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Document# June 2011/9
Preliminary Global Outlook for Chemicals:
Topic III -- Instruments and Approaches for the Sound Management of Chemicals
Task Force Leader:
Ken Geiser, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production
Task Force Members & Contributors1:
Ingela Andersson, Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate
Arthur Fong, IBM
Monika Luxem-Fritsch, German Environment Ministry
Abiola Olanipekun, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria
Lena Perenius, ICCA
September, 2009
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introduction
Instruments for the Sound Management of Chemicals
Tailoring Chemical Policies to Enhance Economic Development
Comprehensive Chemicals Policies
Capacity Building to Achieve the Sound Management of Chemicals
Recommendations for the Way Forward
APPENDIX
Existing Governance Structures for the Sound Management of Chemicals
1
Note: Not all task force members have had the opportunity to review the present draft. Thus, inclusion on this list
does not imply approval of this text.
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1. Introduction
The global capacity for the sound management of chemicals exists today.
Many nations throughout the world have created competent authorities for addressing chemicals
in their different forms as commodities, constituents of products, environmental pollutants,
occupational and public health hazards and wastes. Many businesses today have established
effective processes and practices for using chemicals appropriately and effectively managing
them as emissions and wastes. There is also a growing body of international agreements, treaties
and conventions that seek to address chemicals globally.
However, there remain many and varied gaps, lapses and inconsistencies that feed a growing
international concern that we are jeopardizing the health of our communities and eco-systems in
ways that are serious and irreversible. While in the years ahead, we must strengthen and develop
our national and international institutions and practices. We must also work to create broad,
comprehensive and integrated approaches that link our many capacities into a global system for
the sound management of chemicals.
In this paper we lay out a framework for the United Nations Environment Programme’s
(UNEP’s) Global Chemicals Outlook by reviewing many of the existing government instruments
and approaches that are in place in one or several counties for promoting the sound management
of chemicals. We then go on to consider opportunities for better integrating these elements into
coordinated and comprehensive approaches to chemicals policy and importance of building
capacity for appropriate chemicals policies in developing countries and countries in transition.
There are several immediate challenges in addressing chemicals at the national and regional
levels. New national laws are needed, as well as new and different government and business
programs. Much of this work requires site specific, industry-tailored, and respectfully
administered changes in conventional practices. However, if these developments are to be
effective:




the currently diffuse array of government legal, economic and technical instruments and
approaches needs to be coordinated, harmonized and integrated globally;
instruments need to be implemented at the national and regional levels that are
appropriate for each type of economic development;
new and more comprehensive chemicals policies need to be developed that link chemical
safety, environmental protection and sustainable development; and
government and business capacity needs to be strengthened in developing countries and
countries in transition.
Chemicals make up our physical world. They form the substance of life and they are the
building blocks from which we make our products, our communities and our economies. Here
we focus on chemicals as those substances that we consciously manufacture, refine, process and
employ to make products. They include chemical feedstocks, process intermediaries, and
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product constituents and range from the most benign face creams to the most hazardous
pesticides.
While many government laws and business practices address chemicals at a single point in time,
we here take a more “life cycle” view recognizing that all chemicals begin from natural
feedstocks and are manufactured and processed, distributed in commerce, and released to the
environment as wastes and emissions. Our commitment to a comprehensive approach to
chemicals mandates that we consistently seek policies for managing chemicals over their entire
lifecycles and are respectful of the anticipated and, occasionally, unpredictable consequences of
market and behavioral responses.
A broad and comprehensive approach to the sound management of chemicals requires that we
respect the significant differences in capacities, authorities and commitments of the diversity of
governments, institutions and industries that today manage chemicals. Therefore, as we seek
common goals for the global management of chemicals, we need differentiated approaches that
capture all countries regions and industries with a manyfold basket of potential policy and
economic instruments and programs ranging from the voluntary to the regulatory and from the
local to the global.
2. Instruments for the Sound Management of Chemicals
The sound management of chemicals, first articulated in 1992 in Agenda 211 of the UN
Conference on Environment and Development, places significant responsibilities on
governments and industries. Over the past two decades the United Nations treaties and
conventions addressing the transboundary movement of chemical emissions and wastes, have
been expanded by the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions directly addressing the regulation
of chemicals as commodities and regional efforts, particularly within the European Union that
have substantially reshaped the global chemicals market and the chemical industry that supplies
it.
In 2006 the international government institutions and the non-governmental organizations came
together to create the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) as a
global policy framework to support efforts to achieve the goal that, by 2020, chemicals should be
produced and used in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human
health and the environment. 2 Instead of replacing existing institutions and mechanisms, SAICM
is intended to coordinate, facilitate and catalyze them.
Its scope includes environmental, economic, social, health and labor aspects of chemical safety;
agricultural and industrial chemicals; and chemicals at all stages of their life-cycle, including in
products. Processes under SAICM are intended to take due account of instruments and processes
that have been developed to date, and be flexible enough to deal with new ones without
duplicating efforts. Included in its objectives are risk reduction, knowledge and information
dissemination, effective governance, capacity-building and technical cooperation, and
elimination of illegal international traffic in chemicals.
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Complementing these multi-lateral environmental agreements are a wide array of legal,
professional and program instruments and approaches carried out by national and regional
governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations. These instruments may be
regulatory, economic, technical, cooperative or voluntary, and can be categorized by goal (Table
1).
The earliest instruments concentrated on remediating past pollution and controlling the emission
of pollutants at “the end of the pipe.” By the 1990s, these efforts had expanded to preventing
pollution, managing chemical information and managing chemicals in products. More recently,
efforts have been made to promote safer alternatives and to find ways to generate safer
chemicals.
Table 1: Instruments for Sound Management of Chemicals
Goal of instrument
Timeframe
Controlling Chemical Pollution
1970+
Remediating Contaminated Sites and Managing Waste Chemicals
1970+
Preventing Chemical Pollution
1990+
Managing Chemical Information
1990+
Managing Chemicals in Products
1990+
Promoting Safer Alternatives
2000+
Generating Safer Chemicals
2000+
In the sections that follow we describe in more detail each of these broad areas of instruments
and approaches.
Controlling Chemical Pollution
Instruments for controlling chemical pollution (Table 2) typically are regulatory or economic in
nature, and most often take a chemical-by-chemical or single environmental media approach. For
example, the Clean Water Act 3 in the United States specifies discharge limits to water bodies for
specific contaminants.
In Europe, several approaches to controlling chemical pollution have been employed by different
countries. For example, the use of trichloroethylene in Sweden has been banned. In Germany,
strict technical controls are mandated. And, in Norway, high taxes are imposed on
trichloroethylene purchases.4 Each approach offers certain advantages.
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Table 2: Instruments for Controlling Chemical Pollution
Instrument
Examples
Type
Chemical Use and Import
Regulations
Chemical Control and Occupational Exposure Laws, ILO
Conventions
Regulatory
Chemical Release Restrictions
Environmental Media Protection Laws
Regulatory
Chemical Bans and Phase Outs
National Chemical Bans, Montreal Protocol
Regulatory
Chemical Waste Fees
European Waste Management Fees
Economic
Environmental Liability
Requirements
EU Environmental Liability Directive
Economic
Remediating Contaminated Sites and Managing Waste Chemicals
Instruments for the control of pollutants often are accompanied by technical and economic
approaches for cleaning up contamination (see Table 3). For example, the US “Superfund”
program – the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of
1980 – addresses the remediation of abandoned hazardous waste disposal sites. It authorizes the
US environmental Protection Agency to clean up such sites and to require “responsible parties”
to either perform remediation activities or reimburse the government for cleanups.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) first published its
Guiding Principles for Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response in 1992; it
was updated and revised in 2003. 5 The Guiding Principles are intended to assist in the safe
design and operation of chemical plants and to plan for response action in the event of
accidents. They include guidance on:




