Sara Goodman’s article "Researchers Look to Make ‘Messy’ Nanotech Production ‘Clean and Green’" takes a look at the work of Dr. James Hutchison of the University of Oregon and others at the Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative to find "greener methods and techniques to manufacture nanomaterials and reduce or eliminate the waste streams that are the result of what David Rejeski of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies refers to as "the brown production infrastructure".
Along with that goal is hope of making nanoproduction methods more efficent and economical, thus saving manufacturers a different form of green or whatever colours the pound, ruble, franc, etc happen to be.
As the article points out, no one is sure how nanomaterials will interact with the larger environment outside the manufacturing facility, whether they will break down with no harm or act like a version of plastics and similar materials that last for long periods of time and leave lasting damage in their wake.
Nanomanufacturing is still very much in its infancy at this time and is still flexible enough that it can look at adopting greener methods, particularly if those methods can reduce expenses. One can only hope that the industry seizes what may be a fleeting opportunity to make changes that will benefit everyone.