DESIDERATA accelerates the transition to safer chemistry by developing sustainable alternatives to hazardous substances used in lubricants, coatings, and chemical building blocks.
DESIDERATA brings together 16 partners from 13 European countries under Horizon Europe (CORDIS) to translate the EU’s Safe and Sustainable by Design framework into real-world chemical innovation. The project focuses on developing safer alternatives to hazardous flame retardants, plasticisers, and surfactants, working across industrial environments to drive systemic change.
The project contributes to the transformation in industrial value chains such as metalworking, construction, injection moulding, and 3D printing by developing novel substitutes for substances of concern. DESIDERATA addresses a critical market gap where currently no functional alternatives exist.
In DESIDERATA, the European Commission’s Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework will be applied to guide the development of alternative solutions. By embedding safety and sustainability early in innovation, the project will support the transition to cleaner and more sustainable industries, minimise the use of substances of concern, and reduce adverse impacts on human health, the environment, and the climate. The insights gained will guide policymakers in refining and expanding the SSbD framework across European chemical and material manufacturing sectors.
In order to reach these ambitious goals, a set of objectives has been defined to support the project implementation in five distinct domains.
DESIDERATA has been designed by a strong, interdisciplinary consortium, which covers all the expertise that is needed to reach the abovementioned goals. It is coordinated by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST).
As an Innovation Action, the industrial presence is dominant with the participation of six partners from large industry and small-medium enterprises (SME):
Those are supported by two universities, six research and technology organisations (RTO), and two non-profit research or industrial associations:
Graphene-XT, LATI, and MONO are the main developers of the new materials, which are expected to be integrated into their product portfolio, thus entering the market as a real alternative to SoC.
The RTOs and universities (LIST, GAIKER, ITENE, UBU, IVL, TAU), together with expert companies (TEMASOL, NEOVILI, Equator Company, BRIR, PHOENIX-SEP), are specialised in different areas of assessment within the SSbD framework. They cover human and environmental safety, environmental and socio-economic sustainability, but also contribute with expertise on market analysis, portfolio development and market integration of the new products. ENTELOS and NIA complement the consortium with the promotion of knowledge sharing, either by facilitating interoperability of data/results or through engagement of key policy and industry stakeholders, respectively. Thus, aiding in the implementation of SSbD in parallel to regulations and the advancement of future policy in the EU.
Register to our stakeholder group and find more information related to the DESIDERATA project.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Research and Innovation programme (IA in the Digital, Industry and Spaces areas) under grant agreement No 101178011 and from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
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