Preventing chemical accidents resulting from technological and natural causes, as well as
possible terrorist acts;
Planning for emergencies and communicate effectively if they occur;
Responding to accidents and minimize their adverse effects; and
Following up, including clean-up action and accident reporting.
An example of an instrument that deals with legacy chemical storage management is the Africa
Stockpiles Programme (ASP). Stockpiles of obsolete pesticides in Africa threaten human health
and the environment, with a disproportionate burden on those living in poverty. ASP is a multistakeholder initiative whose participants include NGOs, government, United Nations agencies,
and the private sector. It works within selected countries (seven in the first project) to provide
training and capacity building as well as cleanup and prevention activities, and is financed
through a multi-donor trust fund. 6
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Table 3: Instruments for Remediating Contaminated Sites and Managing Waste Chemicals
Instrument
Examples
Type
Emergency Response and Spill
Management Programs
OECD Guiding Principles, National Programs
Technical
Site Clean Up Programs
US “Superfund”
Technical,
Economic
Post Clean up Management
US “Brownfields” Program
Technical
Legacy Chemical Storage
Management
SAICM National Implementation Plans; Africa
Stockpiles Programme
Technical
Preventing Chemical Pollution
After many years of efforts to control and remediate chemical pollution, on an individual
chemical, environmental media, or site level, it became apparent that a broader approach would
be more effective in meeting environmental quality goals. In the 1990s instruments were
developed that looked farther “upstream,” to preventing pollution and reducing the use of toxics,
rather than controlling emissions or remediating contamination (Table 4.)
The Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) is an example of a law that puts forward
a cooperative model, with government providing technical assistance and education to
businesses, to help them plan ways to reduce their reliance on toxic chemicals. By 2005,
companies that had been in the program since 1990 had reduced their toxic chemical use by 40
percent; toxic byproducts by 71 percent; toxics shipped in product by 41 percent; on-site releases
of toxics to the environment by 91 percent; and transfers of toxics off-site for further waste
management by 60 percent. 7
UNEP’s Safer Production activities within the APELL program (Awareness and Preparedness
for Emergencies at Local Level) involve cooperative efforts between communities, industry
associations, and industrial supply chains. As defined by UNEP,
“Safer Production comprises the tools, guidelines, and management principles
implemented at site and local level to ensure both the safety and health of workers in
facilities that manufacture, store, handle or use hazardous substances, as well as the
prevention of releases of these substances into the environment.”
As part of the APELL program, a guidance document for government was completed by UNEP
in 2009: A Flexible Framework for Addressing Chemical Accident Prevention and Preparedness.
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The framework is described as “flexible” because it can be adapted by governments to fit their
specific circumstances. 8
In 1989, UNEP launched its Cleaner Production Program as a initiative for bringing the capacity
and know how of the industrialized countries to the needs of the developing countries and the
countries in transition to implement environmentally sound industrial practices and avoid the
costly and destructive industrial pollution and wastes of the past. In 1994 UNEP began to
sponsor and encourage the development of National Cleaner Production Centers in targeted
countries throughout the world. These centers offer technical assistance and business training on
cleaner technologies and practices to local businesses and governments.
Table 4: Instruments for Preventing Chemical Pollution
Instrument
Examples
Type
Pollution Prevention Planning
Toxics Use Reduction and P2 Facility Planning
Technical
Chemical Accident Prevention
EU “Seveso II Directive”, UN APELL
Technical
Cleaner Production Assessments UN NCPCs
Technical
Chemical Use Fees and Taxes
Norwegian Biocidal Products Directive Registration Fees Economic
Chemical Leasing
Chemical Product Services, Austria’s SAFECHEM
Economic
Managing Chemicals in Products
Increasing attention is being paid to the issue of toxic substances in products or articles. While
many chemicals help in creating highly functional items, and are manufactured, used and
disposed of safely, many other pose threats to human health and the environment at different
stages of the product life cycle.
Efforts to manage chemicals in products or articles began to be developed during the 1990s, in a
variety of countries. These include product design, product declarations, eco-labeling, product
standards and certifications, environmentally preferred product procurement policies and product
stewardship and take-back programs (see Table 5).
Voluntary environmental performance labels – commonly called “eco-labels” – are intended to
provide “…verifiable and accurate information…to encourage the demand for and supply of
those products and services that cause less stress on the environment, thereby stimulating the
potential for market-driven continuous environmental improvement.” 9 Examples of eco-labels
involving third party certification of a product include the German Blue Angel label, and the
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Nordic “Swan.” Another type of label is based on self-certification by manufacturers, for
example, the US Energy Star label.
Another approach to managing chemicals in products is to employ preferred and restricted
substance lists, and environmental product declarations. These systems typically are designed
around a particular sector or by a single company. For example, the Swedish commercial vehicle
manufacturer Scania designates certain chemicals that are not be used, or are to be used only in
particular circumstances. The company provides an Environmental Product Declaration to
customers, and helps suppliers find alternatives to listed substances. 10
Table 5: Instruments for Managing Chemicals in Products
Instrument
Examples
Type
Product Design
Dutch Eco-Design
Voluntary
Product Declarations
Swedish Product Declarations
Cooperative
Eco-Labeling
Blue Angel, Nordic Swan, Canadian Ecologo
Voluntary
Product Standards and Certification
ISO, ANSI
Voluntary
Environmentally Preferred Product
Procurement Policies (EPP)
Product Stewardship and Take Back
/Extended Producer Responsibility
US Executive Order 13423, Swedish
Instrument for Ecologically Sustainable
Procurement
Staples Consumer Electronics Take-back,
Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE); EU
WEEE
Regulatory
Voluntary or
Regulatory
Managing Chemical Information
Individual countries and groups of nations have devised a variety of instruments for managing
chemical information. These include pollutant release and transfer registries, product ingredient
registries, chemical hazard characterization and labeling systems, chemical manufacturing and
use inventories, and systems for disclosing chemicals in the supply chain (see Table 6).
The Emergency Planning and Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) was enacted in the United States in
1986. It requires industry to report the locations and quantities of chemicals stored on-site, and
the USEPA and state governments to collect information on releases and transfers of specified
toxic chemicals from industrial facilities. That data is made available to the public through the
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). Related legislation added the requirement that data on waste
management and source reduction activities be reported under TRI. The goal of TRI is to
“…empower citizens, through information, to hold companies and local governments
accountable in terms of how toxic chemicals are managed.” 11
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More recently, the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of
