From 11-15 May 2025 took place the SETAC 2025, the 35th Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in Europe, at the Austria Center in Vienna. 

Under the overarching theme “Innovation for Tomorrow: Progress in Safe and Sustainable Concepts”, the conference emphasized the need for integration of cutting-edge innovations with safety and sustainability considerations, through implementation and expansion of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) thinking, as well as it application beyond the development of new molecules and products (e.g., also to cities, land use and landscapes). The conference attracted roughly 3000 people to the capital of Austria, from many various stakeholder groups, i.e., academia, industry, innovators, EU institutions, national authorities, etc. 

Several PLANETS partners participated in the conference (CEA, BASF, BNN, AIMEN, TNO, PLUS, Radboud University) and spread the word about PLANETS in their three oral and three poster presentations: 

On Monday, May 12th there were several sessions on SSbD:  

• Joséphine Steck (CEA) gave an oral presentation in session 6.05 “Implementing Holistic SSbD Approaches to Chemicals and Materials: What Do Academia, Industry, Regulators and Policymakers Propose?”. Under the title “An auto-diagnostic SSbD tool to facilitate the integration of Safe and Sustainable by Design approach in the innovative stage”, Joséphine presented a simplified SSbD evaluation to reduce data needs, time, and expertise, making SSbD more accessible while maintaining its core goals. A three-tiered approach was introduced, and the presentation focused then on the first tier. A questionnaire was developed to compare options across four SSbD dimensions: safety, environment, economy, and social. Users answered simple questions for each dimension, with results providing an overall percentage score, highlighting gaps, and guiding further assessments. This assessment has been tested on molecules, products, and processes within the CLEANHYPRO and PLANETS projects, showing its flexibility as a quick pre-assessment tool. Its main benefit is boosting the agility of research strategies by identifying SSbD gaps and next steps. In higher tiers, expert-driven assessments will dive deeper into each dimension. As outlook, the PLANETS project is refining the tool to better comply with industrial needs. 

• Wendel Wohlleben (BASF) gave an oral presentation also in session 6.05. In his talk entitled “Value creation and tiering: incentives of SSbD integration into industrial innovation projects with LCA and measured safety screenings”, Wendel explored how to convince companies to take up more quantitative SSbD approaches, and how to generate incentives by strong tiering and tailoring the SSbD approach to the specific scenario. The topic will be followed up with the entire community in the NSC online workshop on June 23rd. 

On Tuesday, May 13th: 

• Ayse Ay (BASF) had a poster in the session 6.11 “Flame Retardants Regulatory and Circular Economy Challenges”. Under the title “Safe and Sustainable by Design, Scoping, and Simplified Assessment of Alternative Flame Retardants for Use in Polymer Insulation Foams”, Ayse provided insights into the implementation of SSbD at the molecular formulation level for over 70 flame retardants. She shared results from the Simplified Assessment Questionnaire for key alternative flame retardants in each insulation foam class, highlighting the questionnaire’s discriminatory power and limitations. 

• Matiss Reinfelds (BNN) had a poster in the Session 6.05 “Implementing Holistic SSbD Approaches to Chemicals and Materials: What Do Academia, Industry, Regulators and Policymakers Propose?” on “Redesigning for the Future: Applying Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) Principles in High-Impact Chemical Industries” with results from our project PLANETS. The poster served as basis for the discussion on SSbD implementation in an industrial setting. The poster is publicly available under DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15463912. 

On Wednesday, May 14th, the focus turned to science communication in the session 6.06  “Communication for Tomorrow: From Experimental Design Towards Societal Impact” with an oral presentation from BNN’s Caitlin Ahern. Under the title “Getting Beyond the Bubble: Measuring Effectiveness of Outreach Activities for SSbD-Related EU Projects”, Caitlin assessed social media activities to reach out to a wider community, presenting PLANETS as an example of successful practices. 

