The 4th edition of the International Conference on Microplastic Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (µMED 2025) took place in Ischia, Italy, from 19–22 October 2025.

The conference brought together experts from diverse disciplines, including the scientific and industrial sectors, policy makers and environmental organizations, to explore all aspects of micro- and nanoplastic pollution, offering a valuable opportunity to share the latest developments, highlight recent advancements, and identify innovative materials, technologies and strategies to detect and mitigate this pressing environmental challenge.

On October 20^th, approx. 130 participants from reasearch and industry stakeholders joint Milica Velimirovic‘s (VITO) oral presentation. Under the title “Progress in analytical strategies for micro- and nanoplastics detection and characterisation“, Milica shared the work in SSbD4CheM’s textile study from microfibers release. 

µMED 2025 once again proved to be a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, driving forward the scientific understanding and mitigation of microplastic pollution in marine environments.

Final Programme available here.

The 1st SENTIATECH Congress took place in Valencia (Spain) on 21–22 October 2025. The two-day event focused on “Detection, Measurement and Control of Emerging Risks”, highlighting specially emerging chemicals (such as PFAS and micro/nanoplastics), sensor technologies, and Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD).

The congress aimed to foster cross-sector collaboration, facilitate knowledge exchange, and accelerate the implementation of innovative solutions for managing risks related to the environment, human health, and materials/manufacturing.

Approximately 200 participants attended, mainly from the research and scientific community, along with industry representatives, regulatory partners, and local authorities who joined during the closing session.

SSbD4CheM participated in this particularly relevant event, as it closely aligned with the project’s objectives, addressing innovative techniques for detecting and assessing contaminants. Fruela Pérez and Pau Camilleri, from ITENE, delivered an oral presentation introducing the project. Their talk focused on how Steps 4–5 of the SSbD framework are integrated into the project’s activities. Their presentation entitled “Embedding Sustainability: How LCA Shapes the SSbD4CheM Approach” is available under DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17426621.

Outcomes of participation included:

• Increased visibility and recognition of the project
• Strengthened networking and collaboration opportunities
• Knowledge exchange and constructive feedback from peers
• Contribution to the project’s dissemination and impact goals

Some impressions of the congress:

In October 2025 (concretelly on Oct. 15th), Ivana Burzic, from Wood K plus, presented SSbD4CheM’s automotive case study at a dedicated meeting on the PARC project (European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals).

In her presentation, Ivana highlighted the safety (emissions) and sustainability (recycled materials, cellulosic fillers) goals of this case study on renewable based composites (WPC) with optimized TVOC emissions and odor for automotive car interior trims, as well as how the project is implementing all 5 steps of the SSbD framework. The presentation also covered different tests performed like weathering and TVOC emissions, before and after weathering tests, to ensure a safer production and application of the composites developed within the project, covering different cellulosic materials. The presentation also included LCA results.

The online meeting gathered PARC partners and European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) representatives to exchange experiences and contribute to building the EU SSbD toolbox. This collaborative effort supports a harmonised European approach to safer and more sustainable chemical assessments, enhancing environmental and health protection.

Demonstrating cross-project commitment to SSbD principles, Ivana also presented BIO-SUSHY’s food tray packaging as a case study, highlighting the PFAS-free, bio-based coatings that embody safety and sustainability principles from the very beginning of development.

This engagement underscores SSbD4CheM’s active participation in the European SSbD community and reinforces its position as a reference point for sustainable materials innovation.

The presentation is publicly available under DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17403579 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license).

The BioNanoNet community gathered in Linz, Austria on 7 October 2025 to discuss how advanced technologies and sustainable industrial practices are being translated into the life sciences sector.  

The BioNanoNet Annual Forum 2025 took place at the LIT Open Innovation Center in the vibrant city of Linz, where four of our members graciously co-hosted and welcomed us to their facilities. Attendees were treated to site tours at Johannes-Kepler-University (JKU) IPC Institute, Competence Center CHASE, RECENDT and Wood K plus. The partners shared fascinating insights into their R&D work, including different methods for non-destructive testing, the production of sustainable polymers, a showcase of polymer waste recycling, and possible applications of bacterial cellulose. 

The forum started with a welcome by Alberta Bonanni, vice-rector of JKU, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation and was followed by keynotes from Dr. Michael Egermeier, Wood K plus (“Bacterial Cellulose Emerging as Novel Material for Advanced Applications”), Dr. Markus Brandstetter, RECENDT (“Bio-Nano-Med & Chemical Analytics at RECENDT”), and Patrick Pammer, CHASE (“Upgrading Plastic Wastes to Industrial Feedstocks”).  