Chemicals program (REACH), which entered into force in 2007, sets up a system whereby
manufacturers and importers of chemicals must identify and manage risks related to the
substances they manufacture and market. 12 The legislation is complex, as it replaces close to 40
previous chemical safety and reporting laws. As its name suggests, the major provisions involve
1) the registration of safety data on chemical produced in quantities of 1 tonne or more annually,
with additional requirements for quantities of 10 tonnes or more; 2) the evaluation of the data
that is submitted, and in some cases further evaluation of certain substances for potential risks to
human health or the environment; 3) a requirement for authorization before substances of very
high concern are used or imported; and 4) restrictions on chemicals with “unacceptable risks” to
human health or the environment. 13
Another international system for managing chemical information is the Globally Harmonized
System of Classification and Labeling (GHS). Its goal is to ensure that information on physical
hazards and toxicity from chemicals is made available during handling, transport and use. It was
devised – and it continues to be revised and expanded -- by an international Committee of
Experts. Adoption of the GHS was endorsed at the 2002 Johannesburg summit. An aspect of the
GHS that facilitates its global use is the use of pictograms, employing symbols that are easily
understood across cultures and by those with limited literacy. 14
Table 6:Instruments for Managing Chemical Information
Instrument
Examples
Type
Pollutant Release and Transfer
Registries
US TRI, Canadian NPRI, Aarhus “Kiev Protocol”
Regulatory
Product Ingredient Registries
Scandinavian Product Registries
Cooperative?
Chemical Hazard
Characterization and Labeling
GHS (Globally Harmonized System of
Classification and Labeling), EU REACH
Voluntary or
Regulatory
Chemical Manufacturing and
Use Inventories
EU REACH
Regulatory
Chemical Disclosure in the
Supply Chain
CleanGredients, WERCS
Voluntary
Promoting Safer Chemical Alternatives
Instruments for promoting safer chemical alternatives typically are technical in nature, and tend
to require extensive collection and analysis of information of chemical characteristics (see Table
7).
Chemical screening & characterization. Sound management of chemicals requires good decision
making under conditions of uncertainty. Processes are needed to facilitate decision-making on
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chemicals of elevated concern. Assessment, characterization, and prioritization of chemicals
make it possible for governments with limited budgets to target their resources effectively.
Chemicals may be categorized on the basis of inherent hazard or also on their exposure potential,
use, or production volume. Rapid risk assessments can be useful in prioritizing chemical hazards
although effective decision-making cannot be contingent on chemical-by-chemical risk
assessments. (Tickner 2008)
Alternatives assessment. One obstacle to reducing the use of toxic chemicals is the perceived
lack of effective safer alternatives. In assessing alternatives, issues include the functional
requirements for various uses, cost, availability, and environmental, health and safety
considerations. An example of an alternatives assessment process is the 2006 “Five Chemicals”
report done by the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute. The Lowell Center for
Sustainable Production has also developed an Alternatives Assessment Framework.
Table 7: Instruments for Promoting Safer Chemical Alternatives
Instrument
Examples
Type
Chemical Screening
SIDS, OECD HPV
Technical
Chemical Characterization and Priority
Setting
Dutch “Quick Scan”, German “Column Model”,
Green Screen
Technical
Alternatives Assessment
TURI 5 Chemicals, LCSP Framework
Technical
Life Cycle Assessment
ISO 14040, GaBi, SimaPro
Technical
Generating Safer Chemicals
In recent years, a new approach to the manufacture and use of chemicals has emerged – Green
Chemistry. Rather than deal with the potential impacts of chemicals “downstream,” Green
Chemistry looks to reduce risk by generating chemicals that inherently are safer. The guiding
framework for Green Chemistry is set forth in “The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry” (Table 8.)
Table 8: The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry 15
1. Prevent waste: Design chemical syntheses to prevent waste, leaving no waste to
treat or clean up.
2. Design safer chemicals and products: Design chemical products to be fully
effective, yet have little or no toxicity.
3. Design less hazardous chemical syntheses: Design syntheses to use and
generate substances with little or no toxicity to humans and the environment.
4. Use renewable feedstocks: Use raw materials and feedstocks that are renewable
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
rather than depleting. Renewable feedstocks are often made from agricultural
products or are the wastes of other processes; depleting feedstocks are made from
fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, or coal) or are mined.
Use catalysts, not stoichiometric reagents: Minimize waste by using catalytic
reactions. Catalysts are used in small amounts and can carry out a single reaction
many times. They are preferable to stoichiometric reagents, which are used in
excess and work only once.
Avoid chemical derivatives: Avoid using blocking or protecting groups or any
temporary modifications if possible. Derivatives use additional reagents and
generate waste.
Maximize atom economy: Design syntheses so that the final product contains the
maximum proportion of the starting materials. There should be few, if any, wasted
atoms.
Use safer solvents and reaction conditions: Avoid using solvents, separation
agents, or other auxiliary chemicals. If these chemicals are necessary, use
innocuous chemicals.
Increase energy efficiency: Run chemical reactions at ambient temperature and
pressure whenever possible.
Design chemicals and products to degrade after use: Design chemical products
to break down to innocuous substances after use so that they do not accumulate in
the environment.
Analyze in real time to prevent pollution: Include in-process real-time monitoring
and control during syntheses to minimize or eliminate the formation of byproducts.
Minimize the potential for accidents: Design chemicals and their forms (solid,
liquid, or gas) to minimize the potential for chemical accidents including explosions,
fires, and releases to the environment.
While the greatest concentration of green chemistry activities is taking place in the developed
nations, efforts are being made to implement green chemistry in developing countries. For
example, China’s National Natural Science Foundation is funding numerous green chemistry
projects. In addition, some European and North American universities are partnering with their
counterparts on other continents on specific research, development and educational projects, and
the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) helped fund two textbooks –
Green Chemistry in Africa and Green Chemistry in Latin America – to be used at universities in
those areas.
Table 9: Instruments for Generating Safer Chemicals
Instrument
Examples
Type
Green Chemistry
Green Chemical Synthesis and Processing, Twelve Principles of Green
Chemistry,” US Presidential Awards, EU Green Chemistry Awards
Technical
Green
Engineering
“Twelve Principles of Green Engineering”
Technical
Research
Investments
EU SusChem Platform, US Green Chemistry Bill
Economic
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3. Tailoring Chemical Policies to Enhance Economic Development
Chemicals are critical to economic development. The adoption of appropriate government
instruments and approaches has been a hallmark of those nations that have broadly benefited
from the development of a chemical industry and the manufacture of chemical intensive
products. However, many developing countries and countries in transition do not have the full
capacity to effectively use the opportunities that safe and sustainable chemical management
offers. There are many reasons for this, including:

