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• Consumer labelling of nanomaterials is set to become an important and potentially controversial issue on the transatlantic regulatory agenda.
• With an estimated 1,000 nano-enabled products already on the market, calls are rising for mandatory consumer labelling of nanomaterials.
• The US and EU currently do not have a general labelling requirement for nanomaterials, but certain product-specific labelling rules in the food and cosmetics area may apply to nanomaterials.
• While US authorities have to date failed to respond to calls for comprehensive nanomaterials labelling, draft versions of the EU's revised novel foods and cosmetics laws already contain such requirements.
• In the light of the potential divergence between US and EU approaches to consumer labelling of nanomaterials, governments should consider the implications of such a development for international trade and potential means of promoting the development of common approaches.

Further Resources

Securing the Promise of Nanotechnologies: Towards Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation
Chatham House Report
Linda Breggin, Robert Falkner, Nico Jaspers, John Pendergrass and Read Porter
September 2009

Regulating Nanomaterials: A Transatlantic Agenda
Briefing Paper
Robert Falkner, Linda Breggin, Nico Jaspers, John Pendergrass and Read Porter
September 2009