Guidance on Identification of Alternatives to New Pops

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants Guidance on identification of alternatives to new POPs Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention Concept of “Substitution” under the Stockholm Convention • The substitution is a strategy promoted by the Stockholm Convention to reach its objectives • Parties that are still producing or using the new POPs listed in Annex A, will need to search and identify alternatives to replace them • In the case of PFOS and for the exemptions for uses allowed by the Convention, these group of chemicals will be eventually prohibited and Parties are therefore encouraged to find alternatives to substitute them 2Availability of alternatives • Currently, some countries have phased out the use of some of the new POPs, and there are feasible alternatives available to replace them Alternatives Chemical <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Name </li><li style="flex:1">Use </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Ethoprop, oxamyl </li><li style="flex:1">Pesticide to control </li></ul>banana root borer Pesticide to control tobacco wireworms Pesticide to control ants and/or Cyfluthrin, Imidacloprid Azadirachtin, bifenthrin, boric acid, carbaryl, capsaicin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, diazinon, dichlorvos, esfenvalerate, imidacloprid, lamda-cyhalothrin, malathion, permethrin, piperonyl butoxide, pyrethrins, pyriproxyfen, resmethrin, sbioallerthrin, tetramethrin cockroaches Chlordecone Bacillus thuringiensis, cultural practices such as crop rotation, intercropping, and trap cropping; barrier methods, such as screens, and bagging of fruit; use of traps such as pheromone and light traps to attract and kill insects. Pest management 3Alternatives Chemical <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Name </li><li style="flex:1">Use </li></ul>Tris-chloropropyl-phosphate (TCPP), trischloroethyl-phosphate, and tris dichloropropyl phosphate (TDCPP), tetrabromobisphenol, triphenyl phosphate (TPP), tricresyl phosphate (TCP), resorcinol bis(diphenylphosphate) (RDP), and phosphonic acid (2- ABS plastics ((hydroxymethyl) carbamyl)ethyl)-dimethyl ester (Pyrovatex®) Aluminium trihydroxide, magnesium hydroxide Coatings and lacquers and zinc borate Hexabromo- biphenyl Ammonium polyphosphate (APP) is commonly Polyurethane foams used in combination with Aluminium hydroxide and Melamine. Red phosphorus, polyglycol esters of methyl phosphoric acid, amino-methyl phosphonic acid are other alternatives 4Alternatives Chemical <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Name </li><li style="flex:1">Use </li></ul>Pharmaceutical uses Permethrin; Bioallethrin and piperonyl butoxide; Pyrethrin and piperonyl butoxide; Pyrethrum and piperonyl butoxide; Precipitatedisulphur 6% in petrolatum and Crotamiton 10% (Eurax); malathion; Flumethrin; Cypermethrin; Cabaryl; Stemona root extract and benzyl benzoate y Disulfiram with bezylbenzoate. Lindane Seed treatment Clothianidin, Thiamethoxam, Imidacloprid, Permethrin, Tefluthrin, Acetamiprid y Fipronil 5Alternatives Chemical <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Name </li><li style="flex:1">Use </li></ul>PUR foam Melamine, tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) (or TCPP) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP). Non-chemical alternatives have also been identified, include barrier technologies, graphite impregnated foam and surface treatment. Bromine-free circuit boards, phosphorus-based Electronic equipment- <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">appliances </li><li style="flex:1">flame retardants for printed circuit boards, </li></ul>flame resistant plastic, halogen-free materials and low-voltage internal wires. Pentabromo- diphenyl ether Zinc borate, magnesium hydroxide or expandable graphite. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Textiles </li><li style="flex:1">Antimony tetrakishydroxy methyl phosphonium </li></ul>chloride, phosphonitrilic chloride, pyrovatex, proban, aluminium hydroxide, aluminium hydrate, ammonium compounds, nitrogen phosphonic acid salt, ziconium acetate, borax, melamine. 6Alternatives Chemical <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Name </li><li style="flex:1">Use </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Cr (III) </li><li style="flex:1">Metal plating </li></ul>Fire fighting foam Non-PFOS-based fluoro-surfactants; silicone based surfactants; hydrocarbon based surfactants; fluorine-free fire fighting foams; and other developing fire fighting foam technologies that avoid the use of fluorine. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) its sales and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOS-F) S-methoprene and pyriproxifen Control of leaf-cutting ants 7Alternatives Chemical <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Name </li><li style="flex:1">Use </li></ul>Tetrabromobisphenol-A; 1,2- bis(pentabromophenoxy) ethane; 1,2- bis(tribromophenoxy) ethane; triphenyl phosphate; resourcinol bis For ABS plastic (diphenylphosphate) and brominated polystyrene. Reactive phosphorous constituents such Synthetic Textiles as polyglycol esters of methyl phosphonic acid and Octabromo- diphenyl ether hexabromocyclododecane Bis (tribromophenoxy) ethane and tribromophenyl allyl ether Polypropylene-dibromostyrene, dibromostyrene, and Thermoplastic elastomers Polyolefins tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) 8Proposed steps to identify and evaluate alternatives 1. Identify uses 2. Identify alternatives 3. Screen alternatives • Initial environmental health and safety analysis • Technical feasibility assessment • Economic feasibility assessment 4. Assess alternatives • Assessment of risk • Cost benefit analysis 9Step 1. Identify use and gather relevant information a) Data of production and import b) Ways in which the chemical and products containing them are used in industrial processes or other practices c) Potential emission into the environment d) Major suppliers and producers of the chemical e) Derivatives, components and end products that incorporate the chemical or use the chemical as a feedstock, f) Major distributors, retailers, or customers of end product g) Functionality requirements of chemical or component or end-product h) Relevant stakeholders, including businesses, industry associations, environmental, public health, and labor organizations 10 Step 2. Identify alternatives This step implies to identify potential alternatives achieving the equivalent function