Many countries have yet to adopt full sets of appropriate instruments and approaches;

Capacity to implement instruments and approaches is unevenly developed across
countries;

Instruments and approaches are not internationally coordinated and harmonized; and

Appropriate instruments and approaches are not integrated into national economic
development planning and international development funding.
In contrast, many highly industrialized countries are finding that the chemical policies that once
were appropriate to economies based on manufacturing are increasingly ineffective to economies
now based on services and product consumption. Chemical pollution and waste in such an
economy is less likely to be point specific and more likely to be ubiquitous across markets,
creating constant, low-level chemical exposures.
In considering instruments and tools for advancing the sound management of chemicals that are
differentiated by local need, yet integrated by common goals, situational appropriateness is
important. The instruments and approaches for chemical management selected for each country
should be appropriate to the specifics of a nation’s economic development, because:



chemical uses vary by type of development;
governments vary in terms of chemical management capacity; and
global markets may push polluters to countries with weaker policies.
Table 10 presents a framework for considering chemical management instruments and
approaches and different degrees of economic development. In this framework, economies can
be, roughly, divided into five types: small scale agricultural economies; large scale agricultural
economies; decentralized industrial economies; advanced industrial economies; and
consumer/service economies. In some nations, only one or two of these categories may dominate
its economy; in others, the economy may be characterized by several or all of the types of
development. The full spectrum of development may be present across the different regions of
some large countries.
The principal challenges associated with sound management of chemicals differ by type of
economy, as shown in Table 11. For example, an economy based primarily on small scale
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agriculture may face chemicals management challenges associated primarily with management
of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. Concerns may include lack of data and
information; lack of capacity for safe management of pesticides; and lack of government
capacity for sound chemicals management.
At the other end of the spectrum, the problems facing a consumer/service economy may include
exposure to metals, PBTs, CMRs, and nanomaterials. Much of the exposure may occur through
legacy contamination from past industrial activities, or through exposure to toxic chemicals in
consumer products. A consumer/service economy may also generate large amounts of waste
containing toxic chemicals, which may then be shipped to less economically developed regions.
Table 10: A Framework for Considering Chemicals and Economic Development
Type of Economic
Development
Small Scale Agriculture
Large Scale Agriculture
Decentralized Industrial
Chemicals


Pesticides
Disinfection chemicals




Pesticides
Fertilizers
Fuels
Disinfection chemicals




Metals
Inorganics
Basic bulk chemicals
[textiles, rubber & plastics,
pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals?]





Metals
Bulk chemicals
Specialty chemicals Production
chemicals PBTs
CMRs
Nanochemicals




Metals
PBTs
CMRs
Nanochemicals
Advanced Industrial
Consumer/Service
Concerns
















Lack of data
Weak chemical
training
Little government
capacity
Lack of data
Limited government
capacity
Waste imports
Lack of data
Limited government
capacity
Weak waste
management
Waste imports
Confidential data
Heavy occupational
exposures
Large waste exports
Lack of data
Limited government
authority
Large waste exports
Just as the highest-priority chemicals management challenges vary among economies, there may
also be variation in the instruments and approaches that are most useful. For example, a small
scale agricultural economy may have a particular need to develop the following types of
instruments and approaches for sound management of chemicals: restricting imports;
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development of emergency response infrastructure, site clean-up, and management of legacy
chemicals; cleaning production planning and chemical leasing; product labeling or other
approaches to making sure people understand the hazards of pesticides and other chemicals; and
perhaps most important of all, sustainable agriculture practices.
In either a decentralized or an advanced industrial economy, there is scope for additional
instruments. For example, in addition to regulation of industrial releases, hazardous waste fees
and liability requirements may be important. For products, extended producer responsibility is an
important element, ensuring that product manufacturers have an incentive or a requirement to
create products for which they are responsible throughout the life cycle. Similarly, the creation of
chemical registries can significantly facilitate sound decision making by industry. Additional
instruments of interest for these economies include chemical screening, alternatives assessment,
and life cycle assessment, as well as green chemistry and investments in research on safer
alternatives.
Table 11: Instruments and Approaches Appropriate for Types of Economic Development
Type of Development
Small Scale Agriculture
Large Scale Agriculture
Decentralized Industrial
Advanced Industrial
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Instruments and Approaches






