Dr. James Ede will present “Qualifying nanoscale and novel bio-based materials for the market: EHS, sustainability and beyond” during NanoCanada's Earth to Space International Conference.

A challenge for commercial acceptance of nanoscale and novel biobased materials is demonstrating their performance for the intended application(s). Regulators require information about safety – in the workplace, in products and toward the environment. Customers and end users also establish specific performance standards and certification requirements, and these vary by industry and application. Increasingly, end-users are evaluating their company operations against sets of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria with resulting impacts across the supply chain (e.g. sourcing a certified bio-based material over other alternatives). The testing required to demonstrate compliance can be extensive, and routinely changes. This presentation discusses an approach to qualifying new materials for commercial acceptance; describes methods selection and test conditions; and highlights requirements for a few of the dizzying array of alternatives available.