MANAGING HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS IN ELECTRONICS … · Establishing a PRTR Disclosure System in China 4 Overview Approximately 100,000 chemicals are used in the world today.1 While chemicals

InstituteofPublic&EnvironmentalAffairs(IPE)|IPENDECEMBER2017

MANAGINGHAZARDOUSCHEMICALSIN

ELECTRONICSPRODUCTION

EstablishingaPRTRDisclosureSysteminChina

2Establishing a PRTR Disclosure System in China

InstituteofPublic&EnvironmentalAffairs(IPE)

The Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) is a non-profit environmental research

organizationbasedinBeijing,China.SinceitsestablishmentinMay2006,IPEhasdevelopedand

operated the BlueMapDatabase (www.ipe.org.cn) and the BlueMapmobile app. Alongwith

helping the public to access environmental information and protecting individuals’ health and

welfare, IPEdevotesitselftoservinggreensupplychaindevelopment,greenfinanceandpublic

environmental supervision in order to promote positive interaction between government,

companies and the public and to push for improvement in environmental quality and green

development.

IPENIPEN (www.ipen.org) is a global network of public interest non-governmental organizations

workinginmorethan100countriestoreduceandeliminatetheharmtohumanhealthandthe

environmentfromtoxicchemicals.

Authors:Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE): Ma Jun, Kate Logan, Ding Shanshan, Ruan

Qingyuan,YuanYuan,GuoMeicen,XuXin

IPEN:JoeDiGangi

WewouldalsoliketothankCarmenHuangforherresearchassistance.

Disclaimer:

ThisreporthasbeenwrittenbytheInstituteofPublicandEnvironmentalAffairsandIPENandinformation

containedinthereportisforreferenceonly.Informationinthereportwasobtainedfrompublicandlawful

sourcesandasfarasispossibletosay,isreliable,accurate,andcomplete.Informationinthereportcannot

besaidtobeanylegalbasisorproofassumedbyIPEand/orIPEN.IPEandIPENcansupplement,correctand

reviseinformationinthereportaccordingtorelevantlegalrequirementsandactualcircumstancesandwill

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IPEN.


TableofContents

Overview................................................................................................................4

1. Introduction:ExaminingUsesandReleasesofHazardousChemicalsinElectronicsProduction............................................................................................8

ChinaasaHotspotforHazardousChemicalsPollutionfromElectronicsProduction........9CentralEnvironmentalInspectionsTouchonElectronicsIndustryPollution...................12

2. TheOriginsofPRTRSystems..........................................................................14SilentSpring..................................................................................................................14

3. TheRoleofInformationDisclosure&PRTRSystems......................................17PracticalApplicationsforPRTRData.............................................................................18ApplicationsforCorporations..........................................................................................19ApplicationsforGovernments.........................................................................................19ApplicationsforNGOsandMedia...................................................................................21CaseStudy:Scorecard......................................................................................................21

4. GlobalPolicyFrameworkforChemicalsManagement.................................23AarhusConvention..........................................................................................................23StrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement(SAICM)...........................24ElectronicsPollutionasanEmergingPolicyIssue............................................................25

5. BuildingaPRTRinChina:Progress&Gaps..................................................27ChinaStrivestoPromoteCorporateEnvironmentalInformationDisclosure..................27InformationDisclosureinChina’sManagementofHazardousChemicals.......................29DisclosureofChemicalsisCrucialtoWaterandSoilPollutionPrevention.....................33EffortstoImplementDisclosurePoliciesinChina..........................................................35TianjinTEDA’sPilotPRTRSystem.....................................................................................35NGOandMediaAdvocacy...............................................................................................36

IPE’sPRTRDisclosurePlatform......................................................................................37IPEDevelopsaPRTRReportingTemplate......................................................................38ScopeandImpact.........................................................................................................41CaseStudy:PushingSupplierstoTreatHeavyMetalsinRiverBasinSediment...............43CaseStudy:PRTRSystemDevelopedbyIPEHelpsCompaniesSuccessfullyReachNew

U.S.ProcurementStandards............................................................................................46RemainingGaps............................................................................................................47

6. Recommendations......................................................................................48

Appendices..........................................................................................................51AppendixI:IPEProposedPollutantInventoryforChina ..............................................51AppendixII:OverviewofPRTRSystemsWorldwide......................................................56TheU.S.ToxicsReleaseInventory(TRI)............................................................................56PRTRSystemsinEurope,JapanandtheRepublicofKorea.............................................58PRTRThresholds..............................................................................................................61


Overview

Approximately 100,000 chemicals are used in the world today. 1 While chemicals can

contributetoeconomicdevelopmentandimprovedlivingstandards,theyalsoposeadverse

impacts on the environment and human health – especially during manufacturing and

production processes. After Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in the 1960’s, chemical

pollution began to drawwidespread attention, gradually becoming a priority objective for

environmentalmanagement.

Pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR) systems are environmental databases or

inventoriesof potentially hazardous chemical substances and/orpollutants released to air,

water and soil and transferred off-site for treatment or disposal. Around theworld, PRTR

systems play a crucial role in environmental governance by requiring polluters to be

transparent and accountable toward end-of-pipe pollution discharge, safeguarding the

public’senvironmentalrighttoknow,andenablingmediaandcivilsocietytosuperviseand

push for discharge reductions, thus becoming key measures for controlling toxic and

hazardouschemicals.