Restrict imports
Emergency Response, site clean-up, legacy chemical management
CP Planning, Chemical Leasing
Product labeling
Sustainable agriculture practices (organic agriculture & IPM)
Hazard communication







Restrict Imports, regulate releases
Emergency response, site clean up
CP Planning, chemical leasing
Product labeling
Chemical registries
Sustainable agriculture practices (organic agriculture & IPM)
Hazard communication





Restrict Imports, regulate releases
Emergency response, site clean up
CP Planning, chemical leasing
Product labeling
Chemical registries
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Regulate releases, waste fees, liability requirements
Emergency response, site clean up
P2 & CP Planning, chemical fees, chemical leasing
Product design & labeling, EPP. EPR
Chemical registries, PRTRs, supply chain communication
Chemical screening, alternatives assessment, LCA
Green chemistry and research investments
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Consumer/Service







Regulate releases, waste fees, liability requirements
P2 & CP Planning, chemical fees, chemical leasing
Product design, labeling & standards, EPP, EPR
Chemical registries, supply chain communication
Chemical screening, alternatives assessment, LCA
Green chemistry and research investments
Hazard communication
4. Comprehensive Chemicals Policies
Selecting policy instruments and approaches appropriate for each country and industry requires
significant thought and attention. However, if these decisions are to be truly effective they must
fit within the common set of goals and commitments laid out in the SAICM strategy. Agenda 21
and SAICM offer a common global goal for all nations and industries. However, these
differentiated site and industry-specific approaches cannot leave large gaps and un-attended
chemicals, chemical uses and potential hazards. We need to develop comprehensive chemicals
policies that systemically integrate the wide array of instruments and approaches into a
comprehensive strategy for chemical safety and sustainable development. Such policies need to:






focus on all chemicals;
promote sufficient chemical characterization;
provide public information;
support safer chemical research and innovation;
encourage the substitution of chemicals of high concern with safer and more sustainable
alternatives; and
promote coordination, cooperation, consistency and cost-effectiveness
A comprehensive approach to chemicals policy needs to be respectful of the systemic nature of
chemical development and use. There is a need to take account of how markets function and
technologies diffuse through these markets.
Chemicals do not stand alone. They are constituents of materials, parts of products and
embedded in systems. We need to understand that chemicals, the chemical industry and the
economy are all intertwined in a complex set of systems and sub systems such that changes—
even quite minor changes, like closing down the manufacture of a chemical—can have broad and
sometimes quite indirect effects throughout the system. We need to develop models for policy
interventions that respect the highly integrated ways in which chemicals function in the
economy.
There is need to move from a focus on single chemicals to a focus on systems of chemical
production, use, and disposal, on families of chemicals, on sets of functions and on collections of
firms. This requires better understanding chemical and material production and use systems in
order to understand critical leverage points that either inhibit or lead to change. It also requires
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understanding chemical markets and the systems that finance these markets. It means working
more broadly through supply chains, organizing and encouraging dialogues along the value
chain. It may also mean expanding the role of government to include, in addition to regulating, a
role as a facilitator, information source, and source of technical assistance.
The market is a dynamic environment built up of complex systems that determine what is
produced, what is sold and what is used. If we want to successfully introduce health and
environmental values into the market, reduce chemical wastes and emissions, and transition
dangerous practices and technologies to safer ones we need to make dangerous chemicals
undesirable and encourage the development of more preferred substances.
Comprehensive chemicals policies share several characteristics 16 that need to be considered in
developing a framework for the sound management of chemicals.
1) They are inclusive, and address all chemicals. Substances that are relatively benign, as well as
toxic and hazardous substances, should be covered by a comprehensive chemicals policy.
2) They categorize chemicals into groupings, or tiers. These tiers range from substances that are
undesirable and should be avoided, to those that are preferred. Categories can be based on degree
of concern. Substances of significant concern can be differentiated from substances of lesser
concern, substances of unknown concern, and substances of little concern.
3) They are hazard-based rather than exposure-based. Considerations of risk are useful to screen
chemicals initially and to set priorities. However, the intrinsic hazards of a chemical, not the
potential for exposure, is the primary consideration in determining how a chemical should be
categorized.
4) They provide open access to information. Information is critical to making informed
judgments. There is a significant need for more research on the environmental and human health
effects of the chemicals commonly manufactured and used, especially, the thousands of
substances used in small quantities. However, the generation of this data has no public value if it
is not made transparent and openly available. The validity of science is only as good as the
openness with which its results can be shared, reviewed and evaluated.
5) They aim to move chemical use from higher hazard to lower hazard substances.
Comprehensive policies are not intended as passive ‘maps” of chemical use; they are created and
used to drive and guide reductions in the generation of chemical wastes and emissions and to
promote chemical substitutions in manufacturing and product design.
6) They promote research and innovation. Comprehensive chemicals initiatives should push the
development of safer and more environmentally-compatible chemicals. As a consequence, such
policies can serve as drivers for better chemical data collection and more science to develop new,
safer, and more effective chemicals—chemicals that need to be developed and synthesized
through green chemistry principles.
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Insights from Germany’s Ecological Industrial Policy
A related model of interest can be found within the German government’s proposed
approach to developing an ecological industrial policy. Ecological industrial policy
has a number of goals: protect natural resources; foster economic growth and create
new jobs; internalize external costs; use resources efficiently; initiate technological
leaps; and assume responsibility for international impacts of domestic activities. The
vision of ecological industrial policy applies to the full range of environmental goals.
However, many of the components can be applied specifically to the task of sound
chemicals management.
Principles of ecological industrial policy include the following.





