While environmental and economic assessments are well established, Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) has been less explored, especially when applied to advanced materials. To contribute to Step 5 of the SSbD Framework, this study presents a S-LCA applied during early stages of product development and optimisation. The case study concerns a novel PFAS-free anti-sticking coating, assessed in comparison with a conventional benchmark. The screening-level analysis identified potential social risk hotspots along the supply chain. Results indicate that differences between alternatives are predominantly driven by suppliers’ geographical locations rather than by process-specific characteristics. The results highlight the value of early-stage social assessments in supporting informed decision-making during research and development, increasing awareness of potential supply-chain risks, and guiding innovation toward more sustainable outcomes.

An SSbD-guided nanocomposite packaging material (LDPE/bentonite/clove oil) was developed for food protection against beetles, showing enhanced worker and consumer safety, in compliance with EU regulation.

Multi-component nanomaterials (MCNM) and High Aspect Ratio Nanomaterials (HARN) are advanced materials that present innovation potential but also challenge the innovation by Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles. In 2021 to 2025, three EU-funded sister projects developed and implemented SSbD concepts in digital tools that are applicable to MCNM and HARNs despite their respective unique properties. The projects jointly established a tiered suite of tools that serves both industrial, SME (small and medium enterprise) and regulatory stakeholders. The tools for innovators are tiered by StageGate phases (projects SUNSHINE and HARMLESS) or organized in transversal topics (project DIAGONAL). Also the tools for regulatory preparedness comprise a range from simple to elaborate approaches. Key achievements include the alignment of tools for innovators and for regulators via a high overlap of the questions asked, and the systematic tiering of targeted input that is required. The suite of tools thus supports the OECD's Safe and Sustainable Innovation Approach (SSIA). With specific value to SME innovators, tools were developed that lower the previously perceived hurdles to implementation of SSbD concepts in product development. The suite of tools is demonstrated on three MCNM or HARN case studies provided by partners from industry and SMEs, specifically anti-stick coatings for baking trays (SiC@TiO₂), automotive catalysts (doped oxide perovskites) and flexible electronics (Ag nanowires). However, the cases also shed a light on remaining challenges in the SSbD concept that are not solved by tools alone, most notably the uncertainty of decision-support at early stages and the complexity of data gathering at later stages, which also implies a need of increasing data exchange among value chain actors while allowing actors to generate and protect intellectual property.

We need a paradigm shift towards prevention-based risk governance of chemicals and advanced materials via a transition towards SSbD. Defining SSbD metrics and trade-offs should be a co-creative process and can benefit from applying digital tools.

Current European (EU) policies, such as the Green Deal, envisage safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) practices for the management of chemicals, which cogently entail nanomaterials (NMs) and advanced materials (AdMa). These practices, applied at the earliest stages of innovation and throughout the life-cycle of chemicals, materials and products, could prevent and/or minimise their environmental, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability impacts. This requires a shift from the established risk control paradigms towards prevention-based approaches at the design stage that accelerate the development of safer and more sustainable chemicals, materials, products and processes, while promoting a transition towards a circular economy and a more sustainable future. The EU commission has funded several Horizon 2020 projects applying the concepts of SSbD to nanotechnologies, biotechnologies and advanced materials. This article is inspired from the answers and opinions shared during a stakeholders meeting arranged throughout the workshop entitled ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design Paradigms applied to NMs and AdMa’, held in Venice, Italy, in September 2022. The goal of the workshop was to identify differences and overlaps between the SSbD approaches and to provide common messages on the progress towards the implementation of concrete SSbD concepts, and to reveal challenges faced in their realistic and straightforward execution. In this article, we provide insights into the intersecting industrial domains, the technical and organisational challenges to the practical implementation of the SSbD, and future financial directions in supporting and maintaining the digital products currently under development within the H2020 projects, in order to ultimately enable their uptake by industry and regulators.