Our annual report summarises phase 1 and sets out plans for phase 2

In 2024, Mistra SafeChem completed phase 1 and started phase 2. In this annual report, the fifth of the programme, we both summarise the results so far and present the plans for the work to come.

2024 was an intensive year of final reporting and dissemination of all the results of the first four and a half years. At the same time, the programme management has been busy building the team for the next four years. Some partners remain, some have left and some new have joined the programme.

In the annual report, we report on scientific highlights, including several publications reporting the results of multidisciplinary research combining novel catalysis and biocatalysis research with toxicity/ecotoxicity and life cycle sustainability assessment using the Mistra SafeChem tools. It also covers the main results from the five work packages reflecting scientific advancements achieved over the entire programme period.

In phase 2, the research will continue to focus on the development of novel synthesis processes for chemicals and materials, hazard screening tools and methods for assessing chemical risks from a life cycle perspective. In this way, Mistra SafeChem is expected to contribute both to the implementation of the Safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) concept and to enable a future circular economy.

– I hope that the programme, in close cooperation with stakeholders and industry, will further foster collaboration over various sectors and stimulate developments in the field including the SSbD framework. I also hope that it will be a catalyst for networking and training of young scientists in green chemistry in Sweden and beyond, says Patrik Andersson, who took over as programme director at the start of 2025.