Why is Europe encouraging the development of safer, more sustainable products?
Simon Clavaguera: To protect the health of its citizens, preserve the environment and maintain a competitive socio-economic fabric. Yet even for the most motivated SMEs, taking action remains difficult. They have to comply with a host of regulations and standards, but no one tells them
how to innovate while meeting these requirements. The advantage of the SSbD approach is that it finally provides them with the methods to achieve this.
Why is CEA-Liten investing in this approach?
Joséphine Steck: Our industrial partners, in sectors ranging from chemicals to batteries and hydrogen technologies, are convinced that safe and sustainable innovation gives them a competitive edge. They believe that it is essential to take all aspects into account right from the start of development, while all options are still open. Waiting until the industrialisation stage to address regulatory compliance is not enough.
The SSbD approach takes exactly this stance. It integrates safety and sustainability considerations into the earliest stages of innovation, something few approaches offer.
Rather than a simple assessment after the design stage, SSbD provides a methodological framework that integrates safety and sustainability from the earliest phases of research and innovation. The method offers a choice of three levels of assessment, depending on the depth required. The qualitative assessment compares the identified materials or processes using simple criteria, in order to quickly pinpoint critical issues and the most promising options. The semi-quantitative assessment draws on more detailed data and on models of the selected process, molecule or product. Lastly, the quantitative assessment may also involve toxicological tests, exposure and emission potential measurements, and full environmental, economic and social life cycle assessments. The results then feed into a multi-criteria analysis to help the innovator weigh up the different options against the five SSbD dimensions: hazard and exposure, plus environmental, economic and social impact.
Isn't this too complex for SMEs to implement?
Joséphine Steck: It's true that the SSbD documentation provided by the European Commission is aimed at experts. But since 2022, we have shown, by working with SMEs in some ten different European projects, that when a company has good support it can successfully implement this method, because it is structured, consistent and iterative.
Can you give us an example of the results achieved?
Simon Clavaguera: As part of the SURPASS project, launched in 2022, we assisted a Spanish window manufacturer with developing alternatives to PVC, a non-recyclable material traditionally used in this industry. Our partner wanted to explore the potential of polyurethane (PU), known for its exceptional thermal properties. For the manufacturer, it was essential to develop a recyclable material, which conventional PUs are not. The development of a new generation of more recyclable PUs was jointly led by a CEA laboratory, LEITAT and INDRESMAT, and supported by SSbD assessments throughout the development phase. These assessments saved development time, for example by pre-selecting the least toxic polyols and catalysts for PU chemical synthesis. The assessments also guided the selection of bio-based molecules, in order to minimise the use of petroleum-based products, while also taking into account the environmental footprint of these molecules. Ultimately, the material developed contains more than 60% bio-based molecules and has been shown to be over 90% recyclable.
Thanks to the SSbD approach, we developed the first formulations of a new bio-based polyurethane and gained unique expertise in reprocessing materials through vitrimer chemistry, says Pablo R. Outón, CEO of INDRESMAT.
What are you working on at the moment?
Simon Clavaguera: We are currently contributing to some ten other European projects in which this approach is being implemented. In particular, we are working on flame retardants as part of the European PLANETS project, launched in 2024. Replacing halogenated flame retardants is a major challenge, given the documented toxic effects of several of these substances, as well as their persistence in the environment and their potential for bioaccumulation. The project aims to propose less harmful molecules while retaining the functional properties of the original substances. The SSbD approach has already enabled us to select and evaluate 80 potential substances through rapid screening, in order to shortlist the most promising ones. Predictive toxicology, particularly through computational models (e.g. QSAR) makes it possible to assess a very large number of molecules in silico, even before they are synthesised. This approach thus considerably broadens the range of candidates explored, while reducing the number of molecules to be synthesised and tested experimentally, and therefore the time needed to develop new alternatives.
We also take part in conferences, webinars and events organised by the European Commission, which is committed to promoting this approach.
What have you personally learned from these projects?
Joséphine Steck: The SSbD approach gives us the means to carry out the best possible technological development, even at low technology readiness levels (TRLs). It lets us avoid poor initial choices that would force us to start all over again later on. We can involve the entire value chain and all the safety and sustainability experts from the outset, without complicating or slowing down the project. There are steps to follow, clearly defined roles and a shared timeline, which gives everyone visibility.
Is CEA-Liten ready to support SMEs with SSbD?
Simon Clavaguera: We have been exploring the subject for five years, putting it into practice and engaging with European experts. So yes, we are ready: experts, methods, a digital infrastructure for project monitoring (tools, data, e-learning), not to mention the state-of-the-art equipment needed for certain tests.
*Joint Research Centre (the European Commission's in-house science service)