Exploratory study of dealing with substances of concern in a product with an ex-ante LCA: a case of an LCD monitor

The study discusses the challenges posed by substances of concern (SoCs) in products, emphasizing the need to address them within the framework of a circular economy (CE). It introduces the Safe and Circular Design (SCD) method as a potential solution but notes its lack of practical testing. The study focuses on implementing the SCD method in...

Fighting Malaria Using Gene Drives: Worthy Tool or Waste of Time?: A Safe-by-Design Assessment for Gene Drive Organisms

Malaria is both an economically and medically burdensome disease taunting people worldwide. Treatments for the disease – transmitted by malarial Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium – are either temporary or in developmental stages, while rising insecticidal resistance and mosquitoes’ behavioral changes call for a lasting...

Uncertainties and uncertain risks of emerging biotechnology applications: A social learning workshop for stakeholder communication

Emerging applications of biotechnology such as new genomic techniques may give rise to new uncertainties and uncertain risks. Particularly the increased complexity and limited knowledge of possible risks associated with these new<br/>techniques, make it currently impossible to perform an adequate environmental risk assessment. As a result, there...

Safe-by-design in engineering: An overview and comparative analysis of engineering disciplines

In this paper, we provide an overview of how Safe-by-Design is conceived and applied in practice in a large number of engineering disciplines. We discuss the differences, commonalities, and possibilities for mutual learning found in those practices and identify several ways of putting those disciplinary outlooks in perspective. The considered...

Responsible Learning About Risks Arising from Emerging Biotechnologies

Genetic engineering techniques (e.g., CRISPR-Cas) have led to an increase in biotechnological developments, possibly leading to uncertain risks. The European Union aims to anticipate these by embedding the Precautionary Principle in its regulation for risk management. This principle revolves around taking preventive action in the face of...

Value Conflicts in Designing for Safety: Distinguishing Applications of Safe-by-Design and the Inherent Safety Principles

Although both the Inherent Safety Principles (ISPs) and the Safe-by-Design (SbD) approach revolve around the central value of safety, they have a slightly different focus in terms of developing add-on features or considering initial design choices. This paper examines the differences between these approaches and analyses which approach is more...

Safe by design regulation for academic experimentation and value conflicts: An exploration of solution directions

In this paper, we explore solution directions for the implementation of Safe by Design (SbD) in safety regimes for academic experimentation. SbD is a dynamic and anticipatory strategy for safety regulation in academic research. In this strategy, safety is taken in a broader sense including not only issues of technical precaution of avoiding...

Bacteriophages as agents against locust swarming: A Safe-by-Design study on the application of gene and microbiome therapies

The rapid advancements in synthetic biology have allowed for the development of revolutionary technologies such as bacteriophage-mediated gene and microbiome therapies. These technologies create the need for management of the upcoming risks and uncertainties. Safe-by-Design is a strategy to build in safety measures in an effort to mitigate and...

Safe-by-Design: Stakeholders' Perceptions and Expectations of How to Deal with Uncertain Risks of Emerging Biotechnologies in the Netherlands

Advanced gene editing techniques such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/Cas have increased the pace of developments in the field of industrial biotechnology. Such techniques imply new possibilities when working with living organisms, possibly leading to uncertain risks. In the Netherlands, current policy fails...

The Food Warden: An Exploration of Issues in Distributing Responsibilities for Safe-by-Design Synthetic Biology Applications

The Safe-by-Design approach in synthetic biology holds the promise of designing the building blocks of life in an organism guided by the value of safety. This paves a new way for using biotechnologies safely. However, the Safe-by-Design approach moves the bulk of the responsibility for safety to the actors in the research and development...

Safe-by-Design: from Safety to Responsibility

Safe-by-design (SbD) aims at addressing safety issues already during the R&amp;D and design phases of new technologies. SbD has increasingly become popular in the last few years for addressing the risks of emerging technologies like nanotechnology and synthetic biology. We ask to what extent SbD approaches can deal with uncertainty, in...