Stockholm Convention

South Korea Adopts POPs Regulation Amendment Adding Methoxychlor, Dechlorane Plus and UV-328

South Korea has adopted a binding amendment to its POPs regulation, effective 29 April 2026, adding Methoxychlor, Dechlorane Plus and UV-328 to the national list of persistent organic pollutants and updating associated sector-specific exemptions. This effectively bans most uses of these substances in Korea apart from narrow, time-limited applications, so companies in aerospace, automotive, electronics, textiles, medical devices and fire-safety systems must rapidly review portfolios and plan substitution before exemptions expire around 2030–2031.

14 May 2026, 06:05chemical.chemlinked.comSouth Korea

Stockholm Convention Compliance Committee Publishes Technical Assistance and Annotated Agenda Documents for CC.2 Meeting

In early May 2026, the Stockholm Convention Compliance Committee published an annotated agenda and a new technical assistance and financial resources paper as additional working documents for its June 2026 CC.2 meeting. These materials do not change legal obligations but signal how upcoming compliance discussions will be framed and where support efforts may focus, which parties and POPs compliance teams may wish to monitor.

11 May 2026, 11:35pops.intGlobal

UK Notifies WTO of Draft POPs Regulation Amendments for Five Stockholm POPs

In April 2026 the UK notified the WTO of draft amendments to its assimilated Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation to add five newly listed Stockholm Convention POPs and tighten PFOS limits, alongside an ongoing Defra consultation. If adopted broadly as proposed, the new 2026 regulations will effectively phase out these substances in Great Britain by late 2026 with only narrow, time-limited derogations, forcing affected sectors to accelerate substitution, portfolio review and supply-chain screening.

8 May 2026, 17:47consult.defra.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

Stockholm Convention Compliance Committee Releases CC.2 Meeting Documents and Work Programme 2028–2029

The Stockholm Convention Compliance Committee has published the core working and information documents for its second meeting in June 2026, including a work programme for 2028–2029 and papers on national focal points and cooperation with the Basel and Rotterdam compliance bodies. This update signals intensified multilateral scrutiny of how parties implement existing POPs obligations rather than new legal duties, shaping where future compliance reviews, guidance and capacity-building efforts are likely to focus.

7 May 2026, 20:00pops.intGlobal

Stockholm Convention Convenes Fourth Intersessional Consultations on DDT Phase-Out (5–7 May 2026, Geneva)

The Stockholm Convention Secretariat is convening a fourth intersessional consultation meeting on DDT in Geneva on 5–7 May 2026 to advance global planning for phasing out DDT in malaria vector control programmes. While this technical meeting does not itself create new binding obligations, its outcomes will feed into the next evaluation of DDT under Annex B and could shape future global limits on DDT use for disease vector control, affecting parties that still rely on DDT and suppliers of alternative vector-control products.

7 May 2026, 05:52chm.pops.intGlobalSwitzerland

Norway Nominates DBDPE as New POP Under the Stockholm Convention

In late April 2026 Norway’s environment agency submitted a nomination to list the brominated flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) as a new persistent organic pollutant under the Stockholm Convention. If this proceeds towards a global ban or restriction, producers and downstream users of DBDPE in sectors such as vehicles, aviation, construction materials and textiles will face rising substitution pressure and potential future market-access constraints.

5 May 2026, 06:52miljodirektoratet.noNorwayGlobal

EU Council Decision Authorises Proposal to List TBPH in Annex A of the Stockholm POPs Convention

In March 2026 the EU Council adopted a decision authorising the Union to propose listing the flame retardant TBPH as a persistent organic pollutant in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention. This signals growing regulatory pressure and a likely move toward global elimination of TBPH, so companies using this additive should map uses and begin assessing alternatives ahead of potential future restrictions.

4 May 2026, 20:04eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

Taiwan and Japan Adopt New POPs Restrictions on Methoxychlor, Dechlorane Plus, UV-328 and PFHxS

Taiwan and Japan have adopted new Stockholm Convention-aligned restrictions on methoxychlor, Dechlorane Plus, UV-328 and PFHxS-related substances under their national chemicals laws, with the measures entering into force in June and July 2026. These decisions will force manufacturers, importers and downstream users to phase out these POPs, tighten controls on mercury and tetrachloroethylene, and rapidly reassess formulations, supply chains and CSCL/TCCSCA compliance plans ahead of the upcoming deadlines.

4 May 2026, 20:02enews.moenv.gov.twTaiwanJapan

Taiwan MOENV Adds Methoxychlor, Dechlorane and UV-328 to Toxic Chemicals List and Tightens Mercury and Tetrachloroethylene Controls

Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment has formally amended its toxic chemical substances regulation to add three POPs and tighten controls on mercury and tetrachloroethylene, with the changes taking effect on 1 July 2026. Companies manufacturing, importing, or using these substances in Taiwan must prepare now for new bans, concentration limits, and permitting requirements, factoring in only a limited transition period for existing operators.