Since the establishment of the U.S.’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) system in 1986, PRTR

systemshavebeen launched inover 50 countriesworldwide.2 Manyother countries have

expressed interest or are exploring the possibility of requiring PRTR disclosure. As

environmental informationdisclosuresystemshavespreadbetweennations,bestpractices

sharinghaspromptedglobalimprovementinenvironmentalgovernanceandpollutioncontrol.

Meanwhile, internationalagreementssuchas thePRTRProtocol to theAarhusConvention

andtheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement(SAICM)havealsohelped

emphasize the importance of PRTR systems for managing the environmental and health

impactsofhazardouschemicals.

SinceChina’sMeasuresonEnvironmentalInformationDisclosurewentintoeffectin2008,vast

improvementsinenvironmentalinformationtransparencyinChinahavehelpedtoaddressthe

country’s environmental enforcement gap. Subsequent requirements in 2014 for around

14,000 of China’s key state-monitored enterprises to disclose real-time data for their air

emissions andwastewater dischargewere the first of their kindworldwide, reflecting the

Chinesegovernment’sinnovationinenvironmentalinformationtransparency.

Nevertheless,China’seffortstoleverageinformationdisclosureasameansofpollutioncontrol

havefocusedmoreondisclosureofconventionalpollutionparameters,andhaveyettoextend

topersistentandaccumulativepollutantssuchashazardouschemicalsandtoxicheavymetals

thatthreatenenvironmentalqualityandpublichealthalike.

1 Seevideo:http://www.saicm.org/EmergingPolicyIssues/Hazardousnbsp;Electricals/tabid/5474/language/en-

US/Default.aspx2 https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/tri-around-world


China continues to serve as the “workshopof theworld,” playinghost to capital-intensive

manufacturingprocessesthatusecopiousamountsofenergyandarehighlypolluting.Among

suchindustries,electronicsproductionposesaninordinateburdenonChina’senvironment.

Themanufacturingprocesses required toproduceelectronics components suchasprinted

circuit boards (PCBs), semiconductors, LCD screens, batteries and power supply units are

chemical-intensiveandcouldbehighlypolluting.Forinstance,productionofPCBsmayrequire

largeamountsofheavymetals,suchascopper,nickelandlead.Duetosignificantwastewater

discharge,manyofthesepollutantsaccumulateintheenvironment,causingathreattothe

environmentandhumanhealth.3

Amongallofthesourcesofhazardouschemicalpollution,theelectronicsindustryisalsomore

challenging to manage since it involves a comparatively higher number of factories and

thereforeemissionsaremoredispersed,asevidencedbysuchseverepollutioninelectronics

manufacturingclustersintheYangtzeRiverDeltaandPearlRiverDelta.Ofcourse,ifonegoes

furtherupstream,onemayalsotouchuponmoreconcentratedsourcesofpollution.

For example, inspection teams dispatched by China’s central government as part of an

enforcementdrivebeginningin2016found18centralizedwastewatertreatmentplantsinthe

Shanghai area tohave issueswithheavymetals inwastewater exceeding legal standards.4

Facingsevereconsequences,thewastewatertreatmentfacilitiesdeclaredthatthe“culprit”is

actually upstreamenterprises thatdischargeeffluent intopipeswithoutpermits orwhose

effluentexceedspre-treatmentstandards,includingmanyelectronicsmanufacturers.

China’s management of hazardous chemicals began in 2002. However, during the period

between China’s 11th and 12th five-year plans, control efforts focused more on massive

emissionsofsulfurdioxide(SO2)andnitrogenoxide(NOX),aswellaschemicaloxygendemand

(COD), ammoniacal nitrogen and other conventional pollutants, rather than hazardous

chemicals. Only with the 2013 implementation of the Measures on the Environmental

Management and Registration of Hazardous Chemicals (Trial) did China begin to make

information disclosure requirements for enterprises’ transfer and release of hazardous

chemicals. It could be said that this departmental regulation was the only normative

documentinChinawiththatincludedasemblanceofaPRTRsystem.

AlthoughChina’s13thFive-YearPlanforEco-EnvironmentalProtectionbeganto“strengthen

riskcontrolinheavymetals,hazardouswaste,andtoxicandhazardouschemicals”asoneof

four key tasks, the Measures on the Environmental Management and Registration of

Hazardous Chemicals (Trial) were never seriously implemented, and this regulation was

ultimatelyannulledin2016.

