The European Commission’s safe and sustainable by design framework: bridging innovation and legislation

Abstract The European Commission’s Safe and Sustainable by Design (EC SSbD) Framework aims to put together safety and sustainability considerations throughout the entire chemical and material innovation processes. Being a voluntary (pre-market) approach, the framework fosters the development of safe and sustainable chemicals, materials, processes, and products while drawing on existing legal frameworks. We explore the relationship between the EC SSbD Framework and current European legislation regarding safety and sustainability. We highlight commonalities and differences to deduce synergies, and identify opportunities for mutual support and benefit. By systematically evaluating each step of assessing safety and sustainability criteria, indicators, and elements in the EC SSbD Framework, we demonstrate how information generated during the innovation process can also support legal compliance while driving pro-active design improvements. Vice versa, we investigate how regulatory data and methodologies can inform SSbD assessment steps, ensuring a reciprocal flow of information between innovation and compliance efforts. Despite notable differences identified, our findings demonstrate that the voluntary EC SSbD Framework has an added value, and it fosters synergies between innovation of chemicals and materials and safety and sustainability provisions of relevant legislation.