Greening Agriculture: Accelerating Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) Plant Protection Products through Innovation and Incentives in the EU

The EU's Green Deal initiatives, including the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability (CSS), emphasize the need for developing plant protection products (PPPs) that meet both safety and sustainability goals. In the EU, PPPs are regulated under Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 which sets approval criteria to ensure human health and environmental safety. This legislation is complemented by Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUD) (Directive 2009/128) which aims to achieve sustainable pesticide use by minimising risks to human health and the environment, while promoting use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and non-chemical alternatives. Both legislations address the conditions of placing on the market and the use of PPPs, neither directly address broader aspects of sustainability compliance, such as the lifecycle impacts, resource efficiency during design and manufacture and socioeconomic dimensions of sustainability. The EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework offers a holistic approach to chemical product innovation, minimising risks and maximising sustainability throughout a chemical’s lifecycle. This framework, combined with existing safety regulations, can advance sustainability of plant protection products in-line with the European Green Deal and the CSS. Agrochemical manufacturers have embedded SSbD-aligned practices in their innovation pipelines, but approaches used tend to be company-specific and lack standardised metrics. Incorporating well defined sustainability criteria and incentives for manufacturers would accelerate the development of PPPs that contribute to long-term agricultural sustainability, safeguard human health and the environment, and ensure food security in line with sustainable development goals.