RIVM is looking towards industry to eliminate obstacles during innovation of green chemistry. Our institute will provide an overview of the current state of knowledge on applied sustainability methodologies. This forms the roots of a decision tree for the sustainable and safe production of biobased substances and products. Participating companies will help develop this tool and gain knowledge on relevant laws and regulations at the same time.
During RIVM’s research project ‘SafeBBE ’, well-known and popular sustainability analyses (from Life Cycle Assessment to Dow Jones Sustainability index) will be mapped and a tool is to be developed (based on these existing methodologies), making sustainability questions easier and transparent during innovation and production.
Safe BBE
The project, called ‘Approaches towards a safe and sustainable bioeconomy’ (SafeBBE), started in 2015 and is in collaboration with the Copernicus Institute (Utrecht University, the Netherlands), an expert and frontrunner in sustainable research and development. SafeBBE is targeting the full potential of biotic waste streams and biotic feedstock for making biobased chemicals and products. In this sector, modern biotechnologies, including synthetic biology, are increasingly applied, which will also be taken into account. RIVM believes that sustainability thinking requires looking across borders, therefore including potential regional as well as global effects and impacts of green chemistry. An important aspect is a collaboration with stakeholders, including industry, research institutes and chain organisations, to share knowledge and experiences. Perceptions of stakeholders - including citizens - on safety and sustainability issues related to BBE will be included to identify key issues and add weighing factors to the decision tree.
Expertise exchange
RIVM is looking for stakeholders to provide case studies and/or exchange knowledge. Are you currently working (in the Netherlands) as a biobased producer with sugar beets or biodegradable waste, or are producing or developing biobased packaging or chemical building blocks? If you want to participate and exchange expertise, let us know! Other relevant remarks or questions are also welcome! Please contact us by e-mail.
More information on RIVM’s contributions to the biobased economy and green chemistry on our webpage biobased chemistry.
This research will be carried out in the framework of RIVM Strategic Programme (SPR (Strategic Programme RIVM
)), in which expertise and innovative projects prepare RIVM to respond to future issues in health and sustainability.