February 13, 2024

Overall Sustainability Framework

Insights to NFA’s Sustainability Assessment

The Horizon Europe project AeroSolfd aims to develop and demonstrate three different types of retrofit solutions to mitigate exposure to particulate air pollution. The solutions are exhaust particle filters on petrol cars, brake wear filters for buses, and filter squares for (semi-)closed environments. While the expected direct benefits are obvious, any production requires materials and energy, and costs as well as produces its own environmental chemical and social risks. Therefore it must be assessed whether each of the retrofit solutions are overall sustainable. This is in line with the EU ambitions of the Green Deal and Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.


We have developed a framework for the overall sustainability assessment and identified that the solutions may contribute to ten of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SDGs Wheel

The Sustainable Development Goals wheel

The overall sustainability assessment approach builds on results obtained from different assessment methods: risk assessment, environmental and social life-cycle assessment, and economic assessment. These different methods have partial topical overlap, which needs to be understood and aligned. A complete assessment involves the evaluation of the safety, environmental, social and economic aspects in all the steps from the extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, use, and maintenance, to recycling and disposal.

4 things

The 10 SDGs AeroSolfd is focussing on

The safety evaluation will be risk assessments of specific relevant aspects to each of the retrofit solutions to identify the potential risks that the processes may pose to the people (workers and public) and the planet. Similarly, environmental, social and economic evaluations will identify the potential (positive and negative) impacts on people and the planet, by the means of environmental and social life cycle assessment. The overall assessment will then combine the potential risks and impacts to deliver a full overview of the sustainability of the three retrofit solutions

A preliminary conceptual sustainability assessment framework was made following a top-down approach and built on a previously published framework and approaches. This process was followed by a bottom-up co-creation approach that took into consideration a risk scoping analysis, built on the workplace scenario including all life cycle steps, and further shaped within workshop discussions with the retrofit developers to define the final framework and data needs.


The final framework will be refined by implementing data collected from real scenarios and exposure cases from each of the three AeroSolfd solutions for the exhaust particle filters, brake wear filters, and (semi-)closed environment filters.

Det Nationale Forskningscenter Forarbejdsmiljo (NFA)


Note: The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.

6th Newstrack

Sixth AeroSolfd Newsletter The latest issue of the AeroSolfd Newstrack is out! Read about the updates on our recent project milestones, research findings and events. Subscribe for future eidtions If you have not yet subscribed to the AeroSolfd newsletter, you can comfortably receive future issues by email by subscribing here.

Contribution of brake emissions to measured exposure

Insights on measuring the exposure levels of air pollutants in (semi-)closed spaces AUTHOR(S): Teresa Moreno1, Stefanos Agathokleous1, Carlos Casado 2, Amaya Manso3, Katie Kedwell4, Martin Lehmann4(1 CSIC, 2 CARTIF, 3 AUVASA, 4 M+H) In AeroSolfd we are measuring the exposure levels of air pollutants at semi-indoor sites such as bus transportation depots and metro stations. For…

Overall Sustainability Framework

Insights to NFA’s Sustainability Assessment The Horizon Europe project AeroSolfd aims to develop and demonstrate three different types of retrofit solutions to mitigate exposure to particulate air pollution. The solutions are exhaust particle filters on petrol cars, brake wear filters for buses, and filter squares for (semi-)closed environments. While the expected direct benefits are obvious,…

Unveiling the Hidden World of Ultrafine Particles

Nature’s Secrets and Human-Made Challenges In the realm of air quality and human health, few subjects are as captivating and consequential as ultrafine particles (UFPs). These tiny, often invisible particles, with diameters less than 0.1 micrometers, hold a wealth of secrets and challenges that impact our environment, climate, and well-being. Today, we embark on an…

The air we breathe

What do you know about the air we breathe? Facts about lungs & breathing The lungs are the primary organ of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including a few snails and fish. Humans have two lungs, one on the left and one on the right. They are located in the thoracic…

2nd Newstrack

Second AeroSolfd Newsletter The second issue of the AeroSolfd Newstrack is out! We mark the end of our first project year here, share our project updates with you and take a look at future activities. Subscribe for future editions If you have not yet subscribed to the AeroSolfd newsletter, you can comfortably receive future issues…

Metropolitano de Lisboa’s Project AeroSolfd Activities

Metropolitano de Lisboa & AeroSolfd Air quality is of greatest relevance for Metropolitano de Lisboa (ML), the metro system from Lisbon, as it directly impacts the health and wellbeing of their passengers and employees. Poor air quality can lead to respiratory problems, allergies, and other health issues, which can ultimately result in reduced productivity and…

Ultrafine Particles as Health Risk

Project AeroSolfd aims to reduce traffic-related fine dust and ultrafine particles (UFP). But what are these particles and why is it so urgent that we tackle them? Due to their size, there are different categories of particles and depending on how big they are, they can penetrate the human body to different depths causing serious…

Horizon Europe project AeroSolfd and its tailpipe retrofit solution at 13th VERT Forum

AeroSolfd presents three retrofit solutions to reduce traffic-related emissions The project AeroSolfd is focussing on developing market-ready retrofit solutions to immediately decrease the harmful effects on health and the environment of transport-related emissions with effective filtration devices. AeroSolfd will deliver affordable, easy-to-install and environmentally friendly retrofit solutions to reduce tailpipe and brake emissions and pollution…

Filter for cleaner air

AeroSolfd presents three retrofit solutions to reduce traffic-related emissions Stuttgart, 13 February 2023 – Air pollution is a complex problem to be tackled. The co-funded EU-Project AeroSolfd aims to reduce traffic-related emissions through the deployment of three retrofit (filtration) solutions for tailpipes, brakes and (semi-)closed environments. AeroSolfd will be present at FILTECH, the largest filtration…

1st Newstrack

First AeroSolfd Newsletter The first issue of the AeroSolfd Newstrack is out! We would like to share our project updates with you and close the year with a look back at some of our highlights in 2022. Subscribe for future editions If you have not yet subscribed to the AeroSolfd newsletter, you can comfortably receive…

Kick-off Event

The European Commission and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation award funding for an €8.2 million project on cleaner urban air In May 2022, the innovation project AeroSolfd started with a kick-off event in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The AeroSolfd consortium – led by MANN+HUMMEL – will deliver affordable, adaptable, and environmentally friendly retrofit…