NILU provides the scientific knowledge needed to develop, assess and implement circular solutions that are sustainable, safe, resource-efficient and beneficial to society.
Our expertise spans the entire value chain, from the development and design ofproducts and materials to production, use, reuse, recycling and end-of-life management.
We combine life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, socio-economic analysis and digital solutions with expertise in environmental chemistry, toxicology, hazard and exposure assessment, and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD).
This interdisciplinary approach enables us to assess how circular strategies affect resource use, the climate and the environment, as well as their economic viability and long-term benefits to society.
We also help ensure that chemical safety and sustainability are considered from the earliest stages of development, allowing safer alternatives to be selected before materials and products enter circulation.
Why choose NILU?
NILU brings together expertise in circular economy and chemical safety to support the development of solutions that are both sustainable and safe.
We combine data from our environmental chemistry and human toxicology laboratories with hazard and exposure assessments and system-level analyses of resource use, material flows, environmental impacts and socio-economic factors.
This integrated approach provides businesses and public authorities with a comprehensive scientific basis for developing safer and more sustainable products and materials, assessing existing material flows and evaluating circular solutions.
NILU’s role is to provide evidence of which solutions work, where and under what conditions, and what trade-offs they involve. Our aim is to support the efficient use of resources while minimising negative impacts on human health, the environment and the climate.
How can NILU help?
Through tailored research and assessments, NILU helps businesses, public authorities and other decisionmakers to:
- Develop safer and more sustainable circular products and materials through Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD), substitution and redesign.
- Assess the environmental, social and economic impacts of circular solutions, including trade-offs between different approaches.
- Identify and characterise chemicals and contaminants in raw materials, products and recycled material streams.
- Assess hazards, exposure and risks to human health and the environment using chemical, toxicological and mechanistic data.
- Map and analyse resource flows and material systems to better understand how resources are used and circulated.
- Provide scientific evidence to inform effective policies and governance frameworks.
- Evaluate circular economy strategies and solutions to determine their effectiveness and sustainability.
- Monitor impacts and support the implementation and scaling up of circular solutions.
Our goal is a circular economy that keeps resources in circulation while preventing harmful substances from being carried into new products and material cycles.