Do not allow market prices “to obscure the ecological truth.” This includes
admitting that “there are limits to monetarisation of ‘true costs’” due to a variety
of factors; thus, “ a realistic policy has to take these limits into account and must
not rely entirely on price mechanisms.”
Use subsidies wisely. German government studies have found that subsidies with
harmful effects on the environment are many times higher than subsidies that
benefit the environment. Altering subsidies to ensure environmental benefits – or
eliminate support for harm to the environment – is an important tool available to
governments.
Work with both supply and demand mechanisms simultaneously to jumpstart
markets in environmentally friendly goods and services.
Initiate pilot projects to demonstrate and test sustainable solutions.
Mobilize all actors (consumers, producers, industry, society, and state) to solve
environmental problems.
Specific instruments and approaches for achieving environmentally sound outcomes
include the following. Again, the German policy document lists these instruments
and approaches for the full range of environmental goals, but each can be applied
specifically to the task of sound chemicals management. A few of these options are
listed below:


Strengthen economic instruments. These can include market-based
instruments using price mechanisms; removal of counterproductive
subsidies; introduction of new subsidies; and ecological taxes, among other
instruments.2
Encourage investment and simplify finance. The document recommends
creation of a “climate protection innovation fund” to ensure that capital is
available for new projects that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A
similar fund could be proposed for projects with the potential to generate
safer alternatives to specific uses of toxic chemicals. In the financial realm,
2
In the German example, one recommendation is a review of the value-added tax (VAT) system, which currently
provides reduced taxes for some activities that may have a negative ecological impact.
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

one potentially valuable instrument is to develop share indices to measure the
level of investment in environmentally friendly activities.
Make use of regulatory law. “Regulatory law is the classic instrument of
environmental protection policy. It is clearly targeted and applies equally to
all. … More than a quarter of a century ago, Harvard economist Michael
Porter made an empirical investigation of the relationship between
environmental regulation, innovative activity and competitiveness. He
developed the theory that a strict environmental policy prompts companies to
improve quality, increase efficiency and make innovations that can result in
medium- and long-term competitive advantages not only for the regulating
country, but also for the regulated companies themselves.”
Make benchmarks transparent, establish labels and top runners. “Marks
and labels provide important additional information, bring transparency to
the market and help identify the top runners in the relevant product group.
This enables consumers to give important signals. It is only on the basis of
such information that purchase decisions become genuine decisions.”
Additional instruments and approaches are described in detail in the German policy
document.
Source: “Ecological Industrial Policy: Sustainable Policy for Innovation, Growth and
Employment,” BMU Brochure (October 2008) available at
http://www.bmu.de/english/ecological_industrial_policy/downloads/doc/43832.php. Also
see additional, related information in “A Growth Strategy for Germany: New Jobs through
Investments in Energy and Environment,” BMU Brochure (June 2009), available at
http://www.bmu.de/english/ecological_industrial_policy/downloads/doc/44573.php.
5. Capacity-Building to Achieve the Sound Management of Chemicals
Notwithstanding the progress that has been made to improve chemicals management since the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, many
countries lack the capacity to manage chemicals soundly. At the national, sub-regional, regional
and global levels it is a challenge to address chemical safety issues due to inadequate resources.
This is particularly true in many developing countries and countries in transition.
The international community needs to formulate approaches to bridge the widening gap between
developed countries on the one hand and developing countries on the other. Enhanced
cooperation must be a priority, with the aim of strengthening the capacities of developing
countries and countries with economies in transition to manage chemicals and hazardous wastes,
and to promote the transfer of cleaner and safer technology to those countries.
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Capacity-building and technical assistance in relation to all aspects of the sound management of
chemicals are among the essential elements for achieving the 2020 chemicals safety goal. A
focus on capacity building efforts will entail:

Development and implementation of sustainable capacity-building strategies in developing
countries and countries with economies in transition;

Promotion of, coordination of, and access to information on capacity-building for the sound
management of chemicals and enhancing transparency and accountability;

Inclusion of capacity-building for the sound management of chemicals as a priority in social
and economic development strategies -- including national sustainable development
strategies, poverty reduction strategies and country assistance strategies -- and making
chemicals an important part of national and international policy;

Encouraging and facilitating appropriate use by developing countries and countries with
economies in transition of work already done and chemicals management models already
established by other countries and international organizations;

