On December 12, 2025, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled Safe and sustainable by design tools, integrative systems and platforms for nanomaterials and nano-enabled products. According to OECD, the report advances the implementation of safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) for nanomaterials by compiling and reviewing tools, integrative systems, and platforms that support design, risk assessment, and sustainability considerations. The report:
- Compiles and reviews eight tools, two integrative systems, and three platforms supporting different elements relevant to SSbD for nanomaterials and presents an overview on the SSbD elements covered by each of them;
- Identifies data requirements for each of the tools and offers recommendations to support the early stage of innovation, where limited or no data are available for assessing nanomaterials; and
- Provides an overview of existing tools to guide innovators in selecting the most appropriate ones based on their specific needs.
The report includes the following recommendations for future work:
- Guidance needs to be developed for selecting the most appropriate tools for implementing SSbD, taking into account the innovation stage and existing data gaps;
- A framework should be established to map the information requirements for functionality, safety, and sustainability to relevant databases, methods, and tools; and
- Greater attention should be given to tools and methods at the “by-design” stage, as well as fostering dialogue in the pre-data stage, such as within trusted environments.
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