The UK's voluntary reporting scheme for nanotechnology has completed its two-year pilot phase and is due to be replaced. DEFRA has drawn up a range of options, but appears to favour the status quo. The Environment Department (DEFRA) has drawn up a range of options for future nanotechnology reporting. These were considered by the ministerial group on nanotechnologies at their 11 December meeting. DEFRA's voluntary reporting scheme reached the end of its two-year pilot phase in September, having received wide criticism but only 12 submissions (ENDS Report 403, p 30). Ten submissions were from companies and two from academia. The department presented a draft options paper at the November meeting of its Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances (ACHS). Also presented were the results of a survey of nanotechnology developers. They suggest that the number of companies and universities working on nanomaterials may be smaller than expected.
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