Activities

Following the completion of the pilot project and presentation of its outcomes at the fifth Conference of Parties of the Convention in April 2011, the Secretariat is seeking further opportunities to engage with Parties, industries and other stakeholders to increase the availability of information on POPs-free products, and the promotion of alternatives and substitutes.

Activities in 2011 will focus first on the identification of relevant sectors and issues for the promotion of exchanges and alternatives, starting with research and the development of a network of interested companies, Parties and stakeholders. This will pave the way for the organization in 2012 of a workshop and the development of a related publication. In a final phase, a possible country would allow the dissemination of the information and good practices in one or several developing countries.

Research and scoping

Preliminary research and informal consultations with Parties and stakeholders will help identify innovative and best practices in the phase-out of POPs in the following industry sectors: carpets, textiles and related impregnation agents, as well as pharmaceutical applications against head lice and scabies. A desk and scoping study will be prepared, with a particular focus on companies that are showing technical and ecological innovation in substituting or finding alternatives to POPs. A number of key findings and recommendations will highlight areas of further work, good industry practices, links with the Rotterdam Convention and opportunities for the exchange of information on alternatives and substitutes and technology transfer with developing country Parties and Parties with economies in transition.

Workshop and publication

Using the preliminary research and scoping study, a workshop will allow the exchange of experiences on POPs in articles and POPs phase-out. Among the themes for consideration would be regulatory approaches on POPs in articles, the business case for the use of alternatives and substitutes, the availability and assessment of alternatives and substitutes to POPs, supply chains considerations and links to the Rotterdam Convention. Following the event and further research, information on industry experiences on the use of POPs alternatives and substitutes will be gathered. These will aim at demonstrating good practices that could be replicated in different countries, with one or several developing countries identified for pilot testing.

Participation in theses activities offers an opportunity to companies to increase the visibility of their commitment to protect human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals. Interested companies would also be able to showcase their knowledge on the use of safe alternatives and substitutes and their efforts to greening products and production processes.

Country project

A national/regional workshop, inviting selected Party Governments and industry, could be organized to tailor and adapt the developed information documents to the situation of industries in the pilot countries. The revised information documents would be translated into relevant languages and national consultations with industry undertaken to share information and practices on the use of alternatives and substitutes. Furthermore, national awareness-raising campaigns and training at the company level would help to disseminate information on POPsphase-out and good practices.

Contact

Governments, companies, consumer associations and other interested stakeholders can contact the Secretariat to obtain further information and discuss opportunities for support and participation in activities of the POPs-free programme. Please contact fmoser@pops.int or hshubber@pops.int.