Nanomaterials can improve the properties of food contact materials. Innovations of this kind are of particular interest for food packaging made out of plastic materials. The purpose of their use is to improve food storage and so to guarantee both freshness and quality. A further goal is to improve the technical properties of materials in order to make them sturdier more resistant to abrasion, and easier to process. Food contact materials are subject to a number of EU consumer protection regulations. Nanomaterials require authorisation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), being responsible for assessing their safety. For nanomaterials authorised for use in the EU, specifications and restrictions are laid down in order to prevent consumers being exposed to them or to keep exposure as low as possible, and so to rule out any danger to health. At the end of the product lifetime, workers of recycling and waste treatment facilities may be exposed to higher levels of ultra ne particles or particulate matter may also be released unintentionally. To date, however, it has not been demonstrated that recycling polymers containing nanomaterials leads to any increased exposure of employees. With regard to environmental protection, little is known at present about the specific behaviour of nanomaterials and composites during waste treatment processes. There is also a need for comprehensive research on how far nanomaterials can be recycled, in order to develop sustainable nanotechnology.