InadditiontotheMeasuresontheEnvironmentalManagementandRegistrationofHazardous

Chemicals(Trial),China’snewEnvironmentalProtectionLawanditsaccompanyingMeasures

3 BSR,“ElectronicsSupplyNetworksandWaterPollutioninChina”:

https://www.bsr.org/reports/BSR_Electronics_Supply_Networks_Water_Pollution_in_China.pdf 4 http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2017/04-12/8197384.shtml


onEnvironmentalInformationDisclosureforEnterprisesandPublicInstitutions,whichwere

implemented in 2015, require that the environmental information from key pollution-

dischargingentitiesbemadepublic.Thelatterrequiresthepublicdisclosureof“thenamesof

key pollutants and characteristic pollutants, discharge mode, number and distribution of

emissions outlets, emissions concentration and total volume, situations of emissions

exceeding standards, aswell as implemented pollutant emissions standards and approved

emissionstotals.”China’snewWaterPollutionPreventionandControlLaw,whichwentinto

effectin2018,alsoexplicitlyrequiresthat"enterprises,publicinstitutionsandotherproducers

andoperatorsthatdischargetoxicandhazardouswaterpollutantsontheaforementionedlist

shall carry out monitoring, environmental risk assessment, and inspection of hidden

environmentalandsafetyrisksatdischargepointsandtheirsurroundingenvironments,aswell

as disclose information about toxic and hazardous water pollutants and adopt effective

measurestoprotectagainstenvironmentalhazards.”Accordingto IPE’sstatistics,somekey

entitiesforwastewatermonitoringhavepubliclydisclosedtheircharacteristicpollutantsand

hazardouswastedischarge.However,dataonthereleaseandtransferoftoxicandhazardous

substanceshasnotyetbeenpubliclydisclosedinacomprehensiveandcompletemanner,and

hasnotyetbecomethenorm.

Toaddressthisgap,inrecentyears,someregionsandorganizationshavelaunchedpilotwork

incertainareas toestablishPRTRdisclosuresystems.For instance, in theTianjinEconomic

DevelopmentArea(TEDA), theEU-ChinaEnvironmentalGovernanceProgrammesupported

anefforttoimplementPRTRdisclosuretotraincorporationsondisclosingtheirannualdata.

The InstituteofPublic&EnvironmentalAffairs (IPE)servedasapartner inthisprojectand

helpedtodevelopaseriesofPRTRrequirementsbasedontheexperienceofOECDcountries

thatarealsosuitableforChina’sdomesticsituation.Greenpeacehasalsopromoteddisclosure

ofhazardouschemicalsreleasesbyclothingcompaniesandgovernmentsthroughitsDetox

campaign.5

Atthesametime,sincethelaunchoftheGreenChoiceInitiativein2007,IPEhasadvocated

for companies to manage the environmental impacts of their supply chains in China by

requiring their high environmental impact suppliers to disclose annual PRTR data on IPE’s

database.PRTRdisclosurehasbeenintegratedintotheCorporateInformationTransparency

Index (CITI) standards, 6 which were jointly developed by IPE and the Natural Resources

Defense Council (NRDC), and has thus garnered a positive response from a number of

internationalanddomesticcompanies.WithintheITindustry,brandssuchasAppleandDell

haveintegrateddisclosureintotheirsupplychainmanagementmechanisms.

Yet,solongasdisclosureremainsvoluntary,ratherthanmandatory,theresultsofeffortsby

TEDAandorganizationssuchasIPEtopromotePRTRdisclosuresystemsinChinawillremain

5 https://www.greenpeace.org/archive-international/en/campaigns/detox/water/detox/intro/ 6 TheCITIwasjointlydevelopedbyIPEandtheNaturalResourcesDefenseCouncil(NRDC)in2014asthefirst

quantitativeevaluationsystemtoassessbrands’environmentalmanagementoftheirsupplychainsinChina.

Moreinformationcanbefoundhere:http://wwwen.ipe.org.cn/GreenSupplyChain/Main.aspx


severely limited. First, without mandatory requirements from regulations, companies and

NGOscanonlyexertpressureonpolluterstorequirevoluntarydisclosurebasedoncorporate

social responsibility, and therefore hold limited bargaining power. Second, themajority of

corporations to exert influence have published conventional pollutants from routine

monitoring,buthavealackofmotivationtomonitoranddisclosehazardouspollutants.Asa

result,voluntarydisclosuremechanismsarelimitedintheirabilitytouserankingsandother

meanstopressurehighpolluterstoreduceemissions,sincerankingscanonlybebasedon

informationvoluntarilydisclosedbyenterprises.Finally,lackofmandatoryPRTRrequirements

discouragesinnovationandpollutionpreventioneffortsofleadingcompanies.

Inrecentyears,aseriesofcasesofhazardouswastedischargethroughhiddenpipes,illegal

burying, and cross-boundary dumping have emerged, of which several have resulted in

pollution incidents that have drawn public concern and instability. New amendments to

China’sWaterPollutionandPreventionLaw,whichwentintoeffectonJanuary1,2018,require

thepublicationof a listof toxic andhazardouswaterpollutantsanddisclosureof relevant

informationbyusersofsuchpollutantsforthefirsttime,reflectinggreaterattentiontoward

controlofhazardouschemicals.

China’sexperienceagainshowsthateffectivecontrolandmanagementoftoxicandhazardous

materials requires the establishment of a PRTR system, and establishing a PRTR system

requiresastronglegalfoundation.Governmentshouldplayasignificantroleinlegislationand

implementation,includingdraftingandimplementingspecificandstandardizedpolicies.On

anotherlevel,differentsubsetsofthepublicneedtostrengthentheirrecognitiontowardthe

importanceofcorporatedisclosureoftoxicandhazardoussubstances,andworktogetherto

promotetheestablishmentofthesystem.Atpresent,legislativeworkhasnotyetbeenfully

launched, but pollution from hazardous substances will not wait. All parties must act,

especiallymajorinternationalanddomesticcompaniesandlargefinancialinstitutions.They

shouldbeginbyimplementinggreenprocurementandgreenfinance,andpromotedisclosure

of discharge data as a requirement for supply chain and credit, aswell as for enterprises

receivinginvestments.

