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Alternatives Assessment

For over a year, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production gathered regularly to discuss alternatives assessment processes and methods. We realized that we needed to engage a broader group of experts in this process who had been struggling with the same issues but had not been in contact with each other.  By bringing together professionals in chemicals substitution, alternatives assessment, life cycle assessment and product policy from various stakeholder groups, we have been able to share information on existing assessment methods, create and strengthen communication networks, and draft protocols for performing alternatives assessments.

In addition to the final report from the Lowell Center's "Designing Safer Alternatives," the following is a list of existing alternatives assessment methodologies:

Alternatives Assessment Framework of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production
Developed with the goal of creating an open source framework for the relatively quick assessment of safer and more socially just alternatives to chemicals, materials, and products of concern.

Column Model
Developed by the Institute for Occupational Safety (BGIA) of the German Federation of Institutions for Statutory Accident Insurance Prevention, this method presents data on chemical hazards in a tabular format. Using European Risk phrases (R-phrases), the criteria for each cell in the table are determined primarily by risk factors. The Column Model creates a framework for presenting datea by hazard category and potential risk level. The columns are six hazard endpoints: acute health risk, chronic health risk, environmental risk, fire and explosion, liberation properties, and risks by technology.

Quick Scan
Developed by the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, the “Quick Scan” method is a voluntary tool for companies to rapidly assess chemicals in the absence of data, to prioritize for further study and action. The steps in the Quick Scan method are: gather hazard data on chemicals; use criteria to assign chemicals to hazard levels; use decision making rules to determine concern categories; and revise concern categories based upon use data. Similar to The Column Model, Quick Scan specifies criteria for determining hazard levels of a chemical for specific hazard endpoints.

Materials Assessment Protocol
McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC)—working with a range of companies—has defined a method for transitioning towards safer materials and products, called the “Materials Assessment Protocol.” At the heart of MBDC’s materials assessment protocol is its “chemical assessment” screening tool, which screens chemicals into categories of green, yellow, red, and orange depending upon the hazards associated
with the chemicals. Companies like the furniture maker Herman Miller begin with MBDC’s chemical assessment tool to evaluate the chemical hazards of a material, extend it to include recyclability and recycled/renewable content at the material level; and then extended to the product level to include disassembly.

P2OASys
"The Toxic Use Reduction Institute (TURI) has developed a systematic tool that helps companies determine whether the toxic use reduction options they are considering may have unforeseen negative environmental, worker or public health impacts."

PBT Profiler and other EPA Initiatives to promote substitution
The PBT Profiler was developed by EPA as a voluntary screening tool to identify Pollution Prevention opportunities for chemicals without experimental data.

EPA's Design for Environment program has several voluntary partnerships with industrial sectors to improve preformance and lessen risks to human and environmental health.

CleanGredients
"CleanGredients™ is designed to serve formulator needs for more environmentally friendly ingredients while showcasing and helping to market such ingredients for suppliers. The database includes data on relevant environmental and human health attributes, providing the information that is needed by formulators."

Prio
PRIO is a web-based tool intended to be used to preventively reduce risks to human health and the environment from chemicals designed by the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate (KEMI).

P2OSH
P2OSH was developed as an alternatives assessment methodology for pollution prevention, occupational safety, and health. For more information on contact the Sustainable Hospital Project at the Lowell Center.