PROPLANET at the SSbD in Practice Workshop

The “SSbD in Practice: Current Status, Critical Barriers and Success Cases” workshop was successfully completed, marking a key milestone of the PROPLANET project, which has now officially concluded. The workshop was organised by EXELISIS IKE, the Dissemination and Communication manager of the PROPLANET project, in collaboration with the project consortium and the FreeMe project.

Held right before the start of the Coatings 2026 Conference in Athens, the workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from research, industry, and policy. It served as a platform for in-depth dialogue on how the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework can move from theoretical concept to practical implementation across industrial and regulatory environments.

The event was structured around three key thematic areas, covering the full scope of Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) implementation: SSbD framework, policy and regulatory readiness; industrial success stories and real‑world impact; and R&D challenges in SSbD implementation. PROPLANET contributed to Thematic Area 3, with a flash presentation delivered by the project coordinator, Johannes Seif, frοm IDENER, highlighting the project’s work on advancing SSbD methodologies within real research and innovation settings. This session also featured a panel discussion with several related EU projects, including IRISS, BIO‑SUSHY, MOZART, NICKEFFECT, SAFARi, FreeMe, and TORNADO, in which Johannes Seif actively participated. Through both the presentation and the panel exchange, PROPLANET shared practical insights into the challenges of translating SSbD principles into applied industrial and research processes and discussed key barriers to replacing PFAS‑based coatings with SSbD alternatives under real market conditions, reinforcing the project’s contribution to Europe’s transition toward safer and more sustainable innovation pathways.

Overall, the workshop fostered a collaborative environment that encouraged knowledge sharing and cross-sector dialogue. The active participation and engagement of attendees reflected a strong collective commitment to advancing SSbD approaches and ensuring their long-term impact.