Specific Exemptions

To enable Parties to the Convention to take measures to reduce or eliminate releases of POPs from intentional production and use, for which alternatives do not exist yet or are not readily available, the Convention allows Parties to register specific exemptions for a specific period of time. Annexes A and B to the Convention describe specific exemptions, as well as acceptable purposes, that are available with respect to the relevant POPs. 

Parties may register for specific exemptions listed in Annex A or B pursuant to paragraph 3 of Article 4. These specific exemptions have a limited timeframe and shall expire five (5) years after the date of entry into force of the Convention with respect to that particular chemical (paragraph 4 of Article 4), unless an earlier date is indicated in the Register by the Party or an extension is granted by the Conference of the Parties under paragraph 7 of Article 4.

The Register of specific exemptions was established in conformity with Article 4 of the Stockholm Convention, for the purpose of identifying the Parties that have specific exemptions listed in Annex A or Annex B;

The Register is regularly updated after decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties so as to include specific exemptions available following adoption of amendments to annexes to the Convention, as well as to take into account expired specific exemptions. Following decisions of the Conference of the Parties, no new registrations may be made with respect to certain specific exemptions. For further information, please see the Expired Specific Exemptions.

An indicative table on the status and entry into force of the amendments to the Annexes is available in the Amendments to Annexes to the Stockholm Convention page.

Please also note the amendments to Annexes A and B adopted at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention:

Document Symbol	Title	Download
SC-9/4	Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (advance)
SC-9/12	Listing of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds (advance)

Specific exemptions for chemicals listed in Annexes A and B

Various specific exemptions and acceptable purposes have been made available to Parties within the Convention text and subsequently by decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties to amend the Annexes to the Convention.

The lists below do not include those specific exemptions that have expired. Further information on these is available here.

By decision SC-9/1 on Exemptions, adopted in May 2019, the Conference of the Parties noted, among other things, that as there were no longer any Parties registered for specific exemptions for lindane for use as a human-health pharmaceutical for the control of head lice and scabies as a second-line treatment, no new registrations may be made with respect to that chemical.

By decision SC-7/1 and decision SC-9/1, the Conference of the Parties noted that as there were no longer any Parties registered for the specific exemptions for the production and use of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride as adopted by decision SC-4/17, no new registrations may be made with respect to them.

By decision SC-9/4, the Conference of the Parties decided to amend Annex B with a new listing, including amended specific exemptions and acceptable purposes for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride, as reflected in the table below. These amendments will enter into force on 3 December 2020, on expiry of one year from the date of communication by the depositary of the adoption of the amendment, for all Parties that have not submitted a notification of non-acceptance according to paragraph 3 (b) of Article 22. For those Parties that made a declaration pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article 25, the amendment will enter into force on the ninetieth day after deposit of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.