TY  - JOUR
AB  - In the context of the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability toward a Toxic-free Environment, and in the aim to facilitate Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) development of new materials and products, the EU-funded project HARMLESS built a Decision Support System (DSS) to support innovators in SSbD assessments of products at early design stages. The HARMLESS DSS is tailored to enable Advanced Materials (AdMa) screening, using a combination of New Approach Methodologies and guided by Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment. Three online tools for SSbD screenings are developed and tested on case study materials, namely: Advanced Materials Earliest Assessment; Warning flags, design Advice, Screening Priorities; and Alternative SSbD Inspector. The following case studies are assessed: oxide perovskites for automotive catalysts, imogolites for agricultural solutions, aerogel mats for facade insulation, and colloidal silica for paint formulations. The case study materials are provided by both large and small enterprises, they represent diverse industry sectors and different stages in the value chain. Results show the DSS ability to guide innovators in developing SSbD AdMa, by facilitating the assessment of most SSbD dimensions and visualizing the results in a comprehensive, yet detailed way, enabling their own balancing of SSbD benefits and trade-offs.
AU  - Adam, V.*
AU  - Di Battista, V.*
AU  - Testard, F.*
AU  - Persson, M.*
AU  - Persson, D.*
AU  - Gargouri, D.*
AU  - Filoramo, A.*
AU  - Grafström, R.C.*
AU  - Kohonen, P.*
AU  - Hongisto, V.*
AU  - Conolly, M.*
AU  - Navas, J.M.*
AU  - Skjolding, L.M.*
AU  - Gajewicz-Skretna, A.*
AU  - Danielsen, P.H.*
AU  - Vogel, U.*
AU  - Jensen, K.A.*
AU  - van Someren, E.*
AU  - Dekkers, S.*
AU  - Schmid, O.
AU  - Wohlleben, W.*
AU  - Suarez Merino, B.*
C1  - 75528
C2  - 58027
CY  - Postfach 101161, 69451 Weinheim, Germany
TI  - Decision support system for safe-and-sustainable-by-design advanced materials: Case study demonstration.
JO  - Adv. Sustain. Syst.
PB  - Wiley-v C H Verlag Gmbh
PY  - 2025
SN  - 2366-7486
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - To facilitate Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD), the HARMLESS project developed a practical SSbD approach and SSbD Decision Support System (DSS) for advanced materials. The HARMLESS SSbD approach and SSbD-DSS are in alignment with the EU-recommended SSbD framework and methods. The HARMLESS SSbD approach recommends New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) tailored to advanced materials and the innovation stage of the material under development. The approach follows a flexible stage-gate model with three innovation stages: 1) Ideation & Business Case Phase, 2) Lab Phase, and 3) Pilot Phase. The HARMLESS SSbD-DSS guides designers through a workflow starting with the Advanced Material Earliest Assessment (AMEA) tool. AMEA contains three questions enabling categorization and subsequently advice on design principles. A second tool, named Warning flags, Design Advice, Screening Priorities (WASP), consists of 12 questions to identify early warning flags and provide design and assessment advice. A third tool, named Alternative SSbD Design Inspector (ASDI), provides guidance on descriptors to measure in the Lab Phase for informed decision making on the most optimal SSbD version. By adapting the data and resource requirements to each innovation stage, the SSbD-DSS facilitates practical implementation of SSbD, supporting the user to find a transparent balance between safety, sustainability, and performance.
AU  - Dekkers, S.*
AU  - Adam, V.*
AU  - Battista, V.D.*
AU  - Haase, A.*
AU  - Prinz, J.*
AU  - Nagel, G.*
AU  - Fransman, W.*
AU  - Persson, M.*
AU  - Suarez-Merino, B.*
AU  - Wohlleben, W.*
AU  - Schmid, O.
AU  - Someren, E.v.*
C1  - 75469
C2  - 58018
CY  - Postfach 101161, 69451 Weinheim, Germany
TI  - Safe‐and‐sustainable‐by‐design approach and decision support system for advanced materials.
JO  - Adv. Sustain. Syst.
PB  - Wiley-v C H Verlag Gmbh
PY  - 2025
SN  - 2366-7486
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Advanced Materials (AdMa) play a crucial role for numerous strategies that address global challenges. They are being developed fast, making it increasingly challenging for regulation to keep pace with innovation. Existing frameworks, which are either not designed for AdMa or lack adequate filtering to identify AdMa of high concern, do not (yet) effectively support regulatory preparedness. The HARMLESS Early Warning System (EWS), in contrast, is a practically applicable tool for screening plenty of materials in a reasonable time. It is organized in two tiers, each underpinned by a specific methodology and facilitated by a dedicated online tool. The initial Tier 0 categorizes the materials using the Advanced Materials Earliest Assessment (AMEA) tool. Tier 1 first screens materials asking only 15 questions and is ideal for data-poor materials at early innovation stages. These questions cover issues related to human/ environmental exposure and hazard, sustainability and applicability of existing regulations. In a more elaborated version, experimental testing based on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) is suggested. As outcome, the user is provided with 1) material-related concerns, 2) prioritization of AdMa and 3) recommendations for (regulatory) follow-up actions. Data from two industrial case studies is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the HARMLESS EWS.
AU  - Prinz, J.*
AU  - Nagel, G.*
AU  - Dekkers, S.*
AU  - van Someren, E.P.*
AU  - Adam, V.*
AU  - Battista, V.D.*
AU  - Suarez-Merino, B.*
AU  - Wohlleben, W.*
AU  - Persson, M.*
AU  - Baun, A.*
AU  - Schmid, O.
AU  - Haase, A.*
C1  - 74797
C2  - 57592
CY  - Postfach 101161, 69451 Weinheim, Germany
TI  - HARMLESS early warning system for advanced materials.
JO  - Adv. Sustain. Syst.
PB  - Wiley-v C H Verlag Gmbh
PY  - 2025
SN  - 2366-7486
ER  -