Umweltbundesamt
Click to enlargeA new portal on the strategic approach “Safe and Sustainable by Design” (SSbD) is online as part of the EU partnership PARC. It was created by a group of PARC partners jointly led by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment and the German Environment Agency (UBA) and bundles information, tools and teaching materials as well as invites to exchange knowledge.
A place for information, exchange and networking: The EU partnership PARC (Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals) has launched a portal for the exchange of knowledge on “Safe and Sustainable by Design” (SSbD) materials and chemicals. The new service is primarily aimed at experts from companies and academia, but also at representatives from local authorities, politicians and environmental NGOs, as well as members of the public curious about the who want to familiarise themselves with the new approach. It supports stakeholders in systematically considering sustainability and safety in the early development phase of chemicals and materials.
The portal offers access to:
- Guidance and tools for implementing the SSbD principles
- Teaching and training materials to convey basic principles and specialist knowledge
- Announcements and latest developments in the field of SSbD
In addition, users can network with other experts via PARCopedia, PARC's digital knowledge and networking platform. An open discussion group allows the exchange of ideas, experiences and new findings.
SSbD
The voluntary “Safe and Sustainable by Design” approach aims to minimize potential risks to humans and the environment before new chemicals and materials are introduced to the market – while considering functionality. To this end, the European Commission has developed an assessment model that checks adherence to the SSbD principles.
PARC: Working together for safe chemicals management in Europe
The EU Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) was launched in 2022 as an EU Horizon Europe project with a duration of 7 years. With more than 200 partner institutions from 27 member states, as well as the UK and Switzerland, PARC is intended to support and improve the European risk assessment of chemicals as a Europe-wide partnership. The central aim is to strengthen the scientific basis for a future-proof European chemicals management - among other things by promoting the SSbD approach.
Inform, participate and share knowledge
PARC promotes the implementation of the European Commission's SSbD approach, for example by setting up the SSbD knowledge portal. Further information on PARC's commitment to SSbD can be found in the “Safe and Sustainable by Design” toolbox (https://www.eu-parc.eu/thematic-areas/tools-resources/safe-and-sustainab...).
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.
Due to the large number of enquiries, there may be delays in responding. We ask for your understanding.
