SUN aims to evaluate environmental, health and safety (EHS) risks along the whole lifecycle of manufactured nanomaterials and incorporate the results into tools and guidelines for sustainable manufacturing. We integrate physicochemical characterization, environmental and human health toxicology, lifecycle analysis, green chemistry and engineering and decision science to pave the path for safe, economically viable and socially beneficial nanotechnology enterprise.
The SUN project will incorporate scientific findings from over 30 European projects, national and international research programmes and transatlantic co-operations. We aim to develop:
- Methods to predict nanomaterial exposure and effects on human beings and ecosystems
- Process changes to reduce hazard and exposure to nanomaterials in different lifecycle stages
- Technological solutions for risk management in industrial settings
- Guidance on best practices for securing both nanomanufacturing processes and their fate, including development of approaches for safe disposal and recycling
- Decision support tools that integrate the know-how developed in the project within a decision science framework to support industry, regulators and the insurance sector to make technically and regulatively informed decisions about nanotechnologies