Promoting the awareness of donors, multilateral organizations and other relevant actors of
the relevance of chemical safety for poverty reduction and sustainable development.
The proposed strategy by the IOMC to assist countries in strengthening their national
chemicals management capacities, in order to effectively implement SAICM and achieve the
2020 goal for sound chemicals management, is targeted at benefiting individuals (for example,
resource users, owners, consumers, community and political leaders, private and public-sector
managers and experts), institutions, and national organizations. The strategy also provides the
opportunity to enable the IOMC to further identify the role of the Participating Organisations to
assist with identified capacity-building needs.
The seven- action Strategy entails:
(i) Strengthening capacities for engagement: strengthening capacities to engage
proactively and constructively with one another in sound chemicals management.
(ii) Increasing capacities to generate, access and use information and knowledge:
increasing capacities to research, acquire, communicate, educate and make use of
pertinent information, to be able to diagnose and understand chemicals management
challenges and identify potential solutions.
(iii) Enhancing capacities for policy and legislation development: enhancing capacities to
plan and develop effective policies and legislation, related strategies and plans – based
on informed decision-making processes for sound chemicals management.
(iv) Strengthening capacities for programme development: strengthening capacities to
develop and implement effective programmes for integrated and sound chemicals
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management.
(v) Strengthening capacities for management and implementation: strengthening
capacities to enact chemicals management policies and/or regulation decisions, and to
plan and execute relevant sustainable chemicals management actions/solutions.
(vi) Increasing capacities to monitor and evaluate: increasing capacities to effectively
monitor and evaluate project and/or program achievements against expected results
and to provide feedback for learning, adaptive management and to suggest
adjustments to the course of action if necessary to achieve sound chemicals
management.
(vii) Improving capacities to mobilize resources: improving capacities to effectively
mobilize resources at the national level to support actions to strengthen
implementation of chemicals management activities.
The IOMC strategy and the further work of SAICM needs to carefully consider the potential for
encouraging new and strengthening existing government chemical policy instruments and
approaches that are appropriate to the economic conditions and strategies of developing
countries. While respecting the capacity building needs of developing countries, these efforts
must be integrated into more comprehensive and coordinated global chemical management
strategies if we are to achieve the 2020 goals for the sound management of chemicals.
Key Issues Shaping the Strategy
A number of key issues identified as crucial in shaping and informing the capacity building
strategy, include:
(i) Commitment and coordination at the national level, both among ministries and
between different stakeholders (including government, the private sector and civil
society) is essential for sound management of chemicals, achieving this has however been a
major and on-going challenge for many countries.
(ii) The need to ensure complementarity of activities across the sectors represented
by the IOMC Participating Organisations (POs), and avoid duplication.
(iii) Increased activity at the country level (e.g. through country and regional offices) within
some IOMC POs and less at “headquarters”, where concentration is shifting from project
implementation to policy advice and programme and project development. While this can result
in more effective delivery on the ground, it can also pose coordination challenges which must be
addressed.
(iv) While ongoing and predictable funding is desirable for delivery of programmes of
assistance, this has become difficult to achieve given the shift over time from
resources being available from regular budgets to activities requiring extra-budgetary
funding. Moreover, while some activities (e.g. outreach and awareness raising)
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may require relatively modest inputs, the establishment and/or strengthening of core
chemicals management infrastructures at the national level is dependent on the priority
it is given by national governments.
(v) Development assistance for chemicals management increasingly requires
“mainstreaming” and integration with national development priorities and plans (e.g.
for UN organizations, to be linked to United Nations Development Assistance
Framework, UNDAF) and to be “country driven” (countries showing priority given to
sound chemicals management). The rationale for integrating chemicals into development
planning and assistance include the fact that chemicals are crosscutting in nature and
fundamental to sectoral and national development and that managing and reducing risks
arising from chemicals exposures as a result of national paths of economic and social
development are essential to public policies (Table 12). In addition, the GEF has more
recently engaged in providing support to specific international conventions (such as the
Stockholm Convention) thereby impacting traditional approaches to development assistance for
chemicals management.
Table 12
Rationale for integrating chemicals into development planning and assistance
Sector
Examples of Sector Relevant Chemicals /
Chemical Classes
Agriculture & Pest Management
Energy
Extractive Industries
Healthcare
Households
Industry
Infrastructure
Manufacturing
Telecommunications & Info. Technology
Transportation
Waste Management
Water Resources
Organophosphates, POPs, PTSs, ODS
SO2, NOx, PCBs, Dioxin, HAPs, VOCs,
Heavy metals
Dioxin, DDT
Particulates (SO2, NOx), dioxin
All (heavy metals, POPs, other toxics)
Heavy metals, POPs, asbestos
Solvents, Heavy Metals, PVCs, ODS
Heavy metals, solvents
Lead, SOx, NOx, dioxin, hydrocarbons, PAH
Dioxin, organic solvents, PCBs
PAH, Water Resources Heavy metals, PCPs, PCBs
Abbreviations: POPs: persistent organic pollutants; PTS: persistent toxic substances; ODS: ozone depleting
substances; SO2: sulfur dioxide: NOx: nitrous oxides; PCB: polychlorinated biphenyls; HAP: hazardous air
pollutants; VOC: volatile organic compound; DDT: dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane; PVC: polyvinyl chloride;
PAH: polyaromatic hydrocarbon; PCP: phenylcyclohexylpiperidine
(vi) Initiatives should also seek to integrate sound chemicals management into other
thematic issues such as climate change, energy, food availability (agriculture),
economics, etc.
(vii) In relation to SAICM, the scale of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) and the absence of
clear priorities provides challenges in defining a focus on capacity building.
In order to assist with the identification of capacity needs, it can be helpful to identify the
situation that will exist without a capacity intervention. The cost of inaction in managing
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chemicals is not fully recognised or understood in development planning processes, including
within the industrial, health, labour and agricultural sectors. For example, if capacity for
sound chemicals management is not strengthened, what can be the possible negative impacts
on the environment, energy use, human health, and economic growth?
Operationalising the Strategy
In operationalising the strategy, key entry points and actions will include:
Entry points
(i) The SAICM GPA includes a large number of activities to which IOMC POs may
contribute.
(ii) At the international and national levels, it is crucial to identify how sound chemicals
management contributes to general issues of sustainable development, including the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
(iii) At the national level, operationalising the strategy will require linkages to national
development planning processes/plans (Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP)/Country Assistance Strategy (CAS), Country Environmental Assessments
(CEA), Common Country Assessment (CCA), Strategic Environmental Assessment
(SEA), Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCP)) in the UNDAF context to
ensure strategic engagement of these initiatives for access to resources and
disbursement of funds for specific issues. Annex 4 provides an example of how the
World Bank approaches the development assistance planning process.
Specific Actions
(i) Promoting SAICM in national activities (e.g. in their relevant sectors).
(ii) Updating relevant governing bodies regarding progress made with SAICM implementation.
(iii) Identifying, in collaboration with countries and other partners and building upon existing
frameworks such as SAICM, defined goals as part of the strategy (e.g. implementation of
specific tools, such as GHS, at the national level) since the overall objective of sound chemicals
management is broad.
(iv) Ensuring improved use of existing capacity-building activities to advance and implement
the strategy (e.g. using existing projects as a platform in the first stages) in order to achieve
poverty reduction, sustainable development and the protection of human health and the
environment.
(v) Promoting the uptake and use of available resources within Governments, IGOs, NGOs and
the Private Sectors (including existing materials such as the IOMC SAICM Resource Guide and
guidance for developing a National SAICM capacity assessment).
(vi) Review existing guidance and training materials for consistency, gaps, etc. and update
as necessary.
6. Recommendations for the Way Forward
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Reaching the global goal by 2020 for the sound management of chemicals will require an
integrated and comprehensive strategy that encourages policy instruments and approaches
appropriate to specific economic conditions and promotes rapid increases in the technical and
resource capacities of developing countries and countries in transition.
While these are the broad goals that we began this paper with it is useful to close with more
specific objectives for tasks that could be accomplished at the global level that would hasten the
achievement of safe and sustainable chemicals management. These recommendations are
suggested as tasks that could be encouraged or initiated by UNEP, however, in many cases, such
efforts will require cooperation and collaboration with other international agencies, national
governments, industry associations and non-governmental organizations.
Recommendations for UNEP
a. Encourage and promote the coordinating and information and services sharing roles of SAICM
in advancing a common global strategy for the sound management of chemicals
b. Encourage the development of national and industry plans and roadmaps for implementing the
SAICM strategy
c. Promote the adoption of chemical management instruments and approaches
(voluntary/regulatory; economic/legal, etc.) that are appropriate to the economic conditions of
nations and industries,
d. Promote professional training, increased financial resources and the provision of technical
assistance in building chemical management capacity in developing countries and countries in
transition,
e. Maintain a central focal point for international communication and information sharing on
sound chemicals management, including alternatives to high hazard chemicals,
f. Promote instruments for sharing and making public information on chemicals in products and
articles
g. Provide opportunities for the international sharing of information on chemicals of high
concern and chemicals of unknown concern such as nano-engineered substances
h. Promote the development and adoption of new chemical management tools such as rapid
screening characterization tools and alternatives assessment protocols,
i. Assist in the development and adoption of new risk reduction programs in the cleaning up of
chemicals wastes and the management and destruction of hazardous chemical stockpiles
j. Promote and convene international dialogues on chemical substances of high concern such as
heavy metals, very persistent and very bioaccumulative substances, and endocrine disruptors
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k. Promote non-chemical and low-chemical alternatives (e.g. changes in agricultural
technologies and practices) to the use of high hazard chemicals such as pesticides
Recommendations for Research
Many of these recommendations lead directly into possible research avenues for the Global
Chemicals Outlook. A few potentially valuable research directions are listed here.
Linking innovation to chemical risk reduction. Compile information in a “White Paper”on
chemicals management instruments and approaches that promote economic development and
innovation as they also promote chemical risk reduction.
Cost internalization. Research opportunities for funding sound chemicals management activities
via cost internalization mechanisms that reduce costs to governments, reduce the generation of
hazardous chemical wastes and emissions, and, potentially, improve the efficiencies and
economic effectiveness of industries.
Green chemistry. Research options for promoting green chemistry in developing and countries
in transition such as introducing green chemistry principles and methodologies in existing
secondary and tertiary science curricula and partnering local universities and industries with
existing green chemistry research programs in developed countries.
Safer alternatives. Compile and disseminate information on best practices for alternatives
assessment, tools for promoting substitution and programs for the adoption of safer alternatives
to toxic substances.
Supply chain information management. Research options for promoting the efficient flow of
information up and down global supply chains such that firms in developing countries and
countries in transition are effectively communicating with first tier manufacturers and
commercial retailers about chemical constituents of products and safer alternatives.
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APPENDIX
Existing Governance Structures for the Sound Management of Chemicals
Agenda 21
The Sound Management of Chemicals, first articulated in 1992 in Agenda 2117 of the UN
Conference on Environment and Development, places significant responsibilities on
governments and industries.
Agenda 21 states:
“A considerable number of international bodies are involved in work on chemical safety.
In many countries work programmes for the promotion of chemical safety are in place.
Such work has international implications, as chemical risks do not respect national
boundaries. However, a significant strengthening of both national and international
efforts is needed to achieve an environmentally sound management of chemicals.”
Six areas of effort were proposed in Agenda 21 to achieve sound chemical management:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Expanding and accelerating international assessment of chemical risks;
Harmonization of classification and labelling of chemicals;
Information exchange on toxic chemicals and chemical risks;
Establishment of risk reduction programmes;
Strengthening of national capabilities and capacities for management of chemicals; and
Prevention of illegal international traffic in toxic and dangerous products.
In 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, these areas
were revisited, revised and reaffirmed, as described in the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation.18
The Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC)
IOMC, under the administration of the World Health Organization, was formed in 1995 with the
goal of strengthening cooperation and coordination in efforts toward chemical safety, and the
sound management of chemicals to promote human health and the environment. 19
Seven international organizations participate in IOMC: the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO); the International Labour Organization (ILO); the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); the
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); and the World Health
Organization (WHO). The World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) also participate, as observers.
International Conventions
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



Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and
their Disposal (1989). The Basel Convention regulates international movement of hazardous
and other waste; 170 parties have signed the treaty. The Convention uses the mechanism of
Prior Informed Consent, whereby Parties can make shipments of hazardous materials to nonParties only if there is a special agreement. Parties commit to introducing national legislation
controlling the traffic of waste, and making illegal traffic criminal. They also commit to the
environmentally sound management of waste, and the minimization of transboundary
movements of waste. 20
Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary
Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa (1991). Parties to the
Bamako Convention, who must be members of the African Union, agree to ban the import of
hazardous and radioactive wastes and all forms of ocean disposal. Parties must minimize the
transboundary movement of wastes within Africa, and may do so only with consent of the
importing and transit states. They also commit to minimizing the production of hazardous
wastes and ensuring that wastes are treated and disposed of in an environmentally sound
manner. 21
Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous
Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (1998.) Signatories cooperate to control
international trade in 27 pesticides and five industrial chemicals. Helps Parties to share
information on the health and environmental effects of hazardous chemicals, and to build the
capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition to regulate
unwanted imports. 22
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001.) Goal is to restrict
production, use, emissions and import and export of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
Twelve chemicals were originally covered, with nine additional ones added in 2009. Areas of
focus include review of additional chemicals, monitoring, technical and financial assistance,
capacity building to address waste, evaluation of alternatives to DDT for malaria control, and
control of “unintentional” POPS from open burning and incineration. 23
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)
SAICM is a global policy framework to support efforts to achieve the goal that, by 2020,
chemicals should be produced and used in ways that lead to the minimization of significant
adverse effects on human health and the environment. 24 It does not replace existing institutions
and mechanisms; rather, it is intended to coordinate, facilitate and catalyze them. It was
developed through a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral consultation, involving representatives
of Governments, NGOs and IGOs.
The Dubai Declaration on International Chemicals Management, adopted in 2006 at the
International Conference on Chemicals Management, is the statement of SAICM’s political
commitment:
“The sound management of chemicals is essential if we are to achieve sustainable
development, including the eradication of poverty and disease, the improvement of
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human health and the environment and the elevation and maintenance of the standard of
living in countries at all levels of development.”
Its scope includes environmental, economic, social, health and labor aspects of chemical safety;
agricultural and industrial chemicals, with a view to promoting sustainable development; and
chemicals at all stages of their life-cycle, including in products. Processes under SAICM are
intended to take due account of instruments and processes that have been developed to date, and
be flexible enough to deal with new ones without duplicating efforts. Included in its objectives
are risk reduction, knowledge and information dissemination, effective governance, capacitybuilding and technical cooperation, and elimination of illegal international traffic in chemicals.
Implementation of SAICM activities is achieved through national, regional and IGO
implementation plans and focal points. Progress is to be reviewed at scheduled intervals at new
sessions of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM), and at regional
meetings.
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