Safe and sUstainable by desigN: integRated approaches for Impact aSsessment of advanced matErials

Project Information

SUNRISE

Grant agreement ID: 101137324

DOI

10.3030/101137324

EC signature date 5 December 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2027

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 3 843 642,50

EU contribution

€ 3 749 417,50

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SUNRISE (Safe and sUstainable by desigN: integRated approaches for Impact aSsessment of advanced matErials)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The main goal of SUNRISE is to develop an overarching Integrated Impact Assessment Approach (IIAA), based on lifecycle thinking and designed to support SSbD decision making along supply chains of AdMa and their products. The IIAA will be fully aligned to the EC-JRC SSbD framework. It will be a 3-tiered approach with each tier corresponding to an integrated methodology (supported by a toolbox) for health, environmental, social and economic impact assessment targeting different groups of users at different stages of the innovation process and requiring a different level of data and expertise. The definition and integration of EHS and sustainability criteria and indicators to support SSbD decision making cannot be a technocratic task: we will involve key actors along entire value chains in a co-creative process that balances the perspectives and interests of stakeholders from industry (including SMEs), regulation, policy, consultants (and CROs), academia, and the civil society. To support generation of robust input data for the integrated methodologies we will develop and apply Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA), New Approach Methods (NAMs) as well as screening level and more advanced sustainability assessment tools based on Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (e-LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment (s-LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), Cost-benefit Analysis (CBA), and circularity analysis on a global scale. The IIAA, its 3 integrated impact assessment methodologies and the toolboxes of newly proposed methods will be thoroughly tested and demonstrated in case studies corresponding to AdMa provided by our industry partners. The goal is to foster acceptance and shared support for the developed approaches in order to ensure their adoption and implementation by the stakeholders. To facilitate the IIAA implementation, we will deliver it as a user-friendly open web application and a guidance document. The process of developing and testing the IIAA in co-creation with the stakeholders within a trusted real-world environment will improve our understanding of potential safety and sustainability trade-offs. This new knowledge will be transferred to regulators and policy makers at EU and national level to support them in the implementation of SSbD-related policies for chemicals and materials.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

WP1 has established the methodological basis for the SUNRISE IIAA for AdMa. Specifically, it has (1) provided the definitions of basic terms for use in the project, and (2) provided the conceptual tiered scheme underlying the SUNRISE IIAA (i.e. Tier 1 (simplified, qualitative), Tier 2 (intermediate, semi-quantitative), and Tier 3 (advanced, quantitative).
WP2 has delivered EHS-related methodological building blocks for the IIAA (criteria, indicators, thresholds, cut-offs). During the initial phase, WP2 partners reviewed and selected the most suitable tools for each assessment tier to be further advanced in the project.
WP3 has delivered sustainability-related methodological building blocks for the IIAA. In this first period of the project, a comprehensive and state-of-the-art library of methods, tools and indicators was created. In all, 35 different sets of assessment methods and tools have been identified and prioritised for further development in the project.
WP4 has ensured that more than 30 stakeholders from industry, consultancy, academia, public authorities, and civil society are actively engaged in the development, testing, and refinement of the SUNRISE IIAA. First webinars and workshops took place to introduce the IIAA. A structured survey and interview protocols were developed to elicit stakeholder EHS and sustainability trade-offs. The foundations for setting up a Virtual Living Lab were laid.
WP5 has identified priority case studies for testing and demonstrating the SUNRISE IIAA along value chains and life cycle stages of AdMa selected on the basis of their societal relevance and industrial innovation potential. The case studies encompass (1) Consumer products, (2) Marine and offshore applications, (3) Food and feed, and (4) Cosmetics.
WP6 has brought key policy ambitions such as of the Green Deal, the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Materials 2030 Manifesto (AMI2030) as well as the EC-JRC SSbD framework to practical operationalisation for SSbD of AdMa through the IIAA. The methods for integrated impact assessment developed in the project have been transferred to public authorities and policy organisations at EU and national level via various channels, including a dedicated regulatory workshop.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

WP1 has developed for the first time robust and reliable methodologies for integrated assessment of health, environmental, social and economic impacts designed to support SSbD decision making along value chains and lifecycle stages of AdMa.
WP2 has generated a comprehensive list of criteria and indicators to assess EHS impacts and has identified, adapted and developed respective experimental and in silico tools addressing the more complex/dynamic identity and interactions of AdMa.
WP3 has generated a comprehensive list of criteria and indicators to assess environmental, social and economic sustainability of AdMa and has identified/developed respective assessment tools, especially screening-level approaches for the early stages of innovation.
WP4 has (1) created an ecosystem of key stakeholders, and (2) established novel mechanisms of dialogue with them in order to ensure that the IIAA methodologies are aligned to their needs and are capable of considering their trade-offs.
WP5 has performed integrated impact assessment of a broad range of AdMa and applications carefully selected to be of high societal relevance and to cover key industrial sectors.
WP6 has mapped the policy landscape to (1) bring key policy ambitions to all activities in the project, (2) support the translation of the SSbD criteria from the EC-JRC framework to practical operationalisation for AdMa, and (3) transfer the knowledge on safety and sustainability trade-offs newly generated in the project to public authorities at the EU and national levels to support them in the implementation of SSbD policies for AdMa.

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