Life Cycle Based Risk and Opportunity Mapping: A systematic collaborative procedure to integrate environmental and health aspects in early innovation as possible pre-screening to the safe and sustainable by design assessments

In this article we introduce a method to be used for life cycle-based assessment in early innovation to fill the gap of tools for assessing emerging technologies. The approach is intended to support innovation processes for clean technology. Thus, it needs to facilitate a dialogue and encourage innovators to share uncertain information. Such information could potentially hamper the development process if conclusions are drawn based on concepts before scale-up. For the required flexibility and transparency, we propose a series of direct exchanges and preliminary evaluations. The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, outlined to implement the European Green Deal, calls for the transition towards use of safe and sustainable chemicals, hence the Joint Research Center (JRC) published a framework for Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) chemicals and materials. Among the key features of the framework is the application for early-stage developments of innovations, during which the outcome can be influenced, and parameters are not fully decided. The method proposed in this publication, life cycle-based risk and opportunity mapping (LCBROM), may be used both prior an SSbD assessment to facilitate its scoping process, as well as during an SSbD procedure. An LCBROM intends to bring together knowledge and requirements from different stakeholders in an innovation process and has been applied in four case studies within the area of clean technology. By applying the method we have realized that i) opportunity mapping is key for good involvement of the innovation owner but can only be performed if there is a suitable benchmark technology as reference or the consequences of inaction can be defined, ii) Several methods exist that in theory could be applied for assessing emerging technologies, although none seems to be commonly used, and iii) LCBROM has the potential to fulfill four criteria that we see as crucial for tools intended for assessing innovations at low TRL. A major benefit of the mapping approach is the increased transparency and communication between technology developer, problem owner and assessment experts. Such communication guides the process and allows for understanding of each other’s questions and feedback. LCBROM will be further improved and tested in the EU funded research programme BioSusTex.