Towards safe and sustainable innovation in nanotechnology: State-of-play for smart nanomaterials
| Autor: | Agnieszka Mech, Aleksandra Małyska, Hubert Rauscher, Jana Drbohlavová, Søren Bøwadt, Stefania Gottardo, Juan Riego Sintes |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Circular economy
Materials Science (miscellaneous) Nanotechnology 02 engineering and technology Review Article 010501 environmental sciences Safe innovation 01 natural sciences Green growth media_common.cataloged_instance Safe and sustainable by design Regulation of nanomaterials European Union European union Safety Risk Reliability and Quality Smart nanomaterials 0105 earth and related environmental sciences media_common Sustainable development business.industry Regulatory preparedness Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Agriculture Stimuli-responsive Sustainable Development 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Nanostructures Product (business) Action plan Sustainability 0210 nano-technology business Safety Research |
| Zdroj: | Nanoimpact |
| ISSN: | 2452-0748 |
| Popis: | The European Green Deal, the European Commission's new Action Plan for a Circular Economy, the new European Industrial Strategy and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability launched in October 2020 are ambitious plans to achieve a sustainable, fair and inclusive European Union's economy. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, these policies require that any new material or product should be not only functional and cost-effective but also safe and sustainable to ensure compliance with regulation and acceptance by consumers. Nanotechnology is one of the technologies that could enable such a green growth. This paper focuses on advanced nanomaterials that actively respond to external stimuli, also known as ‘smart nanomaterials’, and which are already on the market or in the research and development phase for non-medical applications such as in agriculture, food, food packaging and cosmetics. A review shows that smart nanomaterials and enabled products may present new challenges for safety and sustainability assessment due to their complexity and dynamic behaviour. Moreover, existing regulatory frameworks, in particular in the European Union, are probably not fully prepared to address them. What is missing today is a systematic and comprehensive approach that allows for considering sustainability aspects hand in hand with safety considerations very early on at the material design stage. We call on innovators, scientists and authorities to further develop and promote the ‘Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design’ concept in nanotechnology and propose some initiatives to go into this direction. Highlights • Novel, stimuli-responsive (“smart”) nanomaterials are used in food, food packaging, cosmetics and agriculture. • Smart nanomaterials pose new challenges to safety and sustainability assessment due to their complexity and dynamic behaviour. • Existing regulatory frameworks are probably not fully prepared to address such challenges. • Smart nanomaterials should comply with the aims of the European Green Deal and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. • ‘Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design’ integrates safety, circularity and functionality of materials throughout their life cycle. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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