SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting

Wien, Austria – 11/15th May 2025

During the SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting, held from the 11th to the 15th of May 2025 in Vienna, Austria, LEITAT represented the SURFs UP project with a scientific poster and a Poster Spotlight Presentation.

The contributions focused on showcasing the project’s multi-actor approach to implementing the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework across its case studies. LEITAT highlighted how the SURFs UP consortium integrates environmental, economic, and social sustainability criteria into the early stages of biosurfactant development, ensuring safer materials with reduced environmental and health impacts.

The presentation detailed how collaboration among researchers, industry partners, and downstream users supports the practical application of SSbD principles in real-world innovation pathways. By presenting this methodology within the context of lignin valorisation and bio-based surfactant production, LEITAT demonstrated how SURFs UP aligns with EU policy goals on sustainable chemicals and contributes to the broader shift toward circular bio-based systems.

The engagement at SETAC Europe provided a platform to exchange best practices with the scientific community and further refine the project’s approach to responsible innovation.

The project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members under grant agreement No 101157586 and UKRI grant agreement No 10115826.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CBE JU, or UKRI. Neither the European Union, CBE JU, nor the UKRI can be held responsible for them.