Controllingtoxicandhazardoussubstancesiscrucialforpreservingtheenvironmentandthe

healthoffuturegenerations.EstablishingandimplementingaPRTRsystemwillhelpusmove

onestepclosertorestoringChina’sblueskiesandclearwaters.


1. Introduction: Examining Uses and

Releases of Hazardous Chemicals in

ElectronicsProduction

Approximately 100,000 chemicals are used in the world today. 7 While chemicals can

contribute to economic development and improved living standards, chemicals also pose

adverseimpactsontheenvironmentandhumanhealth–especiallyduringmanufacturingand

productionprocesses.Thisistruenotjustfortheproductionofthesechemicalsthemselves,

but also for those industries that require theuseof chemicals to createproducts that are

purchasedbyconsumersonthemarketorarecomponentsinotherfinalgoods.

Theelectronicsindustryisamajordownstreamuserofchemicalsthatdischargessignificant

amountsofchemicalsasbyproducts frommanufacturing.Productionofcertainelectronics

products, suchascomputersandmobilephones,mayuseasmanyasover1,000different

chemicals, primarily heavy metals, rare earth metals, solvents, and polymers and flame

retardants.8 Specificchemicalscommonlyfoundinelectronicsproductsincludelead,mercury,

cadmium, zinc,yttrium,chromium,beryllium,nickel,antimony trioxide,halogenated flame

retardants, tin,PVC,andphthalates.9 Moreover,asconsumersdemandsmallerand lighter

products,electronicsmanufacturersareincreasinglyturningtorarematerialsandmetals.

These chemicals pose detrimental impacts throughout the entire life cycle, from harming

factoriesworkers’healthandenvironmentaldamageduringproductiontocausingpollution

andhealthrisksthroughdisposalofelectronicswaste(“e-waste”),muchofwhichisshipped

to developing countries where supervision of final processing is lax to nonexistent. For

instance,Chinahandledaround70%oftheworld'se-wastein2012,butinefficientlegislation

causedmuchofthiswastetobeprocessedviaa"greymarket"forrecyclingworthabout$15

billionUSD.10

Pollutionfromelectronicsisahugeareaforconcernbecauseitshighconcentrationofheavy

metals, halogenated compounds, and harmful chemicals threatens human health and the

environmentalike.11 Forexample,productionprocessesforelectronicscomponents,suchas

printedcircuitboards(PCBs)andharddrives,requireampleuseofheavymetals.Researchers

havelinkede-wastepollutiontobeaprecursortocardiovasculardisease,DNAdamage,and

7 Seevideo:http://www.saicm.org/EmergingPolicyIssues/Hazardousnbsp;Electricals/tabid/5474/language/en-

US/Default.aspx8 GlobalChemicalsOutlook:TowardSoundManagementofChemicals.UNEP,2013:p.14.9 GlobalChemicalsOutlook,p.36.10 http://www.nature.com/news/take-responsibility-for-electronic-waste-disposal-1.20345 11 HazardousSubstancesine-Waste:http://ewasteguide.info/hazardous-substances


even cancer. 12 Electronics wastewater, when improperly treated, can disrupt ecological

balanceinaquaticenvironments,causingsuchphenomenaasmassivefishdie-offs.

Meanwhile, consumer demand for electronics products continues to drive growth in the

market for electronic chemicals andmaterials. According to estimates, revenues from the

global consumerelectronicsmarketareexpected togrowannuallyatover15%during the

period from2016 to 2020.13 Because of this growing demand, the aforementioned issues

associatedwithchemicalspollutionfromelectronicswillonlybecomemorerelevant.

ChinaasaHotspotforHazardousChemicalsPollutionfromElectronicsProduction

Chinaisoftenreferredtoasthe“workshopoftheworld,”andforgoodreason:itsshareof

globalmanufacturingoutputbyvaluehasrisenfromlessthan3%in1990tonearlyaquarter

in2015.14 Inparticular,China is theworld’shotbedforelectronicsmanufacturing. In2011,

over90%ofallpersonalcomputersandover70%ofallmobilephonesproducedgloballycame

fromChina.15

AlthoughthisstaggeringgrowthhasspurredthedevelopmentofChina’seconomy,ithasalso

fomentedavastrangeofenvironmentalchallenges.Thesheerconcentrationofelectronics

manufacturing concentrated in China means that China bears the brunt of impacts from

hazardouschemicalusage.In2010,Chinaaccountedfor14%oftheglobaltotalofchemicals

usedforproductionof integratedcircuitsandprintedcircuitboards,asmeasuredbydollar

value. 16 Theshareofglobaltradein intermediateinputsproducedintheAsianregionhas

alsorisendramatically,from14%in2000to50%in2012.17 Inmanycases,thesecomponents

arethesegmentsofglobalsupplychainsthatrequirethemostenergy-,water-andchemically-

intensiveprocesses,sotheyexertthegreatestimpactontheenvironment.

