{"id":29633,"date":"2026-05-22T10:37:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/materialneutral.info\/?page_id=29633"},"modified":"2026-06-12T13:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T11:49:57","slug":"what-is-meant-by-safe-and-sustainable-by-design","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/materialneutral.info\/en\/sustainability\/what-is-meant-by-safe-and-sustainable-by-design\/","title":{"rendered":"What is meant by \u2018Safe and Sustainable by Design\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) describes the concept of integrating the safety and sustainability of chemicals, materials, and products into the innovation process from the very beginning—as a design principle, not as a corrective measure applied retrospectively. Safety and environmental issues are not addressed only after a substance or product is already well into development or even on the market. Regulatory requirements also become part of the development process rather than a downstream hurdle.<\/p>

SSbD is more than an assessment framework: it is a new philosophy of product and material development that views safety, environmental compatibility, and economic viability as equally important development goals.<\/p>

What does Safe and Sustainable by Design mean?<\/h5>

“Safe by Design” has its roots in nanotechnology and chemical safety. It describes the approach of minimizing the intrinsic hazards of a substance or material at the level of molecular structure or product design. Instead of controlling risks through technical safeguards, the hazard itself should be kept as low as possible—for example, by selecting less hazardous raw and auxiliary materials, modifying the molecular structure to avoid problematic properties, or designing processes that minimize exposure<\/span>. Particular attention is paid to substances of very high concern (SVHCs) as defined by REACH.<\/p>

“Sustainable by Design” encompasses the principle of sustainability throughout the entire life cycle. Products and processes should be designed in such a way that their environmental impact—from raw material extraction through production and use to disposal or recycling—is minimized. This approach builds on established eco-design principles but goes beyond environmental sustainability to also incorporate social factors (e.g., working conditions, occupational health and safety, community impacts) and economic factors (costs, competitiveness, economic viability, criticality).<\/p>

SSbD is an integrated concept that combines both approaches—Safe by Design and Sustainable by Design—into a coherent assessment and design framework. A clear hierarchy applies here: safety takes precedence. A product that has an excellent carbon footprint but is highly toxic does not meet the SSbD requirements. Only once a substance or product can be classified as safe is the sustainability dimension comprehensively evaluated.<\/p>

At the same time, SSbD is not a binary label in the sense of “safe\/not safe” or “sustainable\/not sustainable.” It is an iterative development process in which design variants are continuously compared, optimized, and refined.<\/p>

Origins and Development of the Concept<\/h5>

With the European Green Deal<\/a> and the resulting Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS, 2020), the European Commission<\/a> has identified SSbD as a key instrument for supporting the transition to a non-toxic circular economy. The CSS explicitly calls for integrating SSbD principles into research funding, regulation, and market incentives. This has made SSbD a politically anchored innovation model.<\/p>

For some companies, this approach is not new. A major automobile manufacturer, for example, announced as early as 2011 that hazardous substances, life cycle assessments, the use of recycled materials, and recycling concepts are evaluated and managed throughout their development process.<\/p>

The scientific development of the SSbD framework at EU level was primarily the responsibility of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre<\/a> (JRC). Through a multi-stage process involving stakeholder workshops, pilot projects, and scientific consultation, the JRC developed an operational assessment framework, which was published in 2022.<\/p>

This framework defines:<\/p>