Life-cycle approach for the sound management of hazardous chemicals and related waste

Background

The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) conventions address the protection of human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes, promoting the environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes at different stages of their life-cycle. While the Stockholm Convention deals with the production and use of certain hazardous chemicals; the Rotterdam Convention concerns their trade, sharing of information and responsibilities; and the Basel Convention deals with environmentally sound management and disposal of those substances when they become wastes.

Developing countries often face difficulties in the application of a life-cycle approach to manage the newly listed chemicals or plan to address chemicals recommended for listing under the Rotterdam and/or Stockholm conventions, such as HBCD and decaBDEs and chrysotile asbestos. Countries can lack capacities to identify sectors in which these chemicals are used and introduce sustainable solutions using locally appropriate, cost-effective and safe chemical and non-chemical alternatives. In ensuring a holistic approach, the environmentally sound management of end-of-life products containing such substances and/or by-product also needs to be taken into consideration.

Project objectives

  • Enhancing Parties’ abilities to implement a life-cycle approach for the sound management of chemicals and wastes;
  • Identifying key elements of socio-economic impacts with regard to selected hazardous chemicals in the sub-region of South and Central Asia and developing the case study;
  • Documenting alternatives to selected hazardous chemicals and their applicability in the local context as well as needs for technology transfer;
  • Organizing a round table on sound management of hazardous chemicals and associated wastes under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions for the countries in South and Central Asia.
  • Supporting a pilot country to develop a roadmap for the sound management of newly listed/recommended for listing hazardous chemicals and related wastes under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, with a focus on chemicals which are priorities in the pilot country.
  • Communicating and disseminate the results of the case study, round table and the pilot project to other countries and regions.

Implementing partners

The Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for Asia and the Pacific / Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity-building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific in China (BCRC-SCRC China) in cooperation with the BRS Secretariat.

Funding

Funding for the implementation of the project was kindly provided by the European Union.

Project activities

  • A case study with key elements of the socio-economic impacts in reducing and/or phasing out the use/production of specific hazardous chemicals is under development;
  • A round table on the sound management of hazardous chemicals and associated wastes under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions will take place on 2-3 October 2018 in Beijing, China (to be confirmed);
  • A roadmap for the sound management of newly listed/recommended for listing hazardous chemicals and related wastes under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions is being developed in Sri Lanka (pilot country).

Contact information

For questions regarding this project, please contact: 
Ms. Tatiana Terekhova
Email: Tatiana.Terekhova@brsmeas.org