The European Union (EU) Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework has emerged as a promising tool for preventing regrettable substitution by incorporating safety, environmental and socioeconomic sustainability considerations into chemical innovation from the earliest design stages. Despite its conceptual strength, SSbD faces substantial implementation challenges which are related to change, methodological complexity and uncertainty and extensive data demands. More so, questions regarding operational feasibility raise concerns about the practical adoption, particularly in regulatory environments with limited institutional capacity. Following its withdrawal from the EU, the United Kingdom (UK) now operates an independent regulatory system under UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), administered by the Health and Safety Executive. While retaining structural similarity to EU REACH, the UK regime functions under more limited data, fewer resources and capacity compared to the EU, and heightened fears of excessive regulatory burden. These conditions create the opportunity for system thinking for adoption of preventive approach to how chemicals on the UK market are controlled and managed. This article argues that SSbD principles can be effectively operationalised within the UK by adopting proportionate, tiered-assessment structure supported by enhanced predictive modelling and by creating regulatory and policy incentives. By reframing complexity as a regulatory design challenge rather than a technical barrier, the UK can transition from reactive, substance-by-substance risk management towards anticipatory, innovation-driven regulatory model. By adopting SSbD approaches, the UK could minimise regrettable substitution, strengthen regulatory certainty, enhance competitiveness, and promote the long-term sustainability of chemicals placed on the UK market.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)