SURFsUP at ANTHOS 2026: Advancing Safe and Sustainable Biosurfactants

Vienna, Austria – 9th March 2026

On March 9th 2026, SURFs UP was presented at ANTHOS 2026, where LEITAT showcased the project’s work on the preliminary implementation of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework for biosurfactants.

During the event, LEITAT presented how SURFs UP is operationalising the European Commission’s SSbD framework through a stepwise and innovation-driven approach. This methodology integrates safety and sustainability considerations from the earliest design stages, ensuring that potential risks are identified and mitigated throughout product development.

At the ideation stage, physicochemical properties and hazard profiles of candidate biosurfactants are evaluated to guide safer material selection and avoid substances of very high concern. Where data gaps are identified, targeted experimental testing is conducted to assess both human health and environmental safety.

The environmental assessment includes soil and freshwater ecotoxicity testing, analysing key indicators such as survival, growth, metabolism, and reproduction. In parallel, biodegradability and environmental persistence are evaluated using standardised methods to ensure compliance with sustainability requirements.

In addition, SURFsUP collects detailed information on materials and processes across the value chain to identify potential release hotspots and improve overall process safety. As the project progresses towards scale-up, the safety assessment becomes increasingly robust, supporting informed decision-making and guiding the development of safe, high-performance biosurfactant products.

The participation in ANTHOS 2026 represented an important opportunity to share SURFsUP’s approach with the scientific and industrial community, contributing to the transition towards a more sustainable and circular surfactant industry.