The SAbyNA platform: a guidance tool to support industry in the implementation of safe- and sustainable-by-design concepts for nanomaterials, processes and nano-enabled products

Abstract

Simple, cost-effective and reliable methods are needed for pragmatic, flexible, safe and sustainable evaluations at early stages of product (chemical/material) development. This is especially true for nanoforms and nano-enabled products, for which guidance on the application of validated methods and tools for the assessment and management of safety and sustainability is still lacking. The SAbyNA guidance platform fills these gaps in the following ways: by integrating i) informative modules covering the needs of all stakeholder profiles (i.e., industry, consultants, RTOs, and regulatory bodies) by guiding them in the choice of methods, models and tools for exposure and hazard assessment, as well as in the selection of specific safe-by-design interventions; and ii) assessment modules for a screening-level evaluation of environmental sustainability and costs and for a screening and detailed safety assessment of nanoforms and nano-enabled products along their life cycle. The potential of this digital tool to support different stakeholders towards safer and more sustainable developments is demonstrated in a real case study: a nano-enabled 3D-printed vacuum cleaner plastic component composed of single-walled carbon nanotube–polycarbonate composites with antistatic properties. This study shows how a user inputs data to perform a screening assessment on an additive manufacturing case study, and the digital platform provides the user with some safe-by-design recommendations, such as reducing the fiber length or rigidity or changing process parameters to reduce emissions. Hazard, exposure, costs, sustainability and functionality case study data were added in the detailed assessment module of the platform to check whether the implemented safe-by-design intervention was able to improve the safety profile of this nano-enabled product without affecting sustainability and functionality performances. This study also demonstrated the added value of using the SAbyNA guidance platform at the early stage of the nano-enabled product development for the quantification and visualization of safety, sustainability, cost and functionality aspects of nano-enabled products and processes.