Nanotechnology, Upstream Visions and Sustainability Promises

1. Nanotechnology, Upstream Visions and Sustainability Promises Phil Macnaghten Durham University

2. The paper • ‘Upstream’ move in STS • Upstream visions of nanotechnology in a corporate setting • Public engagement research • Implications for sustainable global food markets (if any)

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Project with Unilever • To understand the upstream visions held by R&D 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 R&D context. • To inform corporate strategy on nanotechnology issues.

7. 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 S&T (as culture) • The idea that innovation pathways fits underlying social trajectories • The idea that public unease might transcend concerns over safety and harm

8. Nanotechnology and the landscape of promises • Nanotechnology is largely about ‘promise’ and the future

9. Nanotechnology: Another Industrial Revolution “The world market for nanotechnology will exceed US$1 trillion by 2012” US National Science Foundation “...(when) such (nano)technologies arrive, the results will be awesome: they will be equivalent to James Watt’s 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 R&D. 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

10. Nanotechnology: The Next Big Thing “By anyone's measure, nanotechnology is the next big thing. In fact, according to government R&D 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.

11. 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

12. ABA Oil Rake Oil Branched Oil Looking Great Nano-engineering of oil droplet surfaces with smart polymers… …allows enhanced delivery of material… …that make dry-damaged-coloured hair look great

13. Enjoying a Long Life The large surface area of nanoparticles made of good fats from plants (sterols/stanols)… …loweringcholesterol levels and helping consumers to live longer by eating our foods …results in improved transfer of the fats in the stomach into living cells …

14. Defying Age Simple biomolecules and nanocrystals… …form self-assembled structures… …that resemble complex biological materials and allow repair of teeth, skin, hair and fabrics

15. 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…

16. Oil 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. Getting the Most Out of Stuff Our detailed understanding of substrates… …informs development of materials that bind chemically or biologically… … to deliverbenefits only where they are needed

21. Heightening Pleasure Fragile fragrance, flavours, vitamins, enzymes put in a ‘bag’… … that isolates them from their environment and exhibits affinity for the substrate... …allows controlledrelease to meet consumer demands for long-lasting perfume, great tasting food...

25. 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

26. 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? “It’s marketing science… 99% of it is rubbish” (Group 4)

27. Beyond ‘benefit’ to questions of broader motivation “Well, the only people who will benefit, will be people like L’Oreal 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. You’re going to create better tasting dessert. There’s nothing better than apples, right? Apples are great. They grow. They’re 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?... It’s 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 don’t think that is a positive thing because 99% of the things we use we don’t need…So 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 don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad either.” (Group 4)

28. What do we “need”? “But you don’t need to do that. You can feed the world as it is. It’s not about that there’s not enough food, it’s about the politics of food. And it’s about economies of scale. It’s about how markets operate. I mean, we can have enough food for everyone if you don’t have America polluting the world like it is and using up all the world’s resources and they share them out, there’s 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)

29. 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, it’s like you don’t know what’s going to be real and what’s not going to be real. You’re kind of kidding yourself because your taste buds are there or however they taste is natural and then you kind of give them something that’s just not really… I think that’s 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 it’s like do we take all that away and who gives anyone the right to completely you know do that.” (Group 2) “OK, but what’s the long-term consequence of this. Nobody will know what the long-term consequence is… I mean that’s all messing around with… They’re messing around with the building blocks of matter.” (Group 3)

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

31. Nanotechnology as double-sided “Nanotechnology is “presented as if there isn’t a down side” (Group 1) “There’s got to be some downside to it somewhere” (Group 1) “There are always benefits, there’s always downsides” (Group 4) Int:“You’re not saying it’s good or bad. You’re 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 can’t really give a correct opinion on it because you don’t 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)

32. Visioning the nano-world “It’s in the place of being, creating and being God. That’s 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 that’s going to become a boy out and put it back together again, you’ll going to have a little girl instead. That’s the attraction. That’s certainly playing God.” (Group 4) “You know, nano is invisible. You can use it like a virus. So there’s that aspect.” (Group 3) “I think it’s like a huge leap that hasn’t- you know what I mean? You know they’re chasing things, it’s frightening. And I think that’s quite frightening about it. All of a sudden and it’s like how much research is going to go in or is it going to go on the market too quick and then there’ll 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 we’re 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)

35. 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’

36. 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 people’s 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)

37. 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 people’s 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