On Thursday May 15th, Asif Pasha Mohammed (AIMEN) had a poster entitled “Digital Product Passports for Improved Consumer Transparency and Health Impact Awareness”, in the session 1.06 “Data-Driven Toxicology: Practical Applications and Insights into Using Existing and Emerging Data in Support of Human and Environmental Health”. In his poster, Asif highlighted how Digital Product Passports improve consumer engagement through transparent, health-focused data. It emphasizes the importance of standardized, interoperable systems for real-time decision-making. Integrating trusted sources like ECHA/REACH builds consumer confidence and supports safer product choices. 

Additionally, task 2.3 was kicked-off in Vienna, having the Prater as an inspiring location for great discussions in the internal meeting! 

Below some impressions of the SETAC25 including a video! 

The 2^nd edition of the Foam Technology Days took place from 21 to 22 May 2025 in Pfinztal, Germany, focusing on particle and extrusion foam technologies with a special emphasis on recycling. Organised by our colleagues from Fraunhofer ICT, the event gathered around 60 participants from across the international foam industry — including material producers, machine manufacturers, processors, and end users — as well as academics.

Experts from Borealis, KraussMaffei Extrusion, BEWI, Ruch Novaplast, Steinbacher Dämmstoff, Fraunhofer ICT and other companies reported on their professional practice and shared their experiences in the industrial application of foam technology. Their contributions highlighted the sector’s shift towards sustainability and circularity.

Participants also had the opportunity to explore the Fraunhofer ICT labs and pilot plants during an on-site tour, getting insight into their ongoing research, including efforts to map the entire recycling chain from rePS (recycled polystyrene) to rEPS (recycled expanded polystyrene) and rXPS (recycled extruded polystyrene).

PLANETS was also present at the event, with an oral presentation by Herbert Scharnagl from Steinbacher Dämmstoff GmbH, titled “From Waste to Value: The Path to Greener LDPE Insulation”, presenting among others the project and their involvement in the flame retardants case study.

The Foam Technology Days once again proved to be an invaluable platform for knowledge exchange, showcasing innovations that are shaping a more sustainable future for foam materials.

PLANETS partner Industrial Technical Center for Plastics and Composites (IPC) plays a key role in promoting innovation in plastics and composite materials and processes. With its expertise and nationwide network of experts, IPC actively supports industrial companies in a wide range of fields.  

Within PLANETS, IPC leads the work package seeking SSbD alternatives for plasticizer application, and contributes to other work packages as SSbD expert.  

It counts 167 collaborators distributed on 5 sites in France, who work on different activities including circular economy with LCA, Recycling and Plastics safety.  

IPC provides us with an all-access view of their 5 sites in France with virtual tours.

PLANETS aims to encourage the careful development of new alternatives in chemicals, products and processes to ensure safety and sustainability throughout their entire life cycle, achieving buy-in from a variety of stakeholders along the way.  

To achieve these objectives, PLANETS is based not only on the SSbD framework[1]  promoted by the JRC and the European Commission, but also on industry initiatives such as the WBCSD PSA v2.0[2]  and the CEFIC guideline[3]. By combining these perspectives, PLANETS aims to strengthen the integration of SSbD from the early stages of development, ensuring global acceptance and facilitating smoother implementation. The cornerstone of the PLANETS methodology is the synergy between SSbD experts and industry partners. Throughout the project’s lifecycle, industrial development will be followed by SSbD assessments, which will evolve in complexity to align with the maturity of the alternatives.

This support is reflected in the implementation of the PLANETS workflow, which integrates industrial challenges with the SSbD methodology, ensuring alignment between the increasing maturity of alternatives and the need for SSbD assessments. The PLANETS workflow covers all five SSbD dimensions (Hazard, Exposure, Environmental, Economic, and Social) and tailors the expertise to the specific needs of each case study (Surfactants, Flame Retardants, and Plasticizers), from the early stages through to final use, including end-of-life/recycling. Another key feature of the PLANETS workflow is its tiered approach, which aligns the maturity of alternatives with the data requirements for SSbD assessments.

At an early stage, the simplified tier assessment plays an important role and provides the basis for identifying potential impacts and risks. This allows designers to address key sustainability and safety issues before they become embedded in the design. However, the impact of simplified evaluations is limited by the lack of detailed data, which can make it challenging to assess the full extent of safety, environmental, economic, and social impacts.