After the 4 site visits, the group reconvened in the LIT Open Innovation Center for a Life Science Session spanning a wide range of topics starting with a talk by Werner Haselmayr, JKU, on the “Internet of Bio-Nano Things: Extending Connectivity to Unconventional Domains”. Max Sonnleitner, CEO of Genspeed Biotech, shared his insights from years of experience  on how to bring an innovative idea  to a final product in diagnostics. This was complemented by a perspective from BNN’s regulatory specialist Daniel García emphasizing the need for innovation support including regulations.  

The second session was dedicated to Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) with updates from current and past projects as well as newly established methodologies.  Milica Velimirovic of VITO presented the first case study with “Applying the SSbD4CheM Toolbox in Case Studies for Sustainable Material Design”. Danail Hristozov of GreenDecision presented new methodologies from the project SUNRISE and the NSC Community with his talk “SSbD in the NSC field – Tiered SSbD approach and e-infrastructure”. Next, Martin Himly of PLUS presented PINK and PLANETS projects, showing fascinating work on how to implement SSbD in concrete industrial chemicals and materials value chains. Finally, Andreas Barth of Wood K plus shared the lessons learned and opportunities of Social LCA within the SSbD Framework and put a spotlight on this oft-underrepresented dimension of SSbD.   

The highlight of the event was the final Networking Pitch Session, moderated by BNN’s Clemens Wolf. Fifteen members had a single slide and 30 seconds to pitch their expertise and seek collaboration opportunities. It was a lively session showcasing the great diversity and potential within the BNN network, and it sparked lots of ideas and initiated new connections!  

The evening ended with a networking buffet and drinks. As always, we greatly enjoyed the time with all participants and especially getting to see the facilities of JKU, CHASE, RECENDT and specially Wood K plus

Agenda of the event. 

Some impressions of the day:

The third ECOSYSTEX Conference took place from 29 September to 1 October in Gothenburg, Sweden, bringing together experts, innovators, and industry leaders to discuss the latest technologies and business models for textile circularity.

Over two days, the 160 participants engaged in plenary and interactive breakout sessions, fostering lively discussions, networking, and collaboration opportunities across the textile sustainability community.

The event was supported by six ECOSYSTEX member projects — PESCO-UP, SOLSTICE, tExtended, BioFibreLoop, WhiteCycle, and Hemp4Circularity — which showcased their project results and hosted dedicated interactive sessions.

Onur Celen and Mine Türkay Kankıran (KORTEKS) attended the event on behalf of SSbD4CheM, presenting the project to fellow participants and exploring opportunities for collaboration. Their participation helped strengthen connections within the ECOSYSTEX network and provided valuable insights for future project developments.

Stephan Wagner is Professor for Environmental Analysis at Fresenius University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Fresenius) (Leipzig, Germany). Within SSbD4CheM, he is leading the work package on analytical methods for visualisation, characterisation, analysis and identification of particles and organic compounds in the materials and products of the project.

Tell us a bit about yourself. What is your area of expertise?

Stephan Wagner: By training I am an environmental scientist with a focus on environmental analytics. Over the last ten years my research portfolio has expanded from environmental analysis to food, materials and consumer product analysis. My team and I develop new analytical approaches and apply them to the development of new technologies and risk assessment. We work with organic and inorganic mass spectrometry techniques. I like this area because we work very close to the application and it allows a high degree of innovation.

How does your specific work package “Analytical methods for tailored requests” contribute to the project?

SW: Our work package is designed to support the Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) approach for the three case studies in the project by providing new and fit-for-purpose analytical tools. We aim to develop innovative analytical tools for imaging, nano- and microparticle characterisation, volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis and identification of unknown organic compounds in the materials and products of the project case studies. In this work package, analytical research and industrial application are very closely linked. We drive analytical innovation by considering the analytical needs of the industry in our work package.

For example, we are developing and implementing mass spectrometry-based analytical detection techniques for VOCs and applying them directly to characterise VOC emissions from vehicle interiors using state-of-the-art emission test chambers. These tests provide exposure concentration data that will be used for safety assessment of the new materials in car interiors.

What is the most exciting thing about the activities in your work package?

SW: We have been involved in many European and national projects where new analytical approaches have been developed. In SSbD4CheM, we want to not only develop and optimise new analytical approaches, but also apply them to the SSbD framework. Therefore, our partners are from research institutions and industry, which makes the work very exciting. For the next project period, we will also investigate the potential for harmonising our newly developed methods, which would make them applicable beyond the project.