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On April 22, 2024, the European Commission (EC) announced that it adopted a “Communication from the Commission: Guiding criteria and principles for the essential use concept in EU legislation dealing with chemicals.” The press release states that “[t]he overall aim of this concept is to achieve higher regulatory efficiency and predictability for authorities, investors and industry for a faster phase-out of the most harmful substances in non-essential uses, while allowing more time for the...

On March 15, 2024, the European Commission (EC) published in the Official Journal of the European Union an amendment to the Cosmetics Regulation. The following nanomaterials have been added to Annex II (substances prohibited in cosmetic products). From February 1, 2025, cosmetic products containing these substances shall not be placed on the European Union (EU) market. From November 1, 2025, cosmetic products containing these substances shall not be made available on the EU market: The...

The European Commission (EC) announced on March 20, 2024, that it has proposed a series of targeted actions to boost biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the European Union (EU). The EC states that its March 20, 2024, Communication on Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU “identifies the challenges and barriers and proposes to tackle them, in line with the Communication on the long-term competitiveness of the EU.” According to the...

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, announced on February 21, 2024, the release of a position paper calling for “bold ambition, and five core principles to ensure impactful industrial growth.” According to the position paper, “EC Initiative on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing: Principles for an impactful Europe,” the European Commission’s (EC) forthcoming Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative “is a unique opportunity for the [European Union (EU)] to build...

On February 7, 2024, the Library of Congress posted an article entitled “South Korea: Act to Promote Green Bio Industry Published.” According to the article, South Korea published the Act on Promoting the Green Bio Industry (Green Bio Act) on January 2, 2024. The Green Bio Act, which will enter into force on January 3, 2025, “aims to promote the application of biotechnology to agricultural bioresources and increase the added value of agriculture, develop the...

The February 2024 issue of Nature Nanotechnology includes an article entitled “How nanoparticles are counted in global regulatory nanomaterial definitions.” Authored by Kirsten Rasmussen, Juan Riego Sintes, and Hubert Rauscher, European Commission (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC), the article examines differences between the definitions in various jurisdictions and how to achieve a global definition. The jurisdictions reviewed include Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published the latest edition of the Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials — Tour de Table. The Tour de Table compiles information provided by delegations on the occasion of the 23rd meeting of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) in June 2023. The Tour de Table lists U.S. developments on the human health and environmental safety of...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on February 5, 2024, that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published two new ex-ante publicity notices for two service contracts:...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has commissioned, as part of the activities of the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON), a study on the collection and review of information on nanomaterial-based and nano-enabled plant protection products, biocidal products, and fertilizing products. The study includes a systematic literature and documentary review on nanoforms of (active) substances and delivery systems of the corresponding formulations used in biocidal products, plant...

The Malta Initiative is conducting a survey to collect input on priorities where the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Test Guidelines (TG) and Guidance Documents (GD) need actions to make them applicable to nanomaterials and other advanced materials. The survey includes a preliminary list of suggested topics. Respondents can choose specific topics upon which to comment. The survey will close January 12, 2024. According to the NanoSafety Cluster (NSC), the Malta...