BioSusTex celebrates new publication on early-stage sustainability screening for safer innovation

© The authors.

BioSusTex is proud to celebrate a new research publication that contributes important knowledge to the development of safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) approaches for early-stage innovation. Published in RSC Sustainability on 2 April 2026, the paper is titled “Life cycle based risk and opportunity mapping: a systematic collaborative procedure to integrate environmental and health aspects into early innovation for scoping and pre-screening for safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) assessments.” 

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The publication is the result of a collaboration between IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, and it is especially relevant for BioSusTex because the method is now being further revised and tested within the project for new chemical raw material and process developments for the textile sector.

At the centre of the paper is the LCBROM method (Life Cycle Based Risk and Opportunity Mapping), a structured, predominantly qualitative screening approach developed for innovations at low technology readiness levels, where there is often too little data for a full life cycle assessment. The method is designed to help researchers and innovators identify potential risks, opportunities and knowledge gaps across the life cycle of a new material, chemical, process, or product, while design choices can still be influenced. This is important because many sustainability decisions are made very early in innovation, at a stage when uncertainty is still high but the ability to shape the final outcome is greatest. The paper explains that LCBROM can support the initial scoping of an SSbD assessment by helping teams map the life cycle of an innovation, identify hotspots and structure dialogue between developers, sustainability experts and other relevant actors. Rather than replacing quantitative methods, it is intended to serve as a first step that helps guide later assessments and further data generation.

A key strength of the method is that it does not focus only on risks. As the paper emphasises, opportunity mapping is also essential in early innovation, because it helps identify where a new solution may perform better than current benchmark technologies and supports more constructive discussion with technology developers and decision-makers. The authors argue that this dual focus on risks and opportunities can reduce lock-in to unsustainable choices while also making sustainability assessment more relevant and actionable for innovators.

The paper also shows that LCBROM is intended as a collaborative procedure, not just a checklist. The assessment begins with initiation and framing, followed by stakeholder mapping, pre-study work, meetings with involved parties and iterative refinement of findings in a Material, Energy and Toxicity (MET) matrix. This structure is designed to facilitate communication, reveal uncertainties and data gaps and support further development decisions in a transparent way.

To test the method, the researchers applied it in four case studies involving early-stage technologies related to clean air and water. One example presented in the paper concerns the recovery of rare earth elements from mining wastewater. In that case, the method helped identify both opportunities and risks, including the possibility of reducing use of hydrochloric acid compared with the benchmark technology, while also flagging the use of kerosene as a toxicity concern. Importantly, the findings helped guide further investigation and refinement of the innovation. The paper presents LCBROM as a promising qualitative screening tool that can support SSbD scoping and environmental sustainability assessment when there is not yet enough data for quantitative LCA. At the same time, the authors make clear that the method is still under development and that future work is needed, including expansion toward economic and social dimensions through a broader METES matrix. They also note that clearer communication formats and further case studies will help improve the method’s usefulness and accessibility.

This makes the publication especially valuable for BioSusTex. The project is working to support safer and more sustainable textile innovations, and this paper contributes a practical framework for dealing with one of the biggest challenges in that work: how to evaluate sustainability and safety early enough to influence development, even when complete datasets are not yet available. By helping teams identify relevant questions, benchmark technologies, potential hotspots and design options from the start, LCBROM offers a useful pathway for more informed and responsible innovation in the textile field.

For the field more broadly, the paper offers a timely contribution to ongoing discussions around SSbD, early-stage sustainability assessment and the practical realities of innovation under uncertainty. For researchers and developers, it provides a structured way to bring life cycle thinking into early decision-making. For the general public, it highlights an important idea: making materials and processes more sustainable does not begin only once products are on the market, but much earlier, during the design and development stage.

We warmly congratulate the authors and all partners involved in this achievement. This publication is an important milestone for BioSusTex and a strong example of how collaborative research can help build the tools needed for safer, smarter and more sustainable innovation.

You can access and read the paper here: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/SU/D5SU00930H