Early-stage sustainability screening for technology innovation: The ESCAPE approach

The rapid development of emerging technologies requires sustainability assessment tools that can operate at low technology readiness levels, when data availability is limited and full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is not yet feasible. The ESCAPE approach (Evaluation of Sustainability of material substitution using CArbon footPrint by a simplifiEd approach) was introduced precisely for this purpose, providing a rapid, data-efficient method based on two indicators—embodied energy and carbon footprint. In this review, we analyse more than six application domains in which ESCAPE has been implemented, including lithium-ion battery recycling, waste-derived catalysts for CO 2 conversion, phosphorus recovery, building materials, adsorbents, and bioplastics. This cross-sectoral comparison reveals several recurring patterns: chemical and thermal treatments consistently dominate environmental impacts, replacing ultrapure or deionized water with lower-grade water sources reduces embodied energy, and microwave-assisted or solvent-free processes systematically improve ESCAPE outcomes. By integrating insights across these diverse case studies, the review provides new insights of ESCAPE as a generalizable eco-design tool, capable of identifying environmental hotspots that reappear across unrelated technologies. The review positions ESCAPE as a complementary, early-stage sustainability screening method that can guide innovation toward more resource-efficient and environmentally responsible technological pathways. • The review integrates ESCAPE applications across six major technological domains. • ESCAPE supports early-stage sustainability screening using minimal laboratory data. • The study clarifies ESCAPE’s limits and its complementary role to simplified LCA. • It supports data-informed decision-making across key areas like waste recycling. • Most promising future uses include urban mining, water reuse, and waste upcycling.