The Safe-and-Sustainable-by Design Framework: Case Study on Flame Retardants for Insulation Foams
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The European Green Deal underscores the need for a Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) strategy for chemicals and innovative materials. To support this goal, guidelines that define SSbD criteria and provide data-driven recommendations have been developed. Despite these efforts, successful implementation of SSbD in R&D projects remains limited. The PLANETS project [1] addresses this gap by promoting practical, cost-efficient SSbD strategies across the entire lifecycle - from molecular design and formulation to recycling and end-of-life management - using a tiered assessment approach as a case study during the development of SSbD flame retardants for thermoset and thermoplastic insulation foams. This presentation focuses on the PLANETS three-step, tiered SSbD assessment approach, which comprises five dimensions: functionality, safety (hazard and exposure), environmental effects, and considerations of economic and social factors. We will discuss results and lessons learned from the Tier 1 and Tier 2 assessments applied during the development of several classes of SSbD flame retardants for thermoplastic and thermoset foams.
Authors: Höhne, Carl-Christoph, Bitzer, Benedikt, Hennequin, Thomas, Steck, Joséphine, Carriere, Marie, Ruijter, Nienke, Dekkers, Susan, Shandilya, Neeraj, Li, Chen, Berner, Valeria, Barthel, Paul, Limburger, Jennifer, Geerds, Jan, Dennard, Anja, Himly, Martin, Hofstaetter, Norbert, Hofer, Sabine, Zambotti, Sabrina, Ay, Ayse, Bernard, Maximilian, Scharnagl, Herbert, Moss, Tobias, Chinchilla, Roberto, Sosnowska, Anita, Magnasco, Laura, Puzyn, Tomasz, Zdybel, Szymon, Nagesh, Poornima, Riccio, Martina, Alvear, Vanessa, Alfaro, Beatriz, Fuchs, Sabine, Beckmann, Jean Louis
Institution: Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: European Commission
OpenAlex ID: W7221069683