InChina,electronicsmanufacturingposesespeciallydireimpactsontheenvironmentbecause

similarmanufacturingprocessesaredistributedacrossmanydifferentfactories,yetclustered

inspecificregions,suchastheTaihuLakeBasinandPearlRiverDelta.A2013investigationby

ChineseenvironmentalorganizationsincludingIPEandSuzhou-basedLvseJiangnanrevealed

levelsofnickelpollutionsedimentfromtheHuangcangjingRiverinJiangsuProvinceexceeded

limitvaluesbynearly40times.PriorinvestigationsattheLouxiaRiverrevealedconcentrations

ofcopperandnickelthatexceededtheNOAASedimentQualityERMvalueby80and15times,

12 ‘E-wastepollution’threattohumanhealth:http://www.iop.org/news/11/may/page_51103.html13http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/consumer-electronics-market.asp 14 http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21646204-asias-dominance-manufacturing-will-endure-will-make-

development-harder-others-made 15 BankofAmericaMerrillLynchreport,“NotSoTrivialFacts,”DavidCiu.16 GlobalChemicalsOutlook,p.14.17 http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21646180-rising-chinese-wages-will-only-strengthen-asias-hold-

manufacturing-tightening-grip


respectively.18 Evensomesuppliersthataretechnicallyincompliancewiththelawcontinue

to pollute the environment by diluting contaminated wastewater until the pollutant

concentrationmeetsnationalstandards--yetthetotalvolumeofcontaminantsremainsthe

sameasbeforedilution.

Figure1.ScreenshotfromBlueMapDatabaseDisplayingWaterQualitynearTaihuBasin,Jiangsu

Source:IPE’sWaterQualityMonitoringMap.Thered,brownandblackcirclesrepresentwaterofsuch

poorqualitythatitis“unfitforhumancontact.”19

Meanwhile, China has been predicted to lead global growth in consumption of electronic

chemicalsandmaterials,withanestimatedaverageannualgrowthrateof7.7percent.20

Althoughseparatefromtheuseofhazardouschemicals inelectronicsproduction, it isalso

essentialtoconsidertheharmfulimpactsofchemicalsmanufacturingasanindustryinitself,

sincedemand for electronics also supports this industry’s profits and growth. China is the

world’slargestchemicalmanufactureranduser,andchemicalproductionispredictedtogrow

66%from2012to2020,ascomparedtomuchlowergrowthratesof25%inNorthAmerica

and24%inWesternEurope.21

18 WhoisPollutingtheTaihuBasin?GreenChoiceAllianceITIndustrySupplyChainInvestigativeReport,Phase

VII,August2013.http://wwwoa.ipe.org.cn//Upload/20131112123538SWY.pdf 19 RomannumeralsindicatetheclassificationofwaterqualitybasedonChina’snationalgovernmentstatistics,

whichmeasurequalityonasix-categorysystemrangingfromClassIasthebestto“ V”indicatingqualityis

evenworsethanClassV.Black“ ”symbolsindicatewaterstoberectifiedaspartoftheChinesegovernment’s

“Black&Smelly”riversinitiative.Readmorehere:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/22/black-

smelly-citizens-clean-chinas-polluted-rivers. 20 GlobalChemicalsOutlook,p.14.21 “Mid-Year2011Situation&Outlook.”T.K.Swift,M.GilchristMoore,andS.Bhatia,et.Al.AmericanChemistry

Council,2011.


A 2017 investigation by Greenpeace22 revealed severe pollution outside the Lianyungang

Chemical Industrial Park in Jiangsu Province, with much of the pollution in the form of

compoundsthatarehighlypersistentuponreachingtheenvironment.Thispollutionislikely

typical of many industrial chemical parks in China, and policies restricting chemicals

productiontospecificlocalitieshaveeffectivelyproducedpollutionhotspotsindireneedof

improvedmanagementandtransparency.

Moreover,inApril2017,thediscoveryofindustrialwastewaterpondsinHebei,Tianjin,and

other places drew widespread public attention. 23 The difficulty of determining which

companiesorevenhowmanycompaniesdumpedindustrialwasteatthoselocationsexposed

thecurrentlackofeffectiveregulationoftoxicandhazardoussubstances.Incountrieswith

PRTRsystems,thegovernmentrequirescompaniestorecordanddisclosetheiruse,discharge,

and transfer of pollutants, with particular attention to heavy metals, volatile organic

compounds,anddangerouschemicals.Thesesystemsarepowerfultoolstotrackandreduce

thereleaseofpollutants.ButinChina,companies’handlingoftoxicandhazardoussubstances

remainsopaque.Of120citiesevaluatedonthe2016-2017PollutionInformationTransparency

Index(PITI),24 onlyShenyangwashometoindustriesthatdisclosedinformationondangerous

chemicalsandemergencycontingencyplans.

