Advanced materials case study on graphene related materials (GRM): Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials and other Advanced Materials, No. 112

To ensure safety and sustainable advanced materials and to enable that legislation keep path with
innovation, it is of paramount importance to identify and address any emerging issue at the earliest possible
stage.
Although there are various terms and definitions in the literature or used by different communities to
describe these materials (e.g. graphene-based, graphene related 2D materials, or graphene-family
materials), reaching consensus on terminology or the development of definitions was not within the scope
of the workshop. In the following we will use graphene-related materials (GRM) to refer to materials that
are composed of, derived from, or structurally related to graphene.
Within the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN), the Steering Group on
Advanced Materials held an expert workshop on GRM that took place 26-27 November 2024 at the OECD
Conference Centre.
GRM are highly promising due to their extraordinary properties, enabling a wide range of functions across
numerous applications. The expert workshop aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of these
materials, including their general characteristics, as well as provide insights into specific types and
application areas. Discussions centred on recent research findings, focusing on aspects such as safety,
sustainability, and regulatory considerations, guided by the OECD’s Early Awareness and Action System
for Advanced Materials (Early4AdMa), which offers a pre-regulatory and anticipatory risk governance tool
to advanced materials. Early4AdMa aims to enhance regulatory preparedness for advanced materials but
also foster safe(r) and sustainable by design.
The report consolidates expert contributions and discussions from the OECD WPMN’s GRM Workshop,
focusing on advancing governance and best practices on robust risk assessment methodologies to
address emerging challenges. Participants contributed insights on scientific advancements, data gaps,
and the importance of developing reliable safety assessment tools, along with considering sustainability
(OECD, 2022) related issues associated with the development of these materials. The workshop outlines
considerable knowledge gaps on human health and environmental safety for GRM, along with suggested
follow-up actions, including closing knowledge gaps, promoting standardized testing protocols, and
fostering innovation while safeguarding health and the environment. The findings serve as an initial
foundation for further exploration and dialogue, particularly within the OECD WPMN. Although there is no
intention to assign responsibility for implementing specific actions, as that falls beyond the scope of this
work, it does provide insights to inform the decision-making processes, which should encourage
stakeholders such as industry, academia, and regulators to leverage the insights provided.