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A new 'responsible nanocode' for business

US launch of international consultation on safety of manufactured nanomaterials

WASHINGTON, DC – The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies will host the U.S. launch of an international consultation on a new Code for Responsible Nanotechnology aimed principally at businesses and research organisations. This initiative is funded by Britain’s Royal Society and the United Kingdom government-sponsored Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network, and supported by the Nanotechnology Industries Association, Insight Investment.

The event will take place on Tuesday, October 9th, between 12:30 and 2:00 PM, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and will be webcast live at: www.wilsoncenter.org/nano. Send RSVPs for the meeting only to nano@wilsoncenter.org.

The aim of the “Responsible NanoCode” is to establish a consensus on what constitutes good practice and, in the absence of regulation, to provide interim guidance on what organizations and businesses can do to demonstrate they are managing nanotechnologies responsibly.

It is hoped that the Code will contribute to ensuring nanotechnologies achieve their full potential in delivering health, environmental and economic benefits at a time when businesses are dealing with a variety technical, social and commercial uncertainties concerning these relatively new technologies. The Code is intended to be appropriate to, and adopted by, international companies and organizations worldwide – large and small – that work with nanotechnologies.

The draft Code was developed by a multi-stakeholder Working Group, chaired by Lord John Selborne KBE FRS, is made up of representatives from international business and academe, and from NGO, labor and consumer groups.

Who: Rachel Crossley, Director, Investor Responsibility, Insight Investment
Steffi Friedrichs, Executive Director, Nanotechnologies Industry Association
David Rejeski, Director, Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Moderator

What: U.S. Launch of International Consultation on “Responsible NanoCode”

When: Tuesday, October 9, 2007 @ 12:30 PM (Lunch available at noon.)

Where: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 5th Floor Conference Room. Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. (Directions at www.wilsoncenter.org/directions)

The Working Group is now soliciting comments on the Code from as all types of organizations around the world that are interested in nanotechnologies. The draft Code will be presented at this meeting by representatives from the Working Group. A panel of experts will offer their initial views, and then the meeting will be opened for discussion. In addition, attendees and others are able to submit their comments directly via the Code’s website, www.responsiblenanocode.org, until November 12th 2007.

The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies was launched in 2005 by the Woodrow Wilson Center and The Pew Charitable Trusts. It is dedicated to helping businesses, governments, and the public anticipate and manage the possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology.

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