A multidisciplinary research team at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University has identified safe, renewable, and non-toxic alternatives to Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical widely used in plastics.
Using a workflow aligned with the EU’s Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework, the team screened more than 170 bisphenols, with an emphasis on bisphenols that could be made from renewable resources, and identified three promising compounds with negligible estrogenic effects. One of them, bisguaiacol F (BGF), was successfully used to produce a polyester with thermal and mechanical properties comparable to BPA-based plastics. These alternatives could perhaps replace BPA in products such as water bottles, furniture, and eyeglasses. The study highlights how a multidisciplinary approach—combining computational screening, sustainable chemistry, and high-throughput toxicology—can accelerate the development of safe and environmentally friendly materials.
Further testing remains necessary before commercialization, but the findings represent a significant step toward eliminating harmful chemicals from consumer products.