Replacing hazardous substances in biocidal products

This destination will support the EU Commission priorities ‘Sustaining our quality of life: food security, water and nature’ and ‘A new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness’.

The implementation of the European Green Deal will continue to guide R&I in this destination. R&I actions under this destination will take forward the zero-pollution ambition, contributing to reach the 2030 targets for pollution reduction in air, water and soil, as stipulated in the zero-pollution action plan. The activities will help establishing a clean industry, contributing to the EU Clean Industrial Deal^[1], and will aim to address, among others, pollutants of concern, including of emerging concern, also in view of the environmental objectives of the European Chemicals Industry Action Plan^[2]. Destination ‘Clean environment and zero pollution’ will help substituting hazardous chemicals and bringing innovation on safe and sustainable by design chemicals to ensure protection of human health and the environment. It will also continue the work on PFAS, the “forever chemicals”, started in the same destination in WP2025. It will also support the implementation of the revised Ambient Air Quality Directive^[3] and the Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive^[4].

This destination will support the zero-pollution ambition in the industrial bio-based and bioeconomy sectors. The principles of the new EU bioeconomy strategy, underpinned by the principles of the circular economy, will allow for the replication value chains with improved resource efficiency and environmental performances, also enabled by innovative approaches designed in the Strategy for European Life Sciences, the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and the upcoming Biotech Act.

Furthermore, R&I activities under this destination will underpin EU water legislation and the European Water Resilience Strategy^[5] by addressing water quantity and quality issues in specific sectors as well as across broader water systems, supporting EU policies and international conventions. The destination will also support the Marine Strategy Framework Directive^[6], particularly in its efforts to assess and mitigate the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems such as contamination and underwater noise.

R&I actions under this destination will aim to underpin the conclusions from the Strategic Dialogue on EU Agriculture and the Vision for EU Agriculture and Food^[7], and support the next reform of the CAP with scientific evidence.

R&I actions under this Destination will encourage international cooperation, in line with the global approach on R&I. The Destination supports unlocking the unique assets for research and innovation of the EU outermost regions, in line with the EU strategy for outermost regions^[8].

Expected impact: Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to "achieve a clean environment, ensure water resilience, and enable the transformative change necessary to reduce air, water and soil pollution to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems, while respecting planetary boundaries". More specifically, they should contribute to one or several of the following expected impacts:

• Advancing scientific understanding and innovative solutions for identifying, preventing and mitigating pollution aim to effectively protect human health and safeguard the environment, preserving cleaner water and seas, healthier air and soil, and resilient forests.
• Innovative circular bio-based systems and biotechnologies are developed and made available to all stakeholders to progress towards the clean environment and zero-pollution ambition.
• Farmers and other actors in the food chain are empowered to make informed decisions and to apply novel strategies to prevent, reduce and remediate pollution from agriculture and the food system, contributing to the zero-pollution ambition.
• Effective solutions to remediate and decontaminate aquatic pollution are developed, made available and implemented contributing to reducing pollution to levels no longer considered harmful to the environment.

[1] Clean Industrial Deal - European Commission

[2] European Chemicals Industry Action Plan – European Commission

[3] Directive - 2008/50 - EN - EUR-Lex

[4] Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive (IED 2.0) - European Commission

[5] Water resilience strategy - European Commission

[6] EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive - European Commission

[7] Vision for Agriculture and Food - European Commission

[8] COM(2022) Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions.

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute driving the innovation of public authorities and industrial operators confronted with the Biocidal products regulation (EC) No 528/2012, within the 'safe and sustainable by design' framework. The outcomes should support the goals of the Commission communication on: Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU, of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, of the Strategy for European Life Sciences and of the new EU bioeconomy strategy.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• innovation in bio-based and natural substances brings safer alternatives to hazardous substances contained in biocidal products, with decreased risk on human health and biodiversity, including pollinators;
• safe, sustainable and effective solutions are developed and tested for the control of harmful organisms affecting human or animal health​ or the environment.

Scope:

Despite being needed for the control of pests or harmful organisms, some of the biocidal active substances currently approved are problematic for human or animal health or the environment. More innovation to bring safer alternatives into the market is therefore essential, allowing for further restriction or ban to the use of the most hazardous biocidal active substances.

Proposals should:

• develop innovative and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD^[1]) bio-based substances to effectively replace hazardous active substances used in biocidal products covered by Biocidal products regulation^[2] and, specifically, at least in one of the following applications as listed below:
  • hazardous active substances used in wood preservatives biocidal products. Developed solutions/substances should aim to limit the development of resistance or cross-resistance to harmful organisms, such as Aspergillus species, and in particular Aspergillus fumigatus;
  • hazardous active substances used in insecticides biocidal products to control mosquitos. Developed solutions/substances should be sufficiently effective to control larvae or adults of mosquitoes responsible for diseases transmitted to humans or animals;
  • the developed substances can include active substances derived from plants, microbes and other natural sources, and bio-based substances;
• include a review at international level of the hazardous active substances in the scope (wood preservatives and insecticides to control mosquitos);
• test the solutions/substances developed and assess their safety for human health, terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, including pollinators;
• validate their contribution to biodiversity enhancement, when applicable;
• demonstrate their effectiveness in replacing the hazardous substances through scientific validated indicators, including their integration into final products, also in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Projects should include social sciences and humanities (SSH) in testing the safety of the developed substances on humans, especially including the analysis of groups in vulnerable situations, and the diversity in terms of sex, disability, age, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender, etc.

International cooperation is encouraged, for the review of substances in scope.

Participation of SMEs in the consortium is encouraged.

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[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022H2510. The SSbD framework is to be used to guide the innovation process towards safer and more sustainable chemicals and advanced materials. The application of the SSbD framework should be evidenced/visible through the decisions and changes made throughout the innovation process, demonstrating how safety and sustainability considerations influenced choices from design to final outcomes.

[2] EUR-Lex - 02012R0528-20240611 - EN - EUR-Lex