Nature Sustainability Showcases Safer Bisphenol Design Approach

A commentary published in Nature Sustainability highlights a recent study identifying a potentially safer bisphenol compound, demonstrating the value of the European Commission’s Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework. Introduced in 2022, SSbD provides principles for developing and assessing industrial chemicals based on four factors: intrinsic hazard, worker exposure during production, exposure during use, and full life-cycle impacts.

Using this framework, researchers discovered a bisphenol alternative that does not exhibit the estrogenic activity associated with bisphenol A (BPA). The compound also shows strong technical performance and can be produced from renewable materials, suggesting both safety and sustainability advantages.

The commentary underscores increasing efforts among chemists to replace endocrine-disrupting chemicals with safer substitutes. Existing bisphenols, including BPA and its common replacements BPS and BPF, are linked to adverse metabolic and reproductive health effects. Although BPA use is restricted in some regions, rising reliance on other estrogenic bisphenols has weakened regulatory progress. The authors stress that health and environmental protection must be prioritised alongside performance and economic viability in chemical innovation.

22-12-2025