Detection of manufactured nanomaterials (NM) still features enormous challenges for environmental exposure assessment and management of NM. The expert opinion presents a comprehensive survey on existing experimental approaches to detect NM in the environment and analyses to what extent these approaches could be utilized and advanced to be used routinely for data collection to assess and manage environmental exposure. Recommendations for actions on a short and long term basis are deduced for the establishment of standardized protocols for sampling, sample preparation and analysis which can now be used to prioritize further action in improving measurement techniques of NM in the environment.