MAGNO Workshop on Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD)
September 30 @ 10:00 – 12:00
MAGNO is pleased to announce an upcoming online workshop dedicated to Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD), taking place on 30 September 2026.
The workshop is being organised by Kveloce, a partner of the MAGNO project with extensive expertise in Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) and sustainability-driven innovation. As part of its activities within MAGNO, Kveloce is leading the organisation of this event to foster dialogue and knowledge exchange around the SSbD framework.
The event is organised in collaboration with IRISS (International ecosystem accelerating the transition to Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design chemicals, processes, materials and products), bringing together expertise from both initiatives to explore the role of SSbD in advancing more sustainable and circular systems.
The workshop will provide an opportunity to learn more about the Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design approach, exchange knowledge with experts and stakeholders, and discuss its relevance for innovation in food packaging and the broader transition towards a circular economy.
Registration link: MAGNO Workshop on Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD)
Date: 30 September 2026 – 10:00-12:00
Format: Online
AGENDA:
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Welcome and introduction (5 min) MAGNO Project (10 Min) | Alejandra Pita (IDENER) |
| 10:15 – 10:35 | Session 1 – How Digital Tools Can Shape LCA-s (20 min) | Alejandra Pita (IDENER) |
| 10:35 – 10:45 | Session 2 – Social assessment in SSbD: key updates from the 2025 JRC Framework revision and EC Recommendation 2026 (10 min) | Lucia Mancini (JCR ISPRA) and Giulio Bracalente (JCR ISPRA) |
| 10:55 – 11:05 | Session 3 – SO-LCA and product S-LCA as complementary approaches across the innovation cycle (20 min) | Gabriela Munares (Kveloce) |
| 11:05 – 11:25 | Debate – Sustainability life-cycle assessment as a driver for acceptance and behaviour change (20 min) | Mod: Gabriela Munares (Kveloce) Alejandra Pita Giulio Bracalente Jutta Hildenbrand Lucia Mancini Maite Ferrando |
| 11:25 – 11:35 | Q&A (10 min) | Gabriela Munares (Kveloce) |
| 11:35 – 11:40 | Closure (10 min) | Alejandra Pita (IDENER) |
DESCRIPTION OF THE SESSIONS:
Session 1 – How Digital Tools Can Shape Life Cycle Assessment
This session will explore how digital tools can strengthen Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) by integrating data, modelling and scenario analysis across complex food packaging value chains. Using the MAGNO Ecosystem Digital Twin (eDT) as a practical example, the session will present how digital modelling can represent the entire packaging lifecycle, from design and manufacturing to logistics, consumer behaviour and end-of-life management. Participants will discover how the eDT combines industrial data, scientific knowledge and AI-supported information to evaluate the environmental and functional performance of packaging systems. The session will also discuss how this approach can support more informed sustainability decisions by comparing alternative circular packaging strategies and assessing the trade-offs between different solutions before implementation.
Session 2 – Social assessment in SSbD: key updates from the 2025 JRC Framework revision and EC Recommendation 2026
This session will present the latest developments in the Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework, focusing on the recent 2025 JRC Framework revision and the 2026 European Commission Recommendation. Participants will gain an overview of the evolving European policy landscape and explore how these updates strengthen the integration of social sustainability within the SSbD approach. The session will provide valuable context for researchers, innovators and practitioners, highlighting the latest guidance and its implications for the development and assessment of safer and more sustainable chemicals, materials and products.
Session 3 – SO-LCA and product S-LCA as complementary approaches across the innovation cycle
This session will explore the practical challenges of implementing the social dimension of Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) across research and innovation projects. Drawing on experiences from several Horizon Europe initiatives, it will examine how Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) can be applied at different stages of technological development, particularly in early-stage projects where product-level assessments are often difficult to perform due to limited data availability. The session will also introduce Organisational Social Life Cycle Assessment (SO-LCA) as a complementary approach, discussing its potential to support social sustainability assessment when product-level methodologies are not yet feasible. By comparing both perspectives, participants will be invited to reflect on how different assessment approaches can contribute to more effective and actionable SSbD implementation throughout the innovation cycle.
Panel Discussion – Sustainability Assessment as a Driver for Acceptance and Behaviour Change
This panel discussion will explore how sustainability assessments can become powerful tools not only for guiding product design, but also for building trust and supporting stakeholder engagement. Drawing on experiences from Horizon Europe projects, the session will examine how the results of environmental, economic and social assessments can be communicated more effectively to consumers, public authorities, retailers and other stakeholders. Participants will discuss how sustainability evidence can move beyond technical reporting to become a driver of responsible innovation, market acceptance and behaviour change, as well as the role of digital platforms in making sustainability information more accessible and meaningful to non-specialist audiences.
PANELISTS:
Alejandra Pita
Alejandra Pita Milleiro is the Coordinator of the Horizon Europe project MAGNO and Innovation Manager at IDENER.AI. Within MAGNO, she oversees the coordination of the project and contributes to activities related to the development of the Ecosystem Digital Twin, supporting the project’s ambition to advance more sustainable and circular food packaging systems through digital innovation.
Gabriela Munares
Gabriela Munares Sánchez is a Senior R&D Consultant and Social Science Researcher at Kveloce, leading the company’s Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) activities. She has more than 20 years of experience in sustainability, social research and European R&I projects. Her work focuses on the implementation of the social dimension of SSbD, including Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), stakeholder engagement and the integration of sustainability into Horizon Europe projects.
Giulio Bracalente joined EC – JRC (D3 Unit) in November 2023, as Scientific officer, as technical / scientific coordinator for SSbD framework, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (for the part related of Substance of Concern and Chemicals) and as chemical risk assessment expert in the context of interaction between risk assessment and LCA and development of toxicity impact categories in the Environmental Footprint methodology. Giulio has a Master Degree and a post degree specialization in chemical risk assessment and management. Considering additional work experiences in this field, Giulio has 12 years of expertise in the field of regulatory affairs, Q-HSE, and product stewardship.
Jutta Hildenbrand
Dr. Jutta Hildenbrand is a Senior Expert at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute in Gothenburg, Sweden. She holds a PhD and has extensive experience in sustainability assessment, life cycle assessment (LCA), circular economy, and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approaches. Her work focuses on supporting industry and policymakers in developing innovative solutions that contribute to a sustainable transition, combining scientific excellence with practical application. She has contributed to the development of a combined life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) and published more than 20 peer reviewed articles as well as reports.
Lucia Mancini
Lucia Mancini is a Senior Research consultant at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). She holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics and has almost 15 years of experience in developing sustainability assessment methodologies to support European policies and assessing environmental and social impacts across value chains. She was contributing author and part of the advisory board of the UNEP Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment 2020. Since 2022, she has contributed to the development of the socio-economic assessment component of the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) methodological framework.
Maite Ferrando
Maite Ferrando is CEO of Kveloce and an Expert Evaluator for the European Commission. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Valencia and has more than 20 years of experience in research, strategic consultancy and the management of European and national R&I projects. Since 2010, she has evaluated research and innovation proposals for the European Commission under FP7, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, with expertise in sustainability, innovation and European funding programmes.