Graphene for a sustainable future

The Graphene Flagship delivers concrete opportunities for innovation to address some of the major societal challenges in Europe. However, this effort would be meaningless without focusing heavily on sustainable development. Overall, our projects contribute to 11 of the 15 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we believe that graphene and layered materials will play a key role in the green revolution.

Graphene is enabling the green revolution.

The Graphene Flagship, hand-in-hand with many institutions, enterprises and governments around the world, have pledged to work towards the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the EU Green Deal.

Our sustainable research across Europe is diverse in both discipline and scale, but with less than ten years to go before 2030, the need for new technologies to ensure sustainable access to energy and water has never been greater. To this end, the Graphene Flagship is paying more attention to sustainability than ever, focusing many of our industry-led Spearhead Projects and a broad range of our research initiatives and commercial endeavors on developing innovative solutions for a greener, more sustainable future. Among them, several concentrate on SDGs 6 and 7: clean water and sanitation and affordable and clean energy.

Graphene filters can provide clean drinking water.

Graphene is sustainable

Graphene Flagship Work Package Leader Maria Smolander from VTT highlights graphene applications for a more sustainable future.

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Wellbeing

Miniaturised sensors, implants, drug delivery systems and antimicrobial coatings are all domains where graphene can play an important role.

Quality Education

The Graphene Flagship engages with graduate students all over Europe and organises annual schools for early career researchers.

Gender Equality

The Diversity in Graphene initiative aims to create a collaborative research environment where everybody feels welcome, without any prejudice.

Clean Water and Sanitation

Graphene Flagship researchers are testing graphene in water filtration systems, as many of the existing contaminants present in Europe’s water sources are resistant to conventional purification technologies.

Affordable and Clean Energy

Two of the Graphene Flagship’s Work Packages focus on energy generation, storage and the potential of graphene and layered materials to improve solar cells has been recognised by the Graphene Flagship since the beginning.

Decent Work and Economic Growth

The Graphene Flagship aims to bring graphene and layered materials out of academic laboratories and into society in the form of new products, investments and employment opportunities. To do this, the Graphene Flagship attracts investments and catalysts the development of new commercial enterprises.

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Graphene can be incorporated into existing pollution removal and monitoring technologies to significantly improve their performance, such as in the removal of pollutant gases like nitrogen oxides from the atmosphere.

Responsible Consumption and Production

Graphene has the potential to enhance the performance of different materials and alleviate their carbon footprint. For example, graphene composites can be used to make lighter packaging, reducing costs and energy consumption.

Climate Action

NO2 gas is produced by burning fossil fuels, and it can cause airway inflammation, leading to breathing problems and even asthma attacks. The Graphene Flagship’s new NO2 sensor could help monitor this problem.

Partnerships for the Goals

The Graphene Flagship nourishes partnerships and collaborations between its nearly 170 academic and industrial partners, and within its extensive network of Associate Members, active in Europe and the global scene.