Recap
The third session at the SPOTLIGHT: Policy and Stakeholder Dialogue was an interactive workshop on "International Perspectives on SSbD" and joined by Dr. Aleksandra Malyska (European Commission), Dr. Christopher Blum (German Environment Agency), Dr. Josef Wünsch (SusChem), Dr. Wibke Lölsberg (BASF), Eloise Touni (UNEP), and Theo Silberston (UNEP). The speakers gave insights and feedback from several perspectives on the current EU’s Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design criteria. Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) is considered a key element to the transition to the EU Green Deal, moving towards climate neutrality, zero pollution, and circular economy.
The initial SSbD criteria framework proposed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) highlights the prevailing research challenges concerning data gap filling, substance and material property prediction, the streamlining of sustainability assessments, and establishing the link between sustainability performance and environmental capacities for environmental impacts. These challenges were thoroughly deliberated by the speakers who also put forth potential avenues for progress.
The insights of these experts shed light on global best practices in the chemical sector. Their valuable contributions not only offer tangible solutions, but also foster a broader understanding of the complicated dynamics between sustainability and the environment. By acknowledging the complexity of these challenges and embracing the suggested pathways, the chemical sector can pave the way to a more sustainable future.