As the design progresses, intermediate and full tiers evaluations become more detailed and provide a clearer understanding of these impacts. While simplified tier provides flexibility to address broad concerns, the increasing availability of data in later tiers allows for more precise and effective impact assessments. The trade-off is that early evaluations, while impactful, are constrained by the lack of comprehensive information, which can sometimes hinder the depth of the assessment. Thus, the increasing flexibility in later tiers increases the ability to mitigate risks more effectively as data becomes more robust and specific.

The flexibility within this tiered approach allows for continuous refinement as new data becomes available or as the design evolves. As the assessment progresses through the tiers, potential impacts are better understood and mitigated, ensuring that sustainability and safety goals are met without compromising the overall design evolution.

Finally, for PLANETS, the key to the successful implementation of the SSbD strategy in the industrial pathway lies in the complementarity between SSbD experts and industrial partners. This collaboration will foster a better understanding of the challenges to be addressed through a step-by-step approach that aligns with ongoing developments, ensuring a level of agility throughout the process.

[1] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/research-area/industrial-research-and-innovation/chemicals-and-advanced-materials/safe-and-sustainable-design_en

[2] https://www.wbcsd.org/resources/portfolio-sustainability-assessment-v2-0/

[3] https://cefic.org/a-solution-provider-for-sustainability/safe-and-sustainable-by-design/

The international festival Pint of Science has been bringing scientific talks to pubs across Europe for over a decade. Each year, on three consecutive evenings in May, people have a chance to listen to fun scientific talks in their local bars.

This year, Pint of Science in Graz hosted 9 events in 3 locations – Bar28, Mi Casa, and Ducks Coffee Shop – from 19-21 May 2025. BNN was proud to host the topic “Tech Me Out” at Bar28 on the final evening. Moderated by Caitlin Ahern, the event linked safety and sustainability of new technologies, BNN’s guiding mission, to the topics of the invited speakers and, among others, our PLANETS project.

The event sold out and the audience had the opportunity to ask questions and participate in a quiz. Thank you to the Pint of Science, all of whom are volunteers, for this opportunity of bringing science closer to not science experts!

On 20 March 2025 took place an internal training for PLANETS WP4 partners on Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) and Tier 1 assessments, aligned with a Flame Retardant (FR) case study Workshop, in the headquarters of Steinbacher in Erpfendorf (Austria) in hybrid mode.

The aim of the training was to align the knowledge of project partners in the theory and purpose of SSbD Tier 1 assessment, its application as well as discuss about potential further adaptations needed in the SSbD workflow for the project’s case studies. On the basis of the jointly performed Tier 1 assessments onsite gap analyses were conducted and potential further adaptations prioritized for sector- or value chain position-specific requirements.

The session was prepared by Neeraj Shandilya and Thomas Hennequin (TNO), with the support of Joséphine Steck (CEA), Martin Himly, Sabine Hofer, Norbert Hofstätter (PLUS).

Training Materials

Building on the insights from this internal training, PLANETS has developed external training materials for conducting SSbD Tier 1 assessment following the PLANETS SSbD Workflow. These materials include:

• Workshop presentation slides
• Recording of the workshop [YouTube video]
• Questionnaire with guiding questions within the PLANETS SSbD workflow for conduct of the Tier 1 SSbD assessment

All training materials are available in the PLANETS community on Zenodo under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence, allowing for redistribution and reuse with proper credit to the creators. You can access them here.

Additionally, all recorded sessions can be viewed on the PLANETS YouTube channel.

After the six first months of active collaboration, PLANETS partners met on 8-9 April 2025 for the General Assembly at M6, in the historic and beautiful city of Gdansk (Poland) with a hybrid format allowing both in-person and virtual participation.

All project partners presented the progress made in the different work packages during the last months, reflecting on key developments, and engaging in lively discussions on how to move forward in the next six months of the project.

