Tailoring the SSbD Approach to surface treatment pocesses: a stemalined framework for sustainability and safety

The Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework offers a solid foundation for comparing the risks and impacts of products and processes. Although it is currently focused on the chemical and material sectors, its principles are highly relevant and could be extended to other industrial fields. In these broader contexts, SSbD can guide the (re)design of products and production systems towards safer and more sustainable outcomes.

The Surfera Plus Network of Excellence is a Spanish project funded by the CDTI (Center for Technological Development and Innovation) through the CERVERA 2023 Program. Its objective is to establish a Network of Excellence to valorize surface functionalization technologies for national, strategic, and socially impactful industrial sectors. The network comprises the national technology centres AIN (Coordinator), TEKNIKER, CIDETEC, IDONEAL, and CTME.

Within this framework, CTME adapted the SSbD methodological guidance originally developed by Abbate et al. for chemicals and materials to the surface treatment sector. This adaptation establishes a design framework that emphasizes sustainability and occupational safety while providing a flexible and adaptive methodology that enables efficient SSbD implementation. The original guidance served as the starting point for developing the adapted methodology. Its capabilities and outcomes were evaluated through two demonstrators developed within the Surfera Plus project, allowing the identification of critical areas requiring intensified efforts or methodological adjustments. In addition, a method to assess socioeconomic impacts was developed, incorporating life cycle cost analysis, critical materials assessment, and social Life Cycle Assessment (social LCA).

The resulting methodology, based on Abbate et al.’s work, includes the identification of critical points, more concise approaches for specific steps, and a social assessment tailored to the surface treatment sector. Except for the LCA step, specific methodologies were developed for all stages, streamlining SSbD application in this field. In line with Abbate et al.’s recommendations, the current approach considers only the intrinsic risks of materials; future developments could incorporate risks associated with individual unit processes.