NIA has lent its voice to a document calling for the responsible development of nanotechnologies. The paper, Europe needs safe and innovative nanotechnologies, is supported by numerous European industry associations
Commissioned by the European Commission to develop a methodology for the review and inclusion of new substances to Annex II of the Directive on RoHS2, Environment Agency Austria (Umweltbundesamt Österreich) has recently put up its Draft Manual for the Methodology for Identification and Assessment of Substances for Inclusion in the List of Restricted Substances (annex II) under the RoHS2 Directive for discussion
As the first step of the rejuvenation of the European legislation on waste, the EC published a Green Paper on Plastic Waste along with a public consultation on the topic
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted a recommendation on balancing nanotechnologies benefits and risks to public health and the environment at the Assembly’s 2013 spring session held in Strasbourg, France. This recent activity in the Council of Europe has been followed by NIA, which has now written a public briefing on nanotechnology and the Council of Europe
“While industries always take the lion’s share of responsibility for communicating the benefits of their products on the market […] the current risk-centric debates on nanomaterials have also created a strong responsibility for governments to wade in and support nanotechnology’s innovative power”, said NIA Director General Steffi Friedrichs in a recent article
The NANoREG project held its Kick-off Meeting on 13 May 2013; according to NIA Director General Steffi Friedrichs, it is “an important project for the nanotechnology community” as its main emphasis is on “regulatory relevant test only, with a view to be agreeing on standard operating procedures for the characterisation, measurement and testing of nanomaterials”
NIA Director General Steffi Friedrichs recently took part in a panel discussion on the commercialisation of nanotechnologies in Europe. The panel was organised by the NANOFORCE project during the tenth Hessen Nanotechnology Forum
NIA has talked about the problems industry faces from nanomaterial registry schemes across Europe. Dr Steffi Friedrichs, NIA Director-General, made the comments in the ChemicalWatch article, EU Commission finalises nano registry tender
GAB Consulting GmbH, a German company, has recently joined the Nanotechnology Industries Association as a Corporate Member. It joins others who all benefit from the advocacy, representation and exclusive information services that NIA provides them
The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) has been quoted in an article entitled EU nano group debates REACH annex options. These comments are related to a proposal to change ‘compliance for nanomaterials’
Comments made by stakeholder groups on ‘the draft methodology for the identification and assessment of substances for a potential restriction under RoHS 2’ have been published by Environment Agency Austria. The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) was one of these groups; it urged the agency ‘to remove a general reference that categorises all nanomaterials as “substances of highest concern”’
In an interview with Pan-European Networks, published on the Horizon 2020 Projects platform, NIA highlights the pivotal role Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can play within the upcoming Horizon 2020 framework
In its comments on the Study for the Review of the List of Restricted Substances under RoHS 2 Directive (commissioned by DG Environment (EC); conducted by Environment Agency Austria), the NIA urged Environment Agency Austria to remove a general reference that categorises all nanomaterials as ‘substances of highest concern’
The EC's JRC has released a technical report on the 'Safety Issues and Regulatory Challenges of Nanomaterials' symposium it held in May 2012. The event was organised by the JRC-IHCP along with several EU FP7 projects and 'presented the latest scientific progress and policy developments in the field of nanosafety'
The NIA has responded to the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) request for information on nano-silver. Its main suggestion is for the agency 'to avoid redundancy' by taking into account 'all the results of the OECD'
The EC hosted a workshop at the end of January 2013 'to present and discuss the main findings of the Second Regulatory Review on Nanomaterials'. Many of the presentations from it have been made available to the public
A message supporting the EC's Communication on the second Regulatory Review of Nanomaterials has been published by multiple industry associations. In it they back the EC's conclusion that 'the current European regulatory framework, providing some clarifications of the requirements, adequately covers nanomaterials, is science-based and proportionate'
Discussions and presentations held as part of the NIA’s recent symposium, Mandatory Reporting Schemes & Databases of Nanomaterials, have been reported on by a leading chemicals industry periodical
Talks on regulations and developments relevant to nanoscale silver were given by the NIA at an event recently. The event, which the NIA co-hosted along with the Nanosilver Network, saw 40 international participants attend
NanoLYSE (Nanoparticles in Food: Analytical Methods for Detection and Characterisation) has recently published the fifth edition of its bi-annual newsletter. It states that ‘2012 has been an exciting year’ for the project as many milestones were successfully reached.
