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Chemicals, in many ways, have been transformative in improving countless lives: making farming more productive, medicines more effective, sanitation more accessible and widespread, and hence alleviating poverty. Yet, unmanaged and hazardous chemicals are polluting our land, sea, and air at an unprecedented rate. Sound chemical management is vital to lessen their impact on our health, planet, and global economies.

To imagine a toxic-free future...

Governments, industry, and individuals must advocate for and adopt integrated lifecycle approaches to ensure the sound management of chemicals and waste.

Ambitious actions and strategies

#BeatChemicalPollution calls for a stronger, more agile, innovative, and forward-looking presence to engage governments, industry, and individuals to implement a specific, inclusive, and financially-backed framework that ensures sound chemical management.

Largely led by the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, a multi-sector policy framework, political momentum for collective action on sound chemical management is increasing. In September 2023, a Global Framework on Chemicals was adopted providing a new vision for a planet that is free of harm from chemicals and waste. Based on 28 targets, the framework outlines a roadmap for governments and industries to implement policies to reduce chemical pollution, promote safer alternatives, and address the lifecycle of chemicals, including in products and waste.

Act

"We need to accelerate action and ambition to achieve the vision of a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste by financing solutions that protect people, natural assets, and economies." - Inger Andersen

Here are some positive actions that can lead to green, sustainable, and sound chemical management.

Governments

Government institutions can take action by:

  • Strengthening and enforcing new policies and incentives for the chemical industry to phase out harmful chemicals and waste adapt their business practices to better protect human health and the environment.
  • Adopting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and enforcing businesses to label and certify safe and toxic-free products.
  • Promoting economic instruments and models that create a level playing field to produce chemically safe products and processes.
  • Supporting future financing and collaborative research opportunities that advance green chemistry and sustainable innovations that eliminate hazardous chemicals from product value chains. 

Businesses and Investors

Businesses and investors can take action by:

  • Phasing out the manufacture and sale of products that contain hazardous chemicals and ensuring all products, both toxic-free or containing chemicals, are labeled.
  • Embracing manufacturing practices that ensure products stay in use as long as possible, can be returned for repair, resale, or reuse, and can be recycled instead of being disposed of at end-of-life.
  • Improving industrial processes to prevent chemical and waste leakages.
  • Adopting integrated and lifecycle approaches for chemical management and corporate policies that promote sustainable supply chain management and waste reduction.
  • Transitioning to green and safer chemicals and chemical compounds that prevent negative human health and environment impacts.

Civil Society & Individuals

Civil society and individuals can play an important role in the global efforts to manage chemicals and waste in their local communities. Some actions that can be taken forward, include:

  • Supporting the scientific community to conduct research studies that provide evidence to support policy decisions and regulatory actions.
  • Incentivizing healthy and sustainable consumer choices and consumption.
  • Raising awareness of common routes of exposure to harmful chemicals in daily products and processes.
  • Opting for goods and products that are toxic-free or contain less harmful chemicals and advocating for the inclusion of transparent product sustainability information related to chemicals.
Partnerships
UNEP’s advocacy campaigns and related initiatives are mediums to promote change, engage diverse voices, showcase best practices, and transform habits, practices, standards and policies around the globe.

Initiatives to Follow

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Beat Pollution aims to build and nurture a larger narrative on a pollution-free planet that weaves interrelated aspects of climate and nature and connects different forms of pollution to the larger issue of pollution and waste. The goal is to optimize human health and environmental outcomes through enhanced capacity and leadership in the sound management of chemicals and waste and increasing circular processes.

FORMS OF POLLUTION

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