OECD Tour de Table (2026)
In June 2026, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials – Tour de Table, a report of the Chemicals and Biotechnology Committee summarizing safety and regulatory developments between July 2024 and June 2025.
As with previous Tour de Table publications, this report addresses risk assessment decisions, risk management approaches, good practice documents, and research and methods development across participating entities. A wide range of nanomaterials (NMs) and advanced materials (AdMa) are covered,from carbon-based and bio-based NMs to micro- and nano-plastics, hybrid materials, and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs).
While methods and frameworks continue to be developed, there appears to be a growing emphasis on refining and implementing them. Projects such as Early4AdMa, HARMLESS, and PlasticsFatE illustrate progression from development toward validation, harmonization, and implementation. Improvements have also been made in defining, grouping, refining policy recommendations, and sharing and integrating data on NMs.
In addition to the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) framework, a number of projects continue to incorporate the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles, Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA), and life cycle considerations. Recent developments include adoption of the updated SSbD Framework in 2026 and the creation of NM-specific tools and methodology for use within the SSbD framework. At the same time, researchers and regulators continue to identify gaps and needed improvements in risk assessment approaches for NMs and AdMa.
The OECD’s 2026 Tour de Table demonstrates maturing safety and regulatory approaches for NMs and AdMa, as well as the ongoing work to support their use in practice.