In addition, internal training activities took place on the first day to deepen partner knowledge and strengthen the internal collaboration:

• SSbD Training Session: Led by our colleagues from QSAR Lab, this hands-on workshop focused on intermediate and full assessment (Tier 2-3), including QSAR models for hazard prediction. Participants explored existing tools for predicting physicochemical properties and biological activities of chemical substances, key elements in the Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) approach.
• Case Study Sessions: Each of the three PLANETS case studies held a special session to assess the current progress, refine the SSbD workflows, and define next steps, ensuring that each case study is aligned with the overall project strategy while maintaining a focus on their specific challenges and goals:
  • Surfactants Case Study, led by Pierre-Emmanuel Dufils (SYENSQO)
  • Fire Retardants Case Study, led by Carl-Christoph Höhne (Fraunhofer ICT)
  • Plasticizers Case Study, led by Raphaël Croiber (IPC)

Special thanks to our colleagues from QSAR Lab for hosting a fantastic meeting and welcoming partners with exceptional hospitality, bringing us the Polish culture and food closer to all of us!

Some impressions from the meeting:

Insights from the PLANETS Flame Retardant Workshop (19-20.03.2025)

In the project PLANETS, the Flame Retardants Case Study focuses on the development of safer and more sustainable alternatives for flame retardants used in thermoplastics made from polystyrene and thermoset foams derived from polyurethane. 

To produce expanded polystyrene (EPS) materials, solid beads of polystyrene are used. These beads contain not only polystyrene but also additives required for the final product, such as dyes (coloring agents), nucleating agents, and flame retardants. During EPS production, the solid beads undergo a significant increase in volume due to the effect of a blowing agent and gentle heating. In contrast, polyurethane (PU) foam insulation does not require a heating process. PU foams form spontaneously when monomers, which already contain all necessary additives, are mixed together. This chemical process can be likened to baking a soufflé—only instead of eggs, sugar, and flour, a chemist “chef” uses various chemical ingredients. Just as a soufflé recipe must be carefully followed to achieve optimal results, the successful creation of polymeric foams relies on precise ingredient ratios, exact formulations and well-chosen process parameters. Alterations to an optimized recipe—for instance, changing the flame retardant—may adversely affect the final quality and performance of the foam. But don’t panic, unlike a soufflé, our insulating foams do not collapse.

On 5 March 2025, PLANETS consortium organised their first internal online training session on PLANETS’ Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) workflow, with a primary focus on scoping. The training aimed to harmonize the consortium’s understanding of SSbD, particularly among innovators and industrial partners who are not directly involved in the project.

Training Highlights

The session was moderated by Martin Himly (PLUS), who leads the training work package within PLANETS. He introduced the session, outlining the objectives and structure of the training. Carla Caldeira (SYENSQO) then provided an insightful explanation of the policy background and fundamental principles of SSbD. Following this, Sabine Hofer and Norbert Hofstätter (PLUS) elaborated on the key actions involved in the scoping process. Joséphine Steck (CEA), the project coordinator, presented the PLANETS SSbD workflow in detail. To enhance practical understanding, a case study on plasticizers in seals (gaskets) was introduced by Martin Himly, serving as the foundation for the hands-on scoping exercise. Participants were divided into breakout groups to practice scoping actions, reinforcing the theoretical knowledge gained during the session.

Training Materials

Building on the insights from this internal training, PLANETS has developed external training materials to facilitate SSbD scoping following the PLANETS SSbD workflow. These materials include:

• Recording on policy background and SSbD basics [YouTube video]
• Recording on scoping actions [YouTube video]
• Recording introducing the PLANETS SSbD workflow, along with a practical exercise using the JRC gasket plasticiser case from the SSbD stakeholder engagement phase [YouTube video]
• Workshop presentation slides
• Case description detailing the JRC gasket plasticiser background
• Guiding questions and practical exercise worksheet listing potential solutions within the PLANETS SSbD workflow

All training materials are available in the PLANETS community on Zenodo under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence, allowing for redistribution and reuse with proper credit to the creators. You can access them here.

Additionally, all recorded sessions can be viewed on the PLANETS YouTube channel.

A special thanks to Joséphine Steck (CEA), Carla Caldeira (SQO), Beatriz Alfaro (BNN), Norbert Hofstätter, Sabine Hofer, and Martin Himly (PLUS) for their valuable contributions to making this training a success!