NanoBusiness Alliance issues statement on sustainable development of nanotech

NanoBusiness 2010, CHICAGO, USA: The NanoBusiness Alliance has issued a Position Statement on Nanomaterials Product Sustainability, which reflects NanoBusiness Alliance members’ enduring commitment to managing effectively the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) implications of nanotechnology.

“The NanoBusiness Alliance is committed to being the leader in the sustainable development of nanomaterials around the world," said Vincent Caprio, President of the NanoBusiness Alliance. "We are committed to working with governments and nanomaterials stakeholders to manage the sustainable development and use of nanomaterials in a responsible way."

The NanoBusiness Alliance has long advocated on a wide variety of business issues pertinent to the development and commercialization of nanomaterials and nano-enabled products, including securing funding for nano enterprises, the elimination of trade barriers, and encouraging and supporting nano innovations and their successful transition from research into sustainable commercial enterprises that create jobs and revitalize the US economy.

Recognizing that successfully managing EHS issues is an essential component of the commercialization of nano innovations, the NanoBusiness Alliance has redoubled its commitment to and its focus on these EHS issues. “The NanoBusiness Alliance has consistently supported its members’ commitment to EHS excellence and our Position Statement embodies this long-standing commitment. The NanoBusiness Alliance will continue its leadership in this essential area.”

Position statement on Nanomaterial product sustainability
As an enabling technology applicable to diverse fields, including alternative energy, medicine, and electronics, among many others, nanotechnology offers tremendous value to society. As with any emerging technology, nanotechnology and nanoscale materials must be managed in a responsible way to identify and minimize any potential adverse effect on human health or the environment.

The Alliance is committed to fostering the responsible and sustainable development of nanotechnology, to working with governmental and related nanotechnology stakeholders to develop appropriate scientific testing tools, methodologies and data to characterize nanoscale materials, and to developing informed, science-based governance policies, laws, standards, practices, and regulations pertinent to nanoscale materials.