30 Apr 2026, 09:00enews.moenv.gov.twTaiwan

Japan Sets BAT-Based Conditions for Exempting CSCL Class I Impurities, Including HCB, PCBs and SCCPs

Japan’s three competent ministries have issued a CSCL notice that from 1 April 2026 sets BAT-based impurity thresholds and reporting rules for Class I Specified Chemical Substances such as HCB, PCBs and SCCPs. Manufacturers, importers and plastics recyclers must review impurity levels, file self-management limits and reduction measures where required, and ensure ongoing compliance with the new benchmarks to avoid having products treated as containing banned substances.

30 Apr 2026, 08:58meti.go.jpJapan

EU Coreper Clears Council Decision on TBPH Submission to Stockholm Convention Annex A

In late March 2026, EU ambassadors (Coreper) cleared the Council Decision setting the Union’s position to request listing of TBPH in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. This signals that an EU-backed global phase-out proposal for TBPH is now in its final EU decision-making phase, increasing long-term substitution and POPs-compliance pressure for companies using the substance.

28 Apr 2026, 16:21data.consilium.europa.euEuropean UnionGlobal

Office for Environmental Protection Publishes POPs Waste Regulation and Capacity Review

The Office for Environmental Protection has released commissioned research assessing how persistent organic pollutants are regulated and whether UK waste treatment capacity can meet the 2030 commitment to destroy or irreversibly transform POPs waste. The findings highlight potential future capacity gaps and policy risks for meeting England’s Environmental Improvement Plan commitments, signalling where regulators and operators may need to plan investment, permitting, and compliance strategies.

28 Apr 2026, 15:02theoep.org.ukUnited Kingdom

Japan Consults on Adding Chlorpyrifos to POPs Pesticide Ban List Under Pesticides Control Act

Japan is consulting in April–May 2026 on a draft joint MAFF/MOE ordinance that would add chlorpyrifos to the pesticide ban list under the Pesticides Control Act. This will align Japan with the Stockholm POPs listing by formally prohibiting sale and use of chlorpyrifos-based pesticides and closing off any future route to reintroduce these products.

24 Apr 2026, 09:45public-comment.e-gov.go.jpJapan

Japan Promulgates CSCL Ordinance Defining PFHxS-Related Substances as Type 1 Specified Chemicals

Japan has promulgated a CSCL ministerial ordinance defining perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)–related substances as Type 1 specified chemicals, following a consultation that drew no public comments and is scheduled to take effect in June 2026. This effectively locks in a phase-out of PFHxS-related chemistries in Japan, so manufacturers, importers, and downstream users must map affected substances and products, plan substitutions, and adjust supply arrangements ahead of the June 2026 start date.

23 Apr 2026, 14:31public-comment.e-gov.go.jpJapan

UNEP Opens Registration for 2026 Global Interlaboratory Assessment on POPs and Mercury

UNEP has opened registration for the 2026 Fifth Global Interlaboratory Assessment on POPs and mercury under its Global Chemicals Monitoring Programme, with laboratories worldwide invited to register by 15 May 2026. The exercise will generate harmonised monitoring data to support effectiveness evaluations of the Stockholm and Minamata Conventions and help laboratories benchmark and improve their analytical performance for POPs and mercury.

22 Apr 2026, 12:23forms.cloud.microsoftGlobal

UK: Defra Opens Consultations on POPs and PFAS for Textile and Apparel Sector

The UK government has proposed adding five new substances, including MCCPs and LC-PFCAs, to the GB POPs Regulation while refining the indicative list for PFAS. Businesses should prepare for imminent bans on these substances in products and processes, particularly affecting water-repellent coatings, textiles, and flame retardants.

5 Apr 2026, 05:38gov.ukUnited Kingdom

England: Environment Agency Launches Online PCB Equipment Registration Service

The Environment Agency has launched a mandatory digital registration system for equipment contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, requiring annual compliance for all qualifying holdings. Operators must integrate significant recurring registration costs into maintenance budgets and accelerate decontamination strategies to eliminate long-term liability associated with persistent organic pollutants.

4 Apr 2026, 11:02gov.ukUnited Kingdom

Japan Opens Public Comment on CSCL Class I Listing of LC-PFCAs, PFCA-Related Substances, Chlorpyrifos and MCCPs

Japan is moving to ban the manufacture and import of LC-PFCAs, chlorpyrifos, and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins by late 2026 under the Chemical Substances Control Law. Companies must urgently identify these substances in global supply chains to ensure compliance with upcoming prohibitions on both chemical mixtures and finished articles.

2 Apr 2026, 16:56public-comment.e-gov.go.jpJapan

EU Council Prepares TBPH Submission For Listing Under Stockholm Convention Annex A

The EU has formally approved the submission of the flame retardant TBPH for global elimination under the Stockholm Convention. This move initiates a definitive international phase-out trajectory, requiring manufacturers to accelerate the identification and validation of alternatives for plastic and textile applications.

29 Mar 2026, 17:35data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

India Study Finds Standard Tests Miss Most PFAS in Ganga Sediments

A new study revealing that standard testing misses over 99% of PFAS contamination in India's Ganges River highlights a significant gap in national environmental monitoring and industrial oversight. This evidence is expected to accelerate the development of India's first dedicated PFAS regulatory framework, likely leading to stricter effluent standards and class-based restrictions for manufacturing sites.

27 Mar 2026, 20:34doi.orgIndia