Figure2.IndustrialWastewaterPondsinNorthernChina

Source:ChongqingLiangjiangVoluntaryServiceCenter

22 HazardousChemicalReleasesatLarge:AnInvestigationattheLianyungangChemicalIndustrialPark,Jiangsu

Province,China.GreenpeaceEastAsia,May2017.23 http://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-04-21/101081006.html 24 http://wwwen.ipe.org.cn/reports/Reports.aspx?cid=18336&year=0&key=


CentralEnvironmentalInspectionsTouchonElectronicsIndustryPollution

In 2016, the Chinese government launched a series of central environmental inspections

aimedattacklingChina’ssevereair,waterandsoilpollution.UpthroughSeptember2017,the

inspections had already covered 31 provinces, autonomous regions and provincial-level

municipalities across China. The environmental inspections havenot only investigated and

accordinglyhandledtensofthousandsofcasesofenvironmentalviolations,buthavealsoput

pressure on local officials, finally helping to begin working through issues of local

protectionismtowardpollutingenterprises.

Compared to limited fines typically levied in the past, punishments issued to violating

enterprises over the courseof inspections, such as the frequent ceasingof production for

improvementsandshutdownorders,maysharplyraisethecostofviolationsforenterprises.

Fromalong-termperspective,thesehighercostswillbeadvantageoustowardreversingthe

previoussystemofperverseincentiveswherethosewhopollutereapbenefits,andwillforce

enterprises to internalize the costs of pollution, thus making brands’ green procurement

becomeeconomicallyrational.

Forinstance,duringthesecondroundofcentralenvironmentalinspectionsattheendof2016,

18centralizedwastewatertreatmentplantsintheShanghaiareawerefoundtohaveissues

withheavymetalsinwastewaterexceedinglegalstandards,withsixoftheplantsexhibiting

long-term wastewater discharge noncompliance. 25 Facing severe consequences, the

wastewater treatment facilities declared that the “culprit” is actually enterprises that

discharge effluent into pipes without permits or whose effluent exceeds pre-treatment

standards,includingmanyelectronicsmanufacturers.

AccordingtomediareportsfromSeptember2017,26 12upstreamenterprisesfromindustries

include electroplating and stainless steelwere identified as causing issues at a centralized

wastewater treatment plant in the Huaxin area of Shanghai’s Qingpu district. Nine of the

enterprises had already been slated for elimination, and the remaining three would be

requiredtoundergoverificationbeforebeingallowedtoresumeproductionprocesses.

Electronics factories contributing to heavy metals discharge at the Xujing Wastewater

Treatment Plant were also targeted. One circuit boards manufacturer, STATS ChipPAC

(Shanghai)Co.,Ltd.,hadalreadybeenforcedtoceaseproductionbythetimeofmediareports;

another electronics manufacturer, Shanghai Unitech Electronics Co., Ltd., will cease

production by the following year. The shutting of these electronics manufacturers will

drasticallyreducetheamountofcopperinwastewaterreceivedbytheXujingplant,andsludge

willalsobeabletoconsistentlymeetstandardsforcoppercontent.Severalotherwastewater

25 http://sh.qq.com/a/20170910/005222.htm26 http://sh.sina.com.cn/news/m/2017-09-07/detail-ifykqmrw1740280-p3.shtml?t=1504747217730


treatmentplantsintheShanghaiareahadalreadysignificantlyreducedheavymetalcontent

intheirsludgefromwastewatertreatmentbyJuly2017.

Apartfromtheseissues,in2017,accordingtomediareports,therewererepeatedincidents

ofillegal,secretcross-borderdischargeofhazardouswastevialandroutesandwaterwaysby

enterprisesalongtheYangtzeRiver.Inordertosavecosts,theseenterprisessignedlow-cost

hazardous waste treatment agreements with unofficial environmental contractors. In

November2017,7,000tonsofsolidwastethatwasbeingillegallytransportedviawaterway

was seized in the Tongling sectionof the YangtzeRiver, ofwhichmore than2,000 tonsof

industrialwastehadbeendirectlydumpedonriverbanks.Thematerialsthatweredumped

included pickling sludge, a substance listed in China’s National Catalogue of Hazardous

Chemicals. According to the Anhui Province Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB), this

substance isacidicandcontainssomeheavymetals,andthusmayadverselyaffectaquatic

andlandecosystems. 27

Inadditiontoillegalcross-borderdumping,somecompanieshaveillegallyburiedhazardous

wasteonlocation.InMarch2018,theMinistryofEcologyandEnvironment(MEE)carriedout

specialinspectionsofsevereenvironmentalpollutionatJiangsuHuifengAgrochemicalCo.,Ltd.

inthecityofYanchenginJiangsuprovince,alongwithissueswiththeineffectivenessoflocal

environmentalinspections.Thespecialinspectionsdiscoveredthatnoanti-seepagemeasures

hadbeenadoptedat the twohazardouswaste landfillsat theplant site.Furthermore, the

hazardous waste was concealed by a layer of concrete, which was in turn covered with

construction waste and soil. In some areas, workshops or other buildings had even been

constructedontop.Theinspectionteamfoundtheconcentrationoftoluene,ethylbenzene,

andxyleneatthehazardouswastelandfillsitetobeinsevereexcessoflegalstandards. 28

Thestringof incidentstouchingonhiddenwastewaterdischarge, illegal landfillsandcross-

borderdumpingofhazardouswasteinthepastfewyearsonceagainillustratesthecurrent

shortcomingsofChina’shazardouschemicalsmanagementandcontrol.Inresponsetothese

cases,China’sMEEalsocarriedoutdirectedresponsesandactions.Forexample,effortshave

beenmadetopromotetheestablishmentoftreatmentcapacity,toseverelycrackdownon

hazardous waste criminal offenses, and to strengthen supervision of hazardous wastes

throughout the entire process. 29 However, in order to completely eradicate these

environmental problems, it is necessary to work together to promote effective long-term

supervisionmechanismsandtomobilizethepublictoparticipateinsupervision.

