Further Update of the UK's POP Multi-Media Emission Inventory

The UK is a party to the UN Stockholm Convention for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). "The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of human and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment."

The Convention requires all Parties to eliminate and/or restrict the production, use and emissions of substances it has listed as POPs, to ensure stockpiles and wastes consisting of, containing or contaminated with POPs are managed safely and in an environmentally sound manner. Wastes identified as being POPs or containing POPs must be destroyed or irreversibly transformed. As part of the Stockholm Convention there are number obligations that enable the ultimate elimination of POPs and ensure parties are doing all that they can eliminate and restrict the production, use and emissions of POPs There are currently 30 substances listed as POPs , with one other just listed and not yet enforced and six others going through the POPs Review Committee (POPRC) process. All Parties are free to propose new substances for listing, therefore the list of POPs and associated policy actions following these listings are continuing to grow and develop. When a substance is agreed to meet the Annex D criteria, both the Risk Profile (RP) and Risk Management Evaluation (RME) are finalised and the listing is agreed internationally, it will be listed on Annex A, B and/or C of the Convention.

The purpose of this contract is to assist the UK in meeting some these obligations to the Stockholm Convention, and in addition meeting the commitments made in the UK's National Implementation Plan (NIP) for POPs, producing evidence for the England 25 Year Environment Plan indicators and supporting the RME for a substance the UK has proposed for review as a POP.