Indentifying safer products

The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production’s Alternatives Assessment Framework

The Lowell Center’s Alternatives Assessment Framework has been a critical resource for the development of the alternatives assessment field.  Published in 2006, the framework continues to inform more recent initiatives, including the 2014 National Academies Framework to Guide Selection of Safer Alternatives.   
The Lowell Center is continuously engaged in efforts with the broader alternatives assessment community of practice to help evolve frameworks, methods and tools to aid evaluating and identifying safer chemicals, materials, and products. 

Support Tools

Substitution and Alternatives Assessment Toolbox

As an active member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development’s (OECD) Ad Hoc Group on Substitution of Harmful Chemicals, the Lowell Center is pleased to share the Substitution and Alternatives Assessment Toolbox.  
This is the most comprehensive compilation of resources relevant to chemical substitution and alternatives assessment available. It includes:
  • An inventory of chemical hazard assessment tools and resources
  • Alternatives assessment frameworks
  • Case studies of completed assessments 
  • Lists of chemical restrictions and regulations affecting the 34 OECD member countries
The Lowell Center is continuously engaged in efforts with the broader alternatives assessment community of practice to help evolve frameworks, methods and tools to aid evaluating and identifying safer chemicals, materials, and products.