The European Green Deal, the European Commission's new Action Plan for a Circular Economy, the new European Industrial Strategy and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability launched in October 2020 are ambitious plans to achieve a sustainable, fair and inclusive European Union's economy. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, these policies require that any new material or product should be not only functional and cost-effective but also safe and sustainable to ensure compliance with regulation and acceptance by consumers. Nanotechnology is one of the technologies that could enable such a green growth. This paper focuses on advanced nanomaterials that actively respond to external stimuli, also known as ‘smart nanomaterials’, and which are already on the market or in the research and development phase for non-medical applications such as in agriculture, food, food packaging and cosmetics. A review shows that smart nanomaterials and enabled products may present new challenges for safety and sustainability assessment due to their complexity and dynamic behaviour. Moreover, existing regulatory frameworks, in particular in the European Union, are probably not fully prepared to address them. What is missing today is a systematic and comprehensive approach that allows for considering sustainability aspects hand in hand with safety considerations very early on at the material design stage. We call on innovators, scientists and authorities to further develop and promote the ‘Safe- and Sustainable-by-Design’ concept in nanotechnology and propose some initiatives to go into this direction.

中文翻译：

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迈向纳米技术的安全和可持续创新：智能纳米材料的发展现状

2020年10月推出的《欧洲绿色新政》、欧盟委员会新的循环经济行动计划、新的欧洲工业战略和可持续化学品战略都是实现可持续、公平和包容性欧盟经济的雄心勃勃的计划。根据联合国2030年可持续发展目标，这些政策要求任何新材料或产品不仅应具有功能性和成本效益，而且应安全和可持续，以确保符合法规和消费者的接受。纳米技术是能够实现这种绿色增长的技术之一。本文重点关注主动响应外部刺激的先进纳米材料，也称为“智能纳米材料”，这些材料已经上市或处于非医疗应用的研发阶段，例如农业、食品、食品包装和化妆品。一项审查表明，智能纳米材料和功能产品由于其复杂性和动态行为可能会给安全和可持续性评估带来新的挑战。此外，现有的监管框架，特别是欧盟的监管框架，可能尚未做好充分准备来解决这些问题。如今缺少的是一种系统且全面的方法，可以在材料设计阶段的早期就将可持续性方面与安全考虑因素结合起来。我们呼吁创新者、科学家和当局进一步发展和推广纳米技术中的“安全和可持续设计”概念，并提出一些朝着这个方向发展的举措。