Researchers at Empa (the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) are applying the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework to graphene, using the well-studied 2D material as a showcase for how the approach can be tested and refined for nanomaterials.
The SSbD concept itself is not entirely new, but the Empa team has now combined these considerations within the formal SSbD framework developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, which is designed to enable safe and sustainable innovations across industry. "Graphene is a good example because there are already many studies and data available on it," said Peter Wick, who heads Empa's Nanomaterials in Health laboratory. "We have been working with this material for ten years as part of the Graphene Flagship." The goal, however, is not only to assess graphene itself - the team also wants to probe the SSbD framework's applicability and identify where it can be simplified and improved.
The graphene family is diverse, which complicates assessment, but also creates an opportunity. By comparing data across subclasses, researchers can map how structural differences affect hazard potential and - since many graphene variants share similar functionalities - potentially identify the safest form suitable for each application.
Route of exposure is another key variable. Whether graphene is inhaled, injected as part of a drug, ingested via the food chain, or applied to the skin will determine whether and how exposure occurs and in what quantities - making use-case context essential for any meaningful risk assessment.
A core challenge is that the SSbD tools and models were developed primarily for chemicals, where molecular structure is the dominant property-defining factor. For materials like graphene, surface properties, particle shape and size, and processing type all play important roles. Empa researcher Fiorella Pitaro, from the Technology and Society lab, notes that adapting these tools to handle such complexity is a key research objective.
For the framework to be taken up by industry - particularly by SMEs - it also needs to become more accessible and user-friendly, while maintaining reliable outputs. Experts are cautiously optimistic: in many applications, graphene appears safer and more sustainable than conventional carbon-based alternatives. That said, Wick cautions that this is not a green light for unrestricted environmental release. "We don't know everything yet," he said.
