ZERO DISCHARGES BEFORE 2020

A Guide to the OSPAR Ministerial Meeting - the Strategy on Hazardous Substances.

In July 1998 the Environment Ministers from the member countries of the OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment in the North East Atlantic, met in Sintra, near Lisbon, Portugal. [1]

As part of their commitment to prevent and eliminate pollution, protect human health and ensure sound and healthy marine ecosystems, they adopted their new Strategy with Regard to Hazardous Substances. This strategy commits OSPAR member states to an obligation of ZERO discharge of hazardous substances by 2020.

Hazardous substances are defined in the agreement as substances which are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate, or substances which give rise to an equivalent level of concern. So, unlike past controls, the Strategy does not simply apply to a short-list of a few chemicals, but to many thousands of them. The agreement also applies the "precautionary principle". This means that uncertainty about the impacts of a chemical can no longer be used as an excuse to allow discharges of it to continue.

THE SINTRA STATEMENT- JULY 23RD 1998
Strategy on Hazardous Substances

WE AGREE to prevent pollution of the maritime area by continuously reducing discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances (that is, substances which are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate or which give rise to an equivalent level of concern), with the ultimate aim of achieving concentrations in the environment near background values for naturally occurring substances and close to zero for man-made synthetic substances. WE SHALL MAKE every endeavour to move towards the target of cessation of discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances by the year 2020. WE EMPHASISE the importance of the precautionary principle in this work.

To this end, the Commission will:

• implement our strategy progressively and with well-defined intermediate targets; this implementation will start from the OSPAR List of Chemicals for Priority Action which we have already agreed, including carrying forward the drawing up of programmes and measures by 2003 for the control of discharges, emissions and losses of the substances on that list, and their substitution with less hazardous or non-hazardous substances where feasible;
• develop a dynamic selection and prioritisation mechanism, in order to tackle first the substances and groups of substances which cause most concern, and use it to up-date by 2000 the current OSPAR List of Chemicals for Priority Action;
• identify and assess substances that, although not fulfilling all the traditional criteria of a hazardous substance give rise to equivalent concern, especially those that act as endocrine disruptors;
• develop the necessary programmes and measures within three years after agreeing on the need for OSPAR action on a substance or group of substances.

WE INVITE industry and other international organisations to join us in these efforts to achieve this target.

WE ACKNOWLEDGE the need to provide consumer and purchaser with information on hazardous substances in goods thereby promoting the reduction of risks from the use of such chemicals, and WE WILL DEVELOP, individually or jointly, further means for disseminating this information.

Greenpeace and the rest of the environmental community praised the Ministers statements and the new strategy as it made great leaps forward, both in terms of zero discharge, but also on other key areas with regard to hazardous substances;

1. Zero Discharge in one generation

The Ministers stated that they shall make every endeavour to move towards the target of cessation of discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances by the year 2020. This is known as the generational goal. A commitment to "zero discharge", emissions and losses of hazardous substances by 2020. (One generation (25yrs) from the North Sea Ministers Conference in 1995, where this proposal was first put forward)

2. Continuous reductions

The Ministers agreed to prevent pollution of the sea by continuously reducing discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances (that is, substances which are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate or which give rise to an equivalent level of concern), with the ultimate aim of achieving concentrations in the environment near background values for naturally occurring substances and close to zero for man-made synthetic substances.

By agreeing to continuously reduce discharges, the Ministers effectively made a commitment to take continuous measures year after year to reduce discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances, with the ultimate goal of zero discharge by 2020.

3. Substitution

Working from the already agreed OSPAR List of Chemicals for Priority Action, they agreed to carry forward the drawing up of programs and measures by 2003 for the control of discharges, emissions and losses of the substances and their substitution with less hazardous or non-hazardous substances where feasible;

This is the first time that the principle of substitution has been accepted at such a high level, i.e. the substitution of hazardous substances by less hazardous substances or preferably-non hazardous substances where such alternatives are available.

4. No New Hazardous Substances

Within the OSPAR Strategy on Hazardous Substances, the Ministers also recognised as a guiding principle, that emissions, discharges and losses of new hazardous substances shall be avoided, except where the use of these substances is justified by the application of the principle of substitution.

Until now, polluters have withdrawn known hazardous substances, and replaced them with new substances that in time have been shown to be little better. Industy must now abide by the precautionary principle, and release only new substances which have been shown to be safe.

5. Labeling of Hazardous Substances

The Ministers acknowledged the need to provide consumers and purchasers with information on hazardous substances in goods thereby promoting the reduction of risks from the use of such chemicals, and they agreed to develop, individually or jointly, further means for disseminating this information.

This is the first time that Ministers have acknowledged the need for labeling of hazardous products, and the rights of the consumers and purchasers, to know which products contain hazardous substances or whose manufacture can lead to the discharge, emissions and loss of hazardous substances.

6. Joint Effort

Finally the Ministers invited the industry and other international organisations to join them in these efforts to achieve this target.

In making this statement the Ministers made it very clear that they expected the industries responsible for the present discharge of hazardous substances to face upto their responsibilities and work in good faith with Governments and the environmental community, to achieve the aforementioned objectives within the decision on hazardous substances.

The OSPAR agreement has major and far reaching implications for the chemicals industry and all product manufacturers. For the first time manufacturers will have a major incentive to avoid all hazardous substances in their products and develop environmentally friendly alternatives. Implementing the agreement will involve:

• Continuously reducing discharges and emissions of all hazardous substances until there are zero discharges or emission at all by 2020, and ensuring they are not released into the marine environment during manufacture, use or disposal.
• Replacing or substituting products with others that do not contain hazardous substances and that do not cause their release into the environment.
• Avoiding the development, production and use of any new hazardous substance, unless they are essential to replace more hazardous ones currently in use.
• Labeling products that contain or use hazardous substances, so that consumers can choose to avoid them.

Meeting this agreement will require foresight and vision from both industry and regulators. the Ministers have set a clear objective - zero discharges within one generation - and practical and concrete measures to achieve it. Manufacturers of non-hazardous products will gain new business and the environment and health of future generations will benefit enormously.

[1] The OSPAR member states are: Belgium, Denmark, The European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Uk.