Integrated Pathways: Advancing Safe and Sustainable by Design Material Innovation through Collaborative Wisdom
Many widely used industrial chemicals, such as chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) as plasticisers, halogenated flame retardants, PTFE/PFAS, antimony trioxide, and aluminium powders as surfactants, are recognized as Substances of Concern (SoC) due to their human health and environmental risks. While the European Commission has developed the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework to guide substitution, real industrial validation of this framework remains limited. DESIDERATA was born from the urgent need to bridge the gap between policy ambition and industrial reality.
DESIDERATA tests and validates the EC's SSbD framework through five pioneering industrial Use Cases targeting the substitution of SoCs across construction, injection moulding, 3D printing, lubricants, and anti-sticking coatings. Key substitution strategies include graphene-based polymers replacing PTFE, inorganic polymer surfactants replacing aluminium powder, and halogen-free flame-retardant compounds. LIST acts as the project coordinator and leads the SSbD assessment methodology, environmental sustainability evaluation (LCA), and chemical safety assessment. The project also enhances data interoperability through FAIR data ontologies to support cross-value-chain collaboration. A multi-actor approach uniting industrial pioneers, RTOs, and academia ensures direct translation of scientific findings into policy and market-ready outcomes.
DESIDERATA will deliver validated proof-of-concept alternatives for SoCs (TRL 6–7), a refined and policy-ready SSbD framework, and practical guidelines for its wider application across European manufacturing sectors. The project will directly input into the anticipated 2025 review of the EC's SSbD framework, supporting regulators, industry, and citizens in the transition to a toxic-free European economy.
