Veneto Nanotech and CSQA are ahead of the times, and during the #NanotechItaly2013 workshop Responsible Use of Nanomaterials in Consumer Products: Voluntary Certification they will present the so-called " standard ", i.e. a voluntary tool that will allow companies to communicate to the consumer when and where nanomaterials have been used in industrially produced consumer products, ranging from shoes to detergent, from face cream to snacks. The actors of the workshop lent themselves for an interview with some previews.
Alessia Bortolozzo, CSQA Certifications: why apply a standard ?
Within an incomplete and constantly evolving regulatory context, the " Responsible management system for nanomaterials for consumer products " standard is a voluntary tool for all companies that want to demonstrate their level of responsibility regarding the nanomaterials included in the production process. CSQA has developed the standard to prepare companies for future requests from the legislator regarding the management of nanomaterials, facilitating the absorption of directives into production systems.
What are the advantages and why is CSQA interested in the application in the nanomaterials field?
The advantages are many: having the tools to evaluate toxicity data, integrating within the organizational system an easy procedure for collecting evaluations on the safety of nanomaterials so as to support the fulfillment of regulatory requirements, giving the organization a tool that facilitates communication, with the possibility of comparing data ( benchmarking ). This standard is also easily integrated with other standards for management systems already present, such as ISO 9001.
Christian Micheletti, Veneto Nanotech: what is the contribution of your company in the formulation of a responsible management system of nanomaterials for industries/companies/institutions?
The fact that nanomaterials are used in consumer products, more and more and more and more often, means that above all medium-small companies feel the need to communicate their responsible approach to their customers, pending an adaptation of the legislation in this sense. The procedure developed by Veneto Nanotech, which can be fully integrated with existing company procedures and regulations, is designed to ensure that companies undertake a path of regulatory knowledge and good practices for nanomaterials, without forgetting the communication of this responsibility to customers. To promote its diffusion, the quality standard was designed on the ISO 9001 principles.
Alessia Muratorio, University of Padua: what is the relationship of the standard with current legislation?
Right now, the European legislator evaluates the nanotechnology regulation system as adequate for the need to ensure full health protection, and directly requests operators to set up efficient risk assessment and management systems in this sense. In this context, therefore, self-regulation tools can complete the legislative panorama, filling the gaps and ensuring its technical-scientific updating. But guidelines, best practices and standards are certainly effective and compliant with legal obligations only if accompanied by efficient systems of certification and control of the adoption and regular implementation of the envisaged procedures.
Source: http://www.venetonanotech.it/nlt,202#ne3