ALCHEMISSTS Project: driving the transition to safe and sustainable chemicals

Start Date: November 1, 2024

End Date: October 31, 2028

Participants: HADEA (European Health and Digital Executive Agency), ITENE (Packaging, Transport and Logistics Technology Institute), Entelos Institute LTD, Qsar Lab Spolka Z ograniczona Odpowiedzialnoscia, Greendecision SRL, Yordas GmbH, IOM (Institute of Occupational Medicine), International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Blaszczyk Aneta, CSI (Center for Social Innovation LTD), Laurentia Technologies SLL, Bergische Universitaet Wuppertal, Pinturas Blatem SL, Fundacion TEkniker, Instituto Pedro Nunes Associacao para a Inovacao e Desenvolvimento EM Ciencia e Tecnologia, Carl Bechem GmbH, Avanzare Innovacion Tecnologica SL, Nasika Products SA, K-FLEX Polska Spolka Ograniczona Odpowiezialnoscia, Cauchos Ruiz-Alejos SA, Rescoll SA, Clean Cell Technologies LTD, Centre Scientifique & Technique DeL'Industrie Textile Belge ASBL, Ethnicon Metsovion Polytechnion, Devan-Micropolis SA, Sioen Industries NV.

Context 

The chemical industry is at a turning point, where the need for groundbreaking innovation is rapidly increasing, driven by new policies, regulations, and standards. Among the current drivers of innovation, the European Green Deal establishes a strategic roadmap with specific milestones that focus political action on transforming the EU into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy, articulated in the Zero Pollution Action Plan.

A key component of the European Green Deal is the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), which considers the EU industry as a globally competitive actor in the production and use of safe and sustainable-by-design (SSbD) products. This is an opportunity for the EU chemical industry to regain competitiveness through the development of safe and sustainable chemical products and to provide sustainable solutions across all sectors.

ALCHEMISSTS project objectives 

The main objective is to validate the applicability of the SSbD framework to develop alternative substances and materials with proven safety and sustainability, capable of replacing existing substances of concern, as well as to identify and define recommendations and specific elements to consider for the refinement of the SSbD framework.

Secondary objectives

• Develop new SSbD-based alternatives with surfactant, flame-retardant, or plasticizer functionalities.
• Generate evidence and documentation for a proof of concept of the applicability of the SSbD framework.
• Develop an SSbD certification methodology to promote its implementation.
• Implement integrated approaches and tools to support the assessment of safety, sustainability, and social evaluation based on interoperable FAIR data and models.

Applus+ Laboratories’ involvement

Experts from Applus+ Laboratories will be responsible for defining and developing the tests for battery enclosures. These tests are necessary for the validation of the demonstrators resulting from the project.

As a testing laboratory and certification body, Applus+ Laboratories collaborates in the project from the definition of test protocols through the testing phase.

In the project, our fire experts participate by conducting safety tests on batteries and assessing the reaction of new materials to fire.

Thanks to our testing facilities and experience as a certification body for numerous products, Applus+ Laboratories will contribute to advancing the development of safer, more efficient, and sustainable new batteries, and new insulating materials that meet European safety and sustainability requirements.