IPEN

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(Göteborg, Sweden) The Minamata Convention, the world’s first legally binding global agreement to reduce mercury pollution, becomes International law on Wednesday, August 16^th, 2017. Environmental health leaders from IPEN (a global network of NGOs in over 100 countries combatting toxic pollutants) celebrate the historical global health and environmental treaty and call on world governments to take the next steps to ensure “no more Minamatas.”

The European Commission is facing a second court challenge for allowing a Canadian company to sell two dangerous chemicals used for road markings and painting industrial machines in the EU. Environmental lawyers ClientEarth, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) and IPEN are taking the European Commission to court after it refused to withdraw an EU-wide permit allowing the use of lead chromate pigments.

To date, the European Chemical Agency has received 380 notifications of companies declaring the use of lead chromate pigments in the EU since this authorisation. This is hindering the use of safer alternatives EU companies have invested in. Many companies have also already declared their intention to export these hazardous products to poorly regulated markets outside the EU. 

IPEN, jointly with the European Environmental Bureau, has contributed to the stakeholder consultation of the European Commission’s work on the analysis of the interface between chemicals, products and waste legislation and identification of policy options.

In order to protect people and the environment from the risks posed by hazardous chemicals and in order to safeguard material loops in a circular economy without compromising chemical safety aspects, IPEN and EEB demand legally binding requirements for full transparency on the chemical contents in all constituent components of products together with requirements for information sharing between all stakeholders in supply chains.

A new paper, NGO Practical Guide on Chemicals in Products Programme implementation, has been prepared jointly by IPEN, ISDI / SDPI and IndustriAll Global Union. It was part of the initiatives of the Chemicals in Products (CiP) Steering Group approved at the CiP meeting in Brasilia in February 2017. The CiP Steering Group is mandated to advise the United Nations Environment's Chemicals in Products Programme on the development and implementation of the project.