The safe and sustainable by design framework applied to graphene-based materials

Abstract

The shift toward a sustainable and toxic-free future requires integrating safety and sustainability aspects across the entire lifecycle of chemicals and materials. The Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), offers a systematic approach to support informed decision-making throughout the innovation process. The aim of this work was to investigate the opportunities and challenges of the SSbD framework through a detailed case study on graphene-based materials, implementing the SSbD Steps 1–4 with data from existing literature. The study assessed the framework’s feasibility for materials and examined its potential for an absolute (non-comparative) application, including an evaluation across multiple or all potential uses of a chemical/material to be able to determine the overall safety and sustainability. The findings show that the framework offers a structured, adaptable approach to evaluating chemical and material safety and sustainability across their lifecycle, although challenges emerge for materials due to the small number of applicable models and tools. Further guidance on interpretating the results and SSbD scores of Steps 1––4 will facilitate an absolute assessment and distribute the effort required over an enhanced benefit. High Technology Readiness Level (TRL) materials, such as graphene-based materials, have sufficient data to support a comprehensive SSbD assessment considering multiple applications and to evaluate the material in an overall approach. This case study can support future users of the SSbD framework as well as provide valuable feedback for its ongoing review and adaptation.