27 http://www.sohu.com/a/221589844_65670528 https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404230839897610094#_029 https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404230514176317169#_0


2. TheOriginsofPRTRSystems

ThedevelopmentofmodernindustryaftertheSecondWorldWar,especiallythechemicals

industry, saw artificially synthesized toxic and hazardous substances discharged into the

environment en masse as byproducts from manufacturing. Widespread use of chemical

fertilizersandpesticidesbyagriculturealsocontributedtothereleaseofalargenumberof

suchsubstances.Thesesubstancesareoften invisible,and theycannotbe touchedor felt.

Theyarethinlikefog,lightaswind,andtheircompositioniscomplex.Ordinarypeoplecannot

discerntheirharm.Whilepeopleareunawareoftheirdanger,thesesubstancesenterintothe

environmentandpermeatethefoodchain,affectingthehealthoflivingorganismsandthe

humanbody.

Thischapter illustrates thesituationalbackground leading to thedevelopmentof theUSToxics

ReleaseInventory(TRI),thefirstPRTRsystemworldwide.ForadetailedoverviewoftheUSTRI,as

wellasPRTRsystemssubsequentlydevelopedinotherareasoftheworld,pleaserefertoAppendix

II,“OverviewofPRTRSystemsWorldwide.”

SilentSpring

Beginninginthe1960s,someWesternscholarsbegantoexposetheseriousnessoftoxicand

hazardous substances. One of the most violent shocks to theWestern public was Rachel

Carson's book, Silent Spring. Carson reminded the public that many chemicals used

indiscriminatelyhavethepowertokillevery"good"and"bad"insect.Theylaythesingingof

birdsandthevivacityoffishtorest.Theyuniversallyinvadethebodiesoffish,birds,reptiles,

andlivestockandwildlife,andcontinuetosurviveandpersistintheirharm.

Inherbook,Carsonraisedtheideaofdevelopingalistoftoxicandhazardouschemicalsso

thatpeoplecouldunderstandthem:“Butintheplansandhopesoftheindustrythisenormous

productionisonlyabeginning.AWho'sWhoofpesticidesisthereforeofconcerntousall.If

wearegoing to liveso intimatelywith thesechemicals—eatinganddrinking them, taking

themintotheverymarrowofourbones—wehadbetterknowsomethingabouttheirnature

andtheirpower.”

A series of such reports shocked the American public. They used various channels to put

pressureonlegislaturesandgovernmentagenciestoparticipateinenvironmentaldecision-

makinganddemandenvironmental informationdirectly relevant to their lives,health,and

well-being. Under strong public pressure, the U.S. Congress formulated a series of laws

specificallydesignedtocontrolthedischargeofhazardouswastes.Acomplexcontrolsystem

wasestablishedthroughanetworkoflawsandregulations.Aconsiderablecomponentofthis

system involves the environmental right-to-know: the Clean Air Act and CleanWater Law

stipulatethatenterprisesmustregularlyreporttothegovernmentauthoritiesinchargeofthe

implementationofpermitsandsubmitpollutantemissionslists.Accordingtolaw,theEPAhas

30SilentSpring,RachelCarson,1962.


the right toenter factoriesand toconduct inspectionsofpollution-dischargingequipment,

make records and require companies to provide needed information. The public can then

obtainanyofthisenvironmentalinformationbasedontheFreedomofInformationAct.The

ToxicSubstancesControlAct isactuallyameansforcollectionof informationregardingthe

situationofchemicalsubstances.Itrequirescompaniestosubmitallinformationrelatingto

theproduction,use,spreadanddisposalofchemicalsubstances.

In light of this legislation, many problems with the management of hazardous chemicals

remained. In 1984, U.S.-owned Union Carbide’s pesticide plant in Bhopal, India caused

thousandsofdeathsandshockedtheAmericanpublic.JustastheU.S.chemicalsindustrywas

workingtoconvincethepublicthattheirfactoriesintheUnitedStateswouldnotposeathreat,

UnionCarbide’sfactoryinWestVirginiahadahighlytoxicchemicalspillonAugust11,1986,

causingsomelocalresidentstobeadmittedtohospitalsfortreatmentandseriouslyshaking

the public’s confidence.Ultimately, theU.S. Congress did not choose to publish new toxic

substancecontroltargets.Instead,itissuedtheEmergencyPlanningandCommunityRight-to-

KnowAct in 1986, requesting the establishmentof state emergency committees and local

emergencyplanningcommittees.

In requiring the government to establish an emergency response system, the Emergency

Planning and Community Right-to-KnowAct for the first timemandatedUS companies to

reporttheirenvironmentalreleasesofseveralhundredchemicals.Accordingtothislaw,the

annual"ToxicReleaseInventory"(TRI)shouldnotonlybereportedordigitallyprovidedtolocal

emergencycommitteesandgovernmentenvironmentalprotectiondepartments,but these

reports should also be accessible to citizen stakeholders and environmental protection

organizations.

