Nanotechnology, Upstream Visions and Sustainability Promises

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Nanotechnology, Upstream Visions and
Sustainability Promises

• Phil Macnaghten
• Durham University

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The paper

1. Upstream move in STS
2. Upstream visions of nanotechnology in a corporate
   setting
3. Public engagement research
4. Implications for sustainable global food markets
   (if any)

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The future in science and technology studies

• Growing STS literature
• Expectations (Nik Brown, Mike Michael, Mads
  Borup, Cynthia Selin)
• Visions (Armin Grunwald, Andreas Lösch)
• Imaginaries (Brian Wynne, Joan Fujimura)
• Emerging irreversibilities (Arie Rip, Harro van
  Lente)
• Scenarios
• Master narratives (Ulrika Felt, Brian Wynne)
• Innovation science is shaped by (largely
  unacknowledged) social values and master
  narratives that are both normative and
  performative
• Little research on corporate visions

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Innovation is understood as a vector (Andy
Stirling)
space of technologicalpossibilities
time
Economics, history, philosophy, social studies
of technology all agree
technology is not homogeneous innovation
can follow many different directions there
is no single inevitable or uniquely right
technological pathway
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Upstream public engagement

• We have learnt that it is necessary with major
  technologies to ensure that the debate takes
  place upstream, as new areas emerge in the
  scientific and technological development
  process.
• Lord Sainsbury, Science Minister

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Project with Unilever

• To understand the upstream visions held by RD
  staff, with a view to informing scenarios for
  public engagement.
• To provide upstream social intelligence on likely
  public responses to the development of techniques
  and products using nanotechnologies.
• To develop thinking about the practice of public
  engagement in a corporate RD context.
• To inform corporate strategy on nanotechnology
  issues.

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Novel for Unilever

• The idea that science and technology does more
  than enable the company to meet needs and
  deliver benefits
• The idea that scientists have visions (or values)
• The idea that socials scientists should study
  their internal ST (as culture)
• The idea that innovation pathways fits underlying
  social trajectories
• The idea that public unease might transcend
  concerns over safety and harm

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Nanotechnology and the landscape of promises

1. Nanotechnology is largely about promise and the
   future

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Nanotechnology Another Industrial Revolution
The world market for nanotechnology will exceed
US1 trillion by 2012 US National Science
Foundation ...(when) such (nano)technologies
arrive, the results will be awesome they will be
equivalent to James Watts invention of the
condenser, a development that kick-started the
industrial revolution Sir Harry Kroto, Nobel
Laureate Transnational companies often carry
out their own nanotech-related RD. This is
because they understand that nanotech is likely
to disrupt their current products and
processes UK Department of Trade and
Industry Nanotechnology has become a big
buzzword so much so that the stockbrokers
Merrill Lynch has created an index to track
investment in the newly burgeoning industry BBC
News
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Nanotechnology The Next Big Thing
By anyone's measure, nanotechnology is the next
big thing. In fact, according to government RD
planners, nanotechnology is nothing short of the
next Industrial Revolution. Chemical
Engineering News, 2002
This image of 112 carbon monoxide molecules on a
copper surface was made at an IBM Research Center
using a scanning tunneling microscope. Each
letter is 4 nm high by 3 nm wide. About 250
million nanoletters of this size could be written
on a cross section of a human hair this
corresponds to 300 300-page books. President
Clinton used the image to unveil the US National
Nanotechnology Initiative.
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Nanotechnology Some Opportunities for one
multinational

• Looking Great
• Enjoying a Long Life
• Defying Age
• Vibrant Colour
• Improving Health
• Adding Style
• Providing Cleanliness and Hygiene
• Delivering Essential Nutrition
• Fighting Infection
• Getting the Most Out of Stuff
• Heightening Pleasure
• Communicating with Consumers

