1. The OECD in 30 seconds

2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence

The institutions that appear in nanotechnology coverage do not make nanomaterials themselves, unlike companies. They can be grouped into four types by the route through which they influence the field.

3. What it does for nanotechnology

The OECD's nanomaterials work sits within its chemical safety and biosafety programme and is centred on the Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN). An OECD report says the WPMN has worked since 2006 to ensure that existing risk assessment approaches are suitable and reliable for nanomaterials Sourced. The 2013 Recommendation states that several subsidiary bodies of the Chemicals and Biotechnology Committee (CBC, formerly the Chemicals Committee), including the WPMN, have been working to align the safety testing and assessment of nanomaterials with the methods used for traditional chemicals Sourced.

* Dates and page counts are as shown on the OECD's NANOMET page and the TG 127 and TG 322 publication pages. The dates for TG 127 and TG 322 are those shown on the publication pages and are not necessarily adoption dates.

4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)

5. How mutual acceptance of data works, and Decision versus Recommendation

The centre of the OECD's influence is Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD). The Council Decision adopted on 12 May 1981 (OECD/LEGAL/0194, amended 6 September 2019) provides that data from chemical tests generated in accordance with the OECD Test Guidelines and the Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) are accepted by other adherents for assessment. Part one of the Decision is legally binding; part two is not, and recommends that adherents apply the Test Guidelines and GLP in their testing Sourced.

According to the OECD, data from another country are accepted under MAD only when all of the following hold Sourced.

• The study was conducted according to the OECD Test Guidelines and the OECD Principles of GLP.
• The test facility has been inspected by a national GLP compliance monitoring programme.
• That national programme has been successfully evaluated by the OECD.

The OECD explains that the receiving country must accept the study but keeps the prerogative of interpreting the results. Acceptance is also required only where the product falls within the scope of the national GLP monitoring programme Sourced.

Organisations around it

The relationships that can be confirmed from OECD publications are these Sourced.

6. Outlook

7. Glossary

8. References

1. OECD About (founded 1961; overview of the organisation). https://www.oecd.org/en/about.html
2. OECD Organisational structure (the Council, more than 300 committees and bodies, more than 3,500 Secretariat staff). https://www.oecd.org/en/about/organisational-structure.html
3. OECD Members and partners (38 member countries; participation of the EU). https://www.oecd.org/en/about/members-partners.html
4. OECD Budget (funded by member contributions and voluntary contributions; the OECD does not dispense grants or loans). https://www.oecd.org/en/about/budget.html
5. OECD OECD Legal Instruments: About (Decisions are legally binding; Recommendations are not). https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/about
6. OECD Decision of the Council concerning the Mutual Acceptance of Data in the Assessment of Chemicals (OECD/LEGAL/0194; adopted 12 May 1981, amended 6 September 2019; part one binding, part two not binding). https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/OECD-LEGAL-0194
7. OECD Recommendation of the Council on the Safety Testing and Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials (OECD/LEGAL/0400; adopted 19 September 2013; background information, paragraphs I to IX and Annex). https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/public/doc/298/298.en.pdf
8. OECD Nanomaterials and advanced materials (topic page; the need for standardised test methods). https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/nanomaterials-and-advanced-materials.html
9. OECD NANOMET: Towards tailored safety testing methods for nanomaterials (dates and page counts of TG 318, 124, 125 and 126; guidance documents; EU funding). https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/testing-of-chemicals/nanomet.html
10. OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals (Test Guidelines are an integral part of the MAD Decision; TG 127 and TG 322 published in 2026). https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/testing-of-chemicals/test-guidelines.html
11. OECD The Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) System (participants, MAD criteria, scope of acceptance). https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/testing-of-chemicals/mutual-acceptance-of-data-system.html
12. OECD Testing of chemicals (MAD participants: 38 members and seven non-member countries). https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/testing-of-chemicals.html
13. OECD Test No. 127: Dustiness determination of materials containing nano-objects and their aggregates and agglomerates (115 pages; date shown on the page 2 July 2026). https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/test-no-127-dustiness-determination-of-materials-containing-nano-objects-and-their-aggregates-and-agglomerates_d862c720-en.html
14. OECD Test No. 322: Determination of the Solubility and Dissolution Rate of Nanomaterials for Environmental Fate Assessment (41 pages; date shown on the page 2 July 2026). https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/test-no-322-determination-of-the-solubility-and-dissolution-rate-of-nanomaterials-for-environmental-fate-assessment_693e2680-en.html
15. OECD First commenting round on the determination of concentrations of nanomaterials in biological samples for (eco)toxicity studies (public consultation, 2 October to 13 November 2026). https://www.oecd.org/en/events/public-consultations/2026/10/first-commenting-round-on-the-determination-of-concentrations-of-nanomaterials-in-biological-samples-for-ecotoxicity-studies.html
16. OECD Publications on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials (list of the series; latest is No. 115). https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/nanomaterials-and-advanced-materials/other-reports-on-the-safety-of-manufactured-nanomaterials-and-advanced-materials.html
17. OECD Safe(r) and Sustainable Innovation Approach (SSIA): Nano-Enabled and other Emerging Materials. https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/nanomaterials-and-advanced-materials/safer-and-sustainable-innovation-approach-ssia-nano-enabled-and-other-emerging-materials.html
18. OECD Safe and sustainable by design tools, integrative systems and platforms for nanomaterials and nano-enabled products (December 2025; WPMN active since 2006; co-lead affiliations; reference to the working description of advanced materials). https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2025/12/safe-and-sustainable-by-design-tools-integrative-systems-and-platforms-for-nanomaterials-and-nano-enabled-products_6285c02d/e411a4b7-en.pdf
19. ISO ISO/TC 229 Nanotechnologies (the OECD and the European Commission are listed among the liaison organisations). https://www.iso.org/committee/381983.html

9. Claim-to-source audit

Last updated 9 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures and document status come from the OECD's website and the OECD Legal Instruments compendium as shown on 9 October 2026. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary sources.