31 The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Actmakes specific provisions concerning the

disclosureofrelevantenvironmentalinformation,andstipulatesthatenterprisesareobligatedtopubliclyprovide

thefollowinginformationontoxicsubstances:

Alocalemergencyplanningcommittee,uponrequestbyanyperson,shallmakeavailableamaterialsafetydata

sheet(MSDS)tothepersoninaccordancewiththerelevantregulations.Ifthelocalemergencyplanningcommittee

doesnothavetherequestedmaterialsafetydatasheet,thecommitteeshallrequestthesheetfromthefacility

owneroroperatorandthenmakethesheetavailabletothepersoninaccordancewithrelevantregulations.

AnypersonmayrequestaStateemergencyresponsecommissionorlocalemergencyplanningcommitteefortier

IIinformation(thechemicalnameorthecommonnameofthechemicalasprovidedonthematerialsafetydata

sheet;anestimateofthemaximumamountofthehazardouschemicalpresentatthefacilityatanytimeduring

theprecedingcalendaryear;anestimateoftheaveragedailyamountofthehazardouschemicalpresentatthe

facilityduringtheprecedingcalendaryear;abriefdescriptionofthemannerofstorageofthehazardouschemical;

thelocationatthefacilityofthehazardouschemical,etc.)relatingtotheprecedingcalendaryearwithrespectto

afacility.Anysuchrequestshallbeinwritingandshallbewithrespecttoaspecificfacility.

InthecaseoftierIIinformationwhichisnotinthepossessionofaStateemergencyresponsecommissionorlocal


SincetheestablishmentoftheTRI,experiencesharinghasplayedanimportantroleinspurring

theglobalexchangeandspreadofPRTRusage.Over50countrieshavefullyestablishedPRTR

systemsorhaveimplementedpilotprogramstotrackanddiscloseinformationaboutchemical

releases.ManymorecountriesareintheprocessofdevelopingPRTRsystems,particularlyin

SouthandCentralAmerica,orhaveexpressedsignificantinterestindevelopingPRTR.Other

multilateralinitiatives,includingthePRTRProtocoltotheAarhusConventionandtheStrategic

ApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement(SAICM),havealsopromptedgovernments

to strengthen their capacity for managing harmful chemicals including through PRTR

disclosure. For a detailed overview of the US TRI, as well as PRTR systems subsequently

developedinotherareasoftheworld,pleaserefertoAppendixII,“OverviewofPRTRSystems

Worldwide.”

emergencyplanningcommitteeandwhichiswithrespecttoahazardouschemicalwhichafacilityhasstoredinan

amountlessthan10,000poundspresentatthefacilityatanytimeduringtheprecedingcalendaryear,arequest

fromapersonmustincludethegeneralneedfortheinformation.TheStateemergencyresponsecommissionor

localemergencyplanningcommitteemayrequestthefacilityowneroroperatorforthetierIIinformationonbehalf

ofthepersonmakingtherequest.Uponreceiptofanyinformationrequestedonbehalfofsuchperson,theState

emergencyresponsecommissionorlocalemergencyplanningcommitteeshallmaketheinformationavailablein

accordancewiththerelevantregulations.AStateemergencyresponsecommissionorlocalemergencyplanning

committeeshallrespondtoarequestfortierIIinformationunderthisparagraphnolaterthan45daysafterthe

dateofreceiptoftherequest.

Anowneroroperatorofafacilityshallprovidethespecificchemicalidentity,ifknown,ofahazardouschemical,

extremelyhazardoussubstance,oratoxicchemicaltoanyhealthprofessionalwhorequestssuchinformationin

writingifthehealthprofessionalprovidesawrittenstatementofneedstatingthatthehealthprofessionalhasa

reasonablebasistosuspectthattheinformationisneededforpurposesofdiagnosisortreatmentofanindividual,

the individual or individuals being diagnosed or treated have been exposed to the chemical concerned, and

knowledgeofthespecificchemicalidentityofsuchchemicalwillassistindiagnosisortreatment.Followingsucha

written request, the owner or operator towhom such request ismade shall promptly provide the requested

informationtothehealthprofessional.Anowneroroperatorofafacilityshallprovideacopyofamaterialsafety

datasheet,aninventoryform,oratoxicchemicalreleaseform,includingthespecificchemicalidentity,ifknown,

ofahazardouschemical,extremelyhazardoussubstance,oratoxicchemical,toanytreatingphysicianornurse

whorequestssuchinformationifsuchphysicianornursedeterminesthatamedicalemergencyexists,thespecific

chemicalidentityofthechemicalconcernedisnecessaryfororwillassistinemergencyorfirst-aiddiagnosisor

treatment, and the individual or individuals being diagnosed or treated have been exposed to the chemical

concerned.

Eachemergencyresponseplan,materialsafetydatasheet,checklist,inventoryform,toxicchemicalreleaseform,

andfollowupemergencynoticeshallbemadeavailabletothegeneralpublicduringnormalworkinghoursatthe

locationorlocationsdesignatedbyrelevantagenciesandofficials.Eachlocalemergencyplanningcommitteeshall

annuallypublishanoticