Meet the partners: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (UNIVE)

Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (UNIVE) brings to the BioSusTex project a wealth of expertise in environmental sustainability and safety assessment, underscoring its long-standing commitment to sustainable innovation. Through its involvement in BioSusTex, UNIVE is contributing to the development of safe and sustainable bio-based solutions for the textile sector, guided by a robust methodological framework that integrates environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

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At the core of UNIVE’s participation is a multidisciplinary team led by Associate Professor Elena Semenzin, a renowned expert in environmental chemistry. Professor Semenzin is responsible for leading Work Package 5 on Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) safety assessment. Her work focuses on implementing the first three stages of the European Commission’s SSbD framework. Supporting her are key team members with diverse yet complementary areas of specialization: Marco Picone, a senior researcher in ecology and ecotoxicology; Andrea Brunelli, whose expertise lies in the physico-chemical characterization of materials and environmental monitoring; and Alessandro Bonetto, a skilled technician in exposure assessment and trace organic molecule analysis.

The team also includes Pier Paolo Guolo, a junior researcher with a focus on emerging contaminants, and two PhD students—Martina Menegaldo, who concentrates on life cycle-based safety and sustainability assessments, and Sarah Devecchi, who specializes in assessing absolute sustainability through LCA, S-LCA, and LCC methodologies.

UNIVE's involvement in BioSusTex aims to tackle critical challenges such as environmental exposure assessment of innovative bio-based surfactants and byproducts across their life cycle, the integration of risk assessment with life cycle assessment, and the incorporation of the Planetary Boundaries framework into LCA methodology. These efforts are intended to guide the development of textile innovations that are both safe and sustainable by design.

Aligned with the university's broader mission under the Ca’ Foscari Sostenibile program, the BioSusTex project resonates with UNIVE’s institutional commitment to sustainability. This is reflected in its strategic integration of sustainability across all university functions—from teaching and research to internal operations. Professor Semenzin also serves as the Rector’s Delegate for Sustainability and represents the university in national and international sustainability networks, including the RUS and the UN Global Compact Network Italy Foundation.

UNIVE's longstanding experience in European research projects such as SUNSHINE, GREENART, SUNRISE, and SURFtoGREEN further reinforces its capabilities in developing and applying tools for safety and sustainability assessments. Through BioSusTex, UNIVE embraces the opportunity to collaborate in a dynamic, multidisciplinary consortium that bridges academia and industry to address pressing societal and environmental challenges.