On March 2, 2023, the United Kingdom launched a public consultation on the revision of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) laws and regulations, seeking the proposed amendments to POPs laws and regulations, including the amendments to waste restrictions and specific exemptions. The deadline for accepting opinions is April 27, 2023.

The proposed amendment is related to the changes in the Stockholm Convention, which Britain, as a signatory, must implement. After reviewing the POPs regulations in 2022, the United Kingdom proposed amendments in response to scientific or technological progress, including amendments to Annexes I, IV and V of the POPs regulations, and two proposed amendments involving four substances.

Among them, the proposed amendments to Annex I of POPs regulations include the following important changes.

1. Cancel the existing specific exemptions for four persistent organic pollutants:

◆ Perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts and perfluorooctanoic acid related compounds.

◆ Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives (PFOS)

◆ Short-chain chlorinated paraffin (short-chain chlorinated paraffin, C10-C13 chlorinated paraffin)

◆ Decabromodiphenyl ether (decabromodiphenyl ether, bis (pentabromophenyl) ether)

2. Unintentional Trace Pollutant (UTC) exemption has been added for at least two persistent organic pollutants (hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorophenol);

3. Delete and/or revise UTC's existing exemption for PFOS;

4. Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and its salts and compounds related to PFHXS are added to Annex I of the Regulations on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which are consistent with those of EU, Japan and New Zealand;

If dechlorinated amine plus (DP), methoxychlor and UV-328 are adopted at the future Stockholm Convention Conference of the Parties, the UK POPs will be automatically updated without further public consultation.

The proposed amendments will apply to England, Wales and Scotland.

Warm tips

After Brexit, the British POPs regulations inherited the EU POPs regulations, and according to the British government's statement, the British POPs regulations will also revise the list of restricted and banned substances in the annex of the regulations according to the decision made at the Stockholm Convention meeting. ZRLK suggested that relevant enterprises should always pay attention to the development of British POPs regulations and investigate the compliance of substances involved in the upstream and downstream of the supply chain as early as possible, so as to ensure that products put into the British market meet the control requirements of POPs regulations and avoid unnecessary trade losses. Our company has a wide range of testing fields and a professional and efficient service team, which can help enterprises evaluate the special chemicals regulated in products and make your products meet the corresponding national and international organization standards. If you need it, please feel free to contact us, and our engineers will serve you at the first time!