News and events 

In the context of the ANALYST project, some partners attended the 10th Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development of the Leuphana Universität Lüneburg from July 8th to 12th. This year, the focus was on Sustainable Chemistry and Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD), aligning seamlessly with the core objectives of the ANALYST project, which seeks to accelerate the transition towards a safer and more sustainable industrial value chain through the SSbD framework. The Summer School was jointly organised by the InteRnatIonal ecosystem for accelerating the transition to Safe-and-Sustainable-by-design materials, products, and processes (IRISS) and the Research and Education Hub of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaboration Centre (ISC3).

This opportunity provided a valuable platform for engagement and knowledge exchange. ANALYST partners had the opportunity to participate in various lectures, workshops, discussions, and a plant visit, significantly enhancing the experience of the 70 participants from 28 different countries with diverse professional backgrounds. Additionally, they also connect with people involved in SSbD framework development, allowing them to exchange ideas and beneficially contribute to the project's progress.
















The Summer School featured expert keynotes, including an introduction to the European Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and the SSbD approach by the IRISS project coordinator, the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL) . This introduction was complemented by the concept of “Benign by design” by a professor from Leuphana University, who stressed the importance of considering the product’s end-of-life during the design phase.
​
Specific industrial sectors were frequently discussed, with considerations on the potential and practical way to implement the design principles and assessment steps that the framework suggests to the existing design process in the industry. The plant visit to International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), where cellulose is transformed into components for food, dietary, and pharmaceutical products, gave a practical reference on how production processes occur in real life to contrast them with the innovation processes that the SSbD framework drives.

A key focus was given on the challenges and possible roadmaps that derived from a series of interviews with various industrial sectors (automotive, packaging, building, and construction) to implement the framework. This keynote portrayed the difference between applying the framework upstream in the value chain compared to a company downstream, dealing with different parts and materials of the final product.
 
During the workshop, participants simulated the implementation of the SSbD framework in an industrial case study. Additionally, the above exercise proved the need of tools to guide, and simulate processes within the SSbD framework to ensure correct application. A researcher from the IVL showed the integration of risk assessment tools with life cycle assessments to cover the multiple dimensions of the framework. The take-home message of this experience was the need for an interdisciplinary team to address all the safety, environmental, and social aspects within the SSbD framework while delivering products that meet or exceed the performance of the traditional ones.

The 10th Summer School on Sustainable Chemistry for Sustainable Development has highlighted the global interest and efforts to translate the SSbD framework into a reality, achieving this requires knowledge exchange, interdisciplinary cooperation, and innovation from both academia and industry to develop methodologies, tools, and roadmaps. These efforts are essential to addressing since the beginning (by design), the environmental and health risks posed by products.

The Summer School underscored the critical role of collaborative efforts in advancing sustainable chemistry and implementing the SSbD framework, reflecting the mission and goals of the ANALYST project enabling the project’s partners to integrate their knowledge enhancing their collective efforts in the project implementation.



 












Keep visiting our website and social media pages to learn more about project developments and the latest updates.