The start of a new chapter

IRISS, The International Ecosystem for Accelerating the Transition to Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design Materials, has entered its final month as an EU-funded project, and now, a new phase begins – building the world’s largest international SSbD Community.

Over the past three years, the IRISS project has brought together researchers, innovators, industry representatives, and policy experts to create a viable community to accelerate the implementation of the Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) concept.

We believe that the results from the project will lead to real progress that will contribute to the future of sustainable innovation across Europe and beyond. Together with our partners, we have focused on creating a forum for exchange of ideas and best practices as well as collaboration opportunities, as a strong foundation for the broader adoption of SSbD practices.

Here are some highlights from our journey:

We have organised over 25 workshops and trainings, and participated in and supported more than 35 events, conferences, and expert sessions to build knowledge and capacity on SSbD.

We have published two strategic roadmaps to guide action toward safer, more sustainable materials, processes, and products, released six scientific articles and over a dozen public reports, all available on the IRISS website.

We have built the IRISS SSbD Community Opens in new window., a vibrant, international network of over 500 members today, focused on cross-sector collaboration, learning, and exchanging knowledge and solutions between stakeholders.

This extraordinary collaboration between all IRISS partners over the past three years has helped place SSbD on the innovation map. What began as a novel concept is now gaining widespread recognition across the industry, academia, and policy arenas on Member States, EU and international levels.

What comes next – and why we need you

Although IRISS is concluding its phase as a funded project, the community we’ve built is just getting started. The next chapter is about turning this momentum into a lasting movement: expanding the network, deepening collaboration, and creating a self-sustaining IRISS SSbD Community that continues to drive the implementation of SSbD forward.

To ensure the community remains active and engaged and keep the work going, we need your support, your expertise, and your commitment!
Let’s continue the SSbD journey, together.

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