The SAbyNA Platform: A Guidance tool to support industry in the implementation of Safe and Sustainable by Design concept for nanomaterials, processes and nano-enabled products

The implementation of Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) strategies for materials and products is essential to achieve the Zero-Pollution Ambition stated in the EU Green Deal. Simple, cost effective and reliable methods are needed for pragmatic and flexible safe and sustainable evaluations at early stage of innovation process of a chemical/material, especially for nanoforms and nano-enabled products, where validated guidelines for the assessment and management of safety and sustainability of these substances are still lacking. The SAbyNA Platform has been built up by making use of existing resources (such as previous EU projects) that are guiding the safety and sustainability of nanoforms and nano-enabled products at the design stage of the product development. In addition, the project collected the needs of stakeholder profiles (i.e., industry, consultants, RTOs, regulatory bodies) on how to implement SSbD through a continuous stakeholder engagement. The ability of this tool supports the design of safer and/or more sustainable nano-enabled products is demonstrated through the implementation of the Platform in a real case study: nano-enabled 3D-printed vacuum cleaner component with antistatic properties, made with polycarbonate and single walled carbon nanotubes. The Platform consists of four informative modules intended to provide information to the user on the methods, models and tools suggested for exposure and hazard assessment and on Safe-by-Design interventions, and two assessments modules to conduct a screening life cycle and cost assessment, and a safety assessment of nanoforms and nano-enabled products. Once screening data were added in the Platform, Safe-by-Design recommendations for the investigated additive manufacturing case study were provided, such as reduce the irritating effects. Hazard, exposure, costs, sustainability and functionality data of the assessed case study were added in the Platform to define whether (or not) the implemented Safe-by-Design intervention was able to increase the safety of this nano-enabled product.