to the new POPs – Alternatives should include: • Changes to manufacture process : When the process of manufacture or production is obsolete. Changes should be directed to the use of clean technologies • Material substitutes: There are two options a) change the use of raw material in the process or b) to use a substitute of the new POPs • Changes to component/product design: Technological changes or modifications to the product could be other option 11 Step 3. Screening of alternatives a) Initial environmental, health and safety analysis • To conduct an initial screen to determine if the alternatives identified are not persistent, bio-accumulative, toxic or probable human carcinogenic b) Technical feasibility assessment. • Longevity, which means useful life of component/end-product • Key performance requirements determined by chemical application as power requirements, accuracy, etc. • Key physical characteristics referred to physical properties as density, color or weight • Key quality parameters such as time of maintenance, mean time between failure, mean time to repair or mean cycles between failure 12 c) Economical feasibility assessment Alternative products and processes may incur in additional cost. Thus, the following items should be reviewed: – Initial purchase price for chemical/alternative – Initial purchase cost for end-product/component – Availability of component/end-product – Capital costs: Cost for additional equipment required for switch to alternative – Key manufacturing costs for component/end-product – Key operating costs during use of end-product – Replacement rate: It means product, shelf/storage life – Key end-of-product life costs: It implies disposal fee – Other intangible costs: Includes costs not directly part of the production as employee and consumer training costs, safety costs, insurance, etc. 13 Step 4. Assessment of alternatives a) Assessment of risks • It is essential to ensure that the alternative does not pose an equivalent or major risks or shift the problem to another area (water, consumers). For that it is necessary to carry out an assessment of risks in which the hazards are identified and exposure is determined. • The identification of POP criteria in this assessment should be a priority. 14 b) Cost-benefit analysis • A comparison between benefits and costs of the alternative should be assessed. If the benefits are estimated to be about the same as or greater than the costs, the alternative should be used. The benefits should be focused on: – A lower risk of injury to people or environmental damage – Less need for safety measures (protective measures) and special routines during production, use, waste management and transport – A reduction in the quantity of hazardous waste generated, leading to lower waste management costs 15 Promoting development and use of safer alternatives – Establishing the Substitution Principle as central to chemicals policy – Green Procurement – Financial incentives – Raise awareness of the hazards of toxic chemicals – Promote and invest in Green Chemistry Research and Development 16 Substitution is taking place There are multiple case studies that corroborate the feasibility of the substitution and the usefulness of methodologies established to identify and evaluate alternatives. The case studies described in this section clearly show that the substitution of the new POPs is a feasible task, both technically and economically 17 Case study 1 Replacement of lindane by pyrethroides as insecticides for wood preservation •The substitution took place in Europe in the eighties and nineties •Four key factors were identified in this case study: •Process integration. For consumers there is no change in application technology •Awareness. Very high awareness among consumers and the public was the main reason for substitution •Risk information. The persistency and the contamination of lindane with ultra-toxic dioxins declined the use of lindane •Regulations. Strict regulations reduced the use of lindane to a minimum in consumer products 18 Case study 2 Substitution of brominated flame retardants by electronics company –Stricter regulations and markets drivers are promoting the substitution of these chemicals THE CASE OF NEC COMPANY <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Activities </li><li style="flex:1">Target </li></ul>•Creation of a polycarbonate containing a recyclable silicone flame retardant in 1991 To stop using halogenated flame retardants by 2011. •In 2000, development of a epoxy resin to be used in circuit boards 19 Case study 2 Other companies as Apple, Sony, Samsung, National/Panasonic (Matsushita), Siemens, Ikea, Marks & Spencer, H&M and Skanska, have been taken measures to eliminate brominated flame retardants in its products. The strategies used fell into the next basic types: –Using non-flammable materials – Preventing fire risk by improving design –Substituting hazardous flame retardants with safer ones that have less impact on the environment and human health Some companies have gone down the non- chemical solution route: e.g. IKEA and Sony’s use of non-flammable materials. 20 Case study 3 Substitution of polychlorinated biphenyls in Sweden • The use of PCBs was restricted since 1972 and in 1978 it was decided that no new permits to use PCBs in new products should be issued • After the regulations and restrictions were presented the phase out was swift and done by the industry case by case • The main characteristics that are difficult to fulfil for many PCB alternatives are thermal and hydrolytic stability • In spite of their exclusive characteristics, the availability of chemical and technical alternatives in the early 1970s facilitated the substitution • The capacitor fluids more frequently used are dodecylbenzene and a mixture of methyl (phenylmethyl) benzene and methylbis(phenylmethyl) benzene • The destruction cost was the main cost factor 21 Pesticides v.s. industrial chemicals • Substitution of industrial chemicals can be a more complicated task due to the composition, physicochemical properties and multiple uses than pesticides, which usually have an unique chemical composition with more specific uses • Therefore, it is possible that in many cases the search to find alternatives might be more straightforward for pesticides than for industrial chemicals • The joint work between the industrial sector and the scientific community, should be encouraged to address the substitution of complex chemicals in use. 22

Guidance on Identification of Alternatives to New Pops

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