In the last few years, the materials research community has shown increased interest in Advanced Materials (AdMas) that are specifically designed to substitute the traditionally used materials, not only with a view to their sustainability, sourcing criticality, or scarcity, but also to maintaining or even enhancing their functionality and performance. The use of AdMas is particularly researched in sectors where the environmental impact of the traditional materials is substantial, in terms of waste production or resource consumption. Due to their novelty and potentially unpredictable impacts, and to add further value to their application, there is an increasing interest in the safety and sustainability of AdMas. In this context, a new 5-step Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework was developed by the European Union, to support the (re-)design and development of novel materials. A guideline is presented for enforcing the (re-)design phase of the framework with paradigms to guide stakeholders and practically add value to the materials’ industry. The present manuscript analyzes the advances and challenges of the SSbD framework, showcasing its applicability and limitations and the added value compared to traditionally used assessment methodologies, to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the methodology and add value to the materials’ industry concerning safety and sustainability.

Carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are a lightweight alternative solution for various applications due to their mechanical and structural properties. However, debonding at the fibre–matrix interface is an important failure mechanism in composite materials. Proposed solutions include using nano-scale reinforcements to strengthen and toughen structural composites. This study covers a comprehensive approach for evaluating occupational hazards during the sizing of 6k carbon fibres using multi-walled functionalized carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and few-layer graphene (FLG) at a pilot scale. Material hazard and exposure banding showed elevated risks of exposure to nanomaterials during the sizing process, while a ‘what-if’ process hazard analysis allowed for the evaluation of hazard control options against the hypothetical process failure scenarios of human error and utilities malfunctioning. On-site measurements of airborne particles highlighted that using MWCNTs or FLG as a sizing agent had negligible effects on the overall exposure potential, and higher micro-size particle concentrations were observed at the beginning of the process, while particle size distribution showcased high concentrations of particles below 50 nm. This analysis provides a thorough investigation of the risks and potential exposure to airborne hazardous substances during CF sizing while providing insights for the effective implementation of a safe-by-design strategy for designing targeted hazard control systems.