Generating a Frame for Nanoproducts and Building Trust - VivAgora Workshop Report

The goal of the workshop was to discuss the impact on trust of various approaches of nanotechnology risk management.

In an opening presentation by Christoph Meili, he reminded the audience that nanotechnology was considered one of the top 4 emerging risks for insurers alongside climate change, aging infrastructure and ‘the unknown’. He stressed the difficulties related to the sensitive areas of agri-food and cosmetics and then outlined the various attempts available worldwide to frame constructively the development of nanotechnologies. He gave a panorama of initiatives in place or in development, with an emphasis on voluntary measures in nano-risk governance: reporting schemes, codes of conducts and risk management systems. Finally, he introduced CENARIOS®, the first certifiable risk-management and monitoring system specially designed for nanotechnologies.

The presentation was followed by a lively discussion on the theme of the day: Generating a frame for nanoproducts and building trust. The questions from the audience highlighted some of the preoccupations of the industry, which are summarised in the workshop report.

In general, the contents of the discussion might be summarized by the following statements:

• Industry does not believe in government-based frames of voluntary reporting schemes.
• There is strong disagreement on whether existing regulatory frameworks can actually cover the development of nanotechnologies.
• The future of nanotechnology regulation seems likely to come from the development of new forms of standards and certification.

VivAgora – which organizes public debates on Science and Society – has launched the seminar series « OPINION sur RUE » to inspire and inform industrialists, opinion leaders and social innovators. Its activities include CLUB VIVAGORA and the publication of VivAgoVeille.