Evaluating the Adherence of Solvent Selection Guides to Safe and Sustainable by Design Principles and Methodological Steps

GREENART (GREen ENdeavor in Art ResToration) project proposes new advanced materials and chemicals, for the preservation, conservation and restoration of Cultural Heritage. The assessment of the safety and sustainability performance starts with the application of green metrics, which are used to classify solvents based on Safety, Health, and Environmental criteria. In particular, the Global Score method integrates the available “green” metric scores, which are derived from various solvent selection guides (SSGs), and allows product developers to evaluate solvents quickly and effectively. In this thesis, the most relevant SSGs incorporated in the Global score method were analyzed individually and compared with the EC Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, focusing first on its design principles and then on its five-steps procedure. This work aims to promote the application of approaches that go beyond traditional green chemistry metrics and indicators; indeed, a more comprehensive evaluation is being conducted within the project to assess the safety and sustainability of the GREENART solutions across their entire lifecycle, according to the SSbD framework.