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Looking Great
Nano-engineering of oil droplet surfaces with
smart polymers
allows enhanced delivery of material
that make dry-damaged-coloured hair look great
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Enjoying a Long Life
The large surface area of nanoparticles made of
good fats from plants (sterols/stanols)
lowering cholesterol levels and helping
consumers to live longer by eating our foods
results in improved transfer of the fats in the
stomach into living cells
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Defying Age
Simple biomolecules and nanocrystals
form self-assembled structures
that resemble complex biological materials and
allow repair of teeth, skin, hair and fabrics
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Improving Health
Creating nanoparticles of anti-oxidant actives
isolated from green tea
allowing delivery of health and hygiene from our
brands
protects and stabilises the material in products
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Adding Style
Decorating oil droplets with silica nanoparticles
modifying feel and inter-fibre adhesion
allows delivery of ordered structures
for volumised, easy to style hair
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Providing Cleanliness Hygiene
Mimicking the Sacred Lotus Plant (Nelumbo
Nucifera) or Stenocara beetle
through nano-scale patterning on large wax
particles
produces self-cleaning and water repellent
surfaces
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Delivering Essential Nutrition
Invisible nanoparticles (with no taste) made out
of vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements
can be incorporated into clear and translucent
drinks
which look fantastic, taste great and provide
essential nutrients to consumers
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Fighting Infection
Single molecules of product-insoluble
antimicrobial actives
silver
triclosan
climbazole
incorporated into dispersible nanoparticles
yield enhanced activity from products to treat
tooth decay, scalp itch or foot odour
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Getting the Most Out of Stuff
Our detailed understanding of substrates
informs development of materials that bind
chemically or biologically
to deliver benefits only where they are needed
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Heightening Pleasure
Fragile fragrance, flavours, vitamins, enzymes
put in a bag
that isolates them from their environment and
exhibits affinity for the substrate...
allows controlled release to meet consumer
demands for long-lasting perfume, great tasting
food...
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The public groups

• Four focus groups, each 3 hours
• Group 1- Involved Mothers  30-40 yrs, BC1,
  Mothers of at 1 pre teen child, Working
• Group 2 Metrosexuals, Male/Female, 25-30 yrs,
  C1
• Group 3 Aspirational Women  40-55 yrs, C1/2,
  Mothers of teenage/post teenage children
• Group 4 Organic Men 45-60 yrs, BC1, Empty
  nesters, Working full time

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Scepticism about safety

• I would assume that before it came to market,
  whatever product, it would have been properly
  tested.
• Surely something like thalidomide was thoroughly
  tested and look what it did. You know, it was
  going to be revolutionary safe on everything and
  look what it did. It was claimed to be
  revolutionary, safe and everything, and look what
  it did.
• Valid point
• It has to be tested for a few generations just to
  see the impact, thirty years or so.
• So can we trust them? Obviously not.
• (Group 4)
• How can something like that slip onto the market
  without anyone knowing about it? (Group 1)
• Int What do they think the role is of corporate
  science?
• Its marketing science 99 of it is rubbish
• (Group 4)

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Beyond benefit to questions of broader
motivation

• Well, the only people who will benefit, will be
  people like LOreal and Dove and all that because
  they are the ones who are going to take the
  money... (Group 3)
• I think what concerns me is the drive of all of
  this. Youre going to create better tasting
  dessert. Theres nothing better than apples,
  right? Apples are great. They grow. Theyre
  natural. I mean, all the stuff that we need is
  already here. What is the point of this? Why are
  we being driven always away from just the natural
  free things that grow, you breathe, to things
  that you have to pay for?... Its all about just
  markets. (Group 4)
• People are stuck in a certain consumer hamster
  wheel where we always have to buy the latest, the
  latest, the latest and I dont think that is a
  positive thing because 99 of the things we use
  we dont needSo this is vested interest that
  keeps the people on the hamster wheel of
  innovation. So you always have got the next, the
  next, the next. I dont know if thats a good
  thing or bad either. (Group 4)

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What do we need?

• But you dont need to do that. You can feed the
  world as it is. Its not about that theres not
  enough food, its about the politics of food. And
  its about economies of scale. Its about how
  markets operate. I mean, we can have enough food
  for everyone if you dont have America polluting
  the world like it is and using up all the worlds
  resources and they share them out, theres enough
  for everyone. (Group 4)
• Why does food need engineering.
• Yeah. What is the benefit of that. (Group 3)
• We can live without any of that (Group 1)
• ( metaphorically and literally cf. Medical
  applications)

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Messing with nature

• You know that it is messing with nature
  really. (Group 1)
• Because you know if by enhancing the taste and
  what have you, its like you dont know whats
  going to be real and whats not going to be real.
  Youre kind of kidding yourself because your
  taste buds are there or however they taste is
  natural and then you kind of give them something
  thats just not really
• I think thats when you come into ethics though
  in a way because you know everything in the
  planet is growing for a reason and for us to
  sort of- and its like do we take all that away
  and who gives anyone the right to completely you
  know do that. (Group 2)
• OK, but whats the long-term consequence of
  this. Nobody will know what the long-term
  consequence is
• I mean thats all messing around with
• Theyre messing around with the building blocks
  of matter. (Group 3)

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How does this make you feel?

• Int Right this makes you feel what?
• Very uncomfortable.
• Int This makes you feel what?
• Combative.
• Skeptical.
• Im not sure of what I feel.
• Im not sure what Nano Technology is.
• Int Sure.
• Is it making things better or is it gonna make
  things worse?
• Im very confused. The rules are very
  suspicious about anything
• I think that is quite scary, myself. (Group 3)

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Nanotechnology as double-sided

• Nanotechnology is presented as if there isnt
  a down side (Group 1)
• Theres got to be some downside to it
  somewhere (Group 1)
• There are always benefits, theres always
  downsides (Group 4)
• IntYoure not saying its good or bad. Youre
  saying you know that it could possibly be this
• Like a balance because everything so far has
  been about like a balance. You mean will we look
  for the nano for more.
• Until we see an option that you cant really
  give a correct opinion on it because you dont
  know how effective it is.
• Because the nano world might not bring
  perfection to certain people as well. So they
  might always keep looking for more. (Group 2)

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Visioning the nano-world

• Its in the place of being, creating and being
  God. Thats what the attraction is. You can get
  close. You get that to the molecular level. You
  can take it and put it back together again, in
  the way you want it to be. Take the thing thats
  going to become a boy out and put it back
  together again, youll going to have a little
  girl instead. Thats the attraction. Thats
  certainly playing God. (Group 4)
• You know, nano is invisible. You can use it like
  a virus. So theres that aspect. (Group 3)
• I think its like a huge leap that hasnt- you
  know what I mean? You know theyre chasing
  things, its frightening. And I think thats
  quite frightening about it. All of a sudden and
  its like how much research is going to go in or
  is it going to go on the market too quick and
  then therell be because I think personally we
  always seem to be trying to correct technology
  like GM foods, what have you. That was technology
  but now were trying to stop and it always seems
  like we seem to be backtracking on things.
  (Group 2)
• Where do you get your pleasure from if
  everything is so wonderful (Group 1)
• I think people think everybody will end up
  looking the same. All the blond hair and blue
  eyes and stuff like that. (Group 2)

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The metaphysics of the nanoworld

• For the nanoscientist
• Nanotechnology as the enabler of human
  capacities, needs, desires and potentialities
• Through nanotechnology people will be able to
  transcend their material and natural
  constraints and thus realise full liberation and
  emancipation
• Based on a style of thought that conceives of
  nature and humans as infinitely malleable
• The world is in principle re-constructable and
  thus available for redesign and improvement

• For the public
• Seductive appeal be careful what you wish for
• Denial of finitude
• Unravelling of moral boundaries
• Part of a wider narrative of instrumentalisation
  of life and control over nature
• Antithesis to values of sustainability (e.g.
  restraint, humility, care, becoming)
• Requires a language beyond benefits

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Implications for sustainable global food markets
(if any)
Our commitment is to manage our social and
environmental impacts responsibly, to work in
partnership with our stakeholders and to
contribute to sustainable development. In this we
are guided by a clear set of values and standards
that govern the way we do business. the social
impact of our products, principally on peoples
health through nutrition and hygiene the steps
we are taking to minimise our environmental
footprint and secure sustainable supplies of key
raw materials how our operations create wealth
and how this benefits stakeholders and local
communities. (Unilever Environment and Social
Report)
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Implications for sustainable global food markets
(if any)
Our commitment is to manage our social and
environmental impacts responsibly, to work in
partnership with our stakeholders and to
contribute to sustainable development. In this we
are guided by a clear set of values and standards
that govern the way we do business. the social
impact of our products, principally on peoples
health through nutrition and hygiene the steps
we are taking to minimise our environmental
footprint and secure sustainable supplies of key
raw materials how our operations create wealth
and how this benefits stakeholders and local
communities. (Unilever Environment and Social
Report)

• Sustainability presented as downstream
  activity for major corporations
• Corporate social responsibility, Lifecycle
  analysis etc.
• Independent from visions (and associated values)
  driving innovation