Empa Researchers Apply Graphene to EU Safety Framework to Standardize Nanomaterial Commercialization

For over two decades, graphene has been hailed as one of the most promising developments in modern materials science. However, as the material transitions from laboratory curiosity to high-volume industrial applications, manufacturers face a daunting challenge: proving that these advanced carbon structures are safe for humans and the environment over their entire lifecycle. To address this, researchers at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have begun using graphene to test and refine the European Union’s groundbreaking Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework.

Announced in early June 2026, the initiative represents a critical bridge between academic material science and industrial regulatory compliance. By using graphene as a primary showcase, the research aims to establish a standardized, proactive methodology that prevents hazardous materials from reaching the market, helping companies avoid the multi-billion-dollar liabilities associated with legacy chemicals like PFAS.

Testing the European Commission’s Sustainability Blueprint

The Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), is designed to shift safety assessments from the end of the product lifecycle to the very beginning. Instead of evaluating a finished product’s toxicity, the framework encourages scientists and molecular engineers to embed environmental and health considerations into the initial design phase.

According to Peter Wick, head of Empa’s Nanomaterials in Health laboratory, graphene is the ideal candidate to stress-test this framework. Thanks to a decade of extensive research conducted under the European Union’s Graphene Flagship project, scientists have accumulated a massive repository of high-quality data regarding how graphene interacts with biological systems and the environment. This deep pool of existing literature allows Empa researchers to evaluate how effectively the SSbD framework can handle complex, advanced nanomaterials rather than simple chemicals.

Adapting Chemical Rules to Two-Dimensional Materials

One of the primary challenges identified by the Empa research team is that current SSbD tools and models were originally built for traditional chemicals. For standard chemical substances, molecular structure is the primary factor that dictates hazard potential. However, two-dimensional materials do not behave like traditional chemicals.

For graphene, physical and structural characteristics play a far more dominant role in determining safety and performance. These key variables include:

• Particle size and lateral dimensions, which dictate how the material moves through cellular barriers.
• Surface chemistry and functionalization, which alter how graphene interacts with proteins and environmental media.
• The number of carbon layers, which changes the material’s rigidity and physical behavior.
• The route of exposure, such as inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion, which heavily influences the biological response.

Empa researcher Fiorella Pitaro from the Technology and Society lab is working to adapt the SSbD framework to account for these material-specific properties. By doing so, the team hopes to simplify the framework, making it easier for industrial manufacturers to use without needing highly specialized toxicological expertise.

Mapping the Graphene Family for Safer Commercialization

Rather than treating graphene as a single material, the Empa study highlights the diversity of the “graphene family.” This family includes pristine single-layer graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Each of these variants possesses unique electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties, but they also carry distinct hazard profiles.

By comparing data across these different subclasses, researchers can map how minor structural changes affect toxicity. Because many of these variants can perform similar functions in industrial applications—such as reinforcing composite materials or improving battery conductivity—manufacturers can use this data to select the safest possible form of graphene for their specific use case. This “safety-first” design approach drastically reduces the risk of regulatory bottlenecks later in the commercialization pipeline.

The Regulatory Roadmap for Advanced Materials

For investors, entrepreneurs, and industrial manufacturers, the refinement of the SSbD framework is of paramount importance. Regulatory bodies in Europe and North America are tightening restrictions on chemical safety, and compliance is becoming a major cost driver. A recent analysis by Empa showed a 64 percent match between the criteria in the SSbD framework and existing EU legislation, indicating that companies adopting these design principles early will naturally align with future laws.

By establishing clear, standardized safety baselines for graphene-based materials, the research provides a predictable roadmap for commercial adoption. It allows the advanced materials industry to move past the speculative phase and integrate into heavy industries like automotive, infrastructure, and consumer electronics with high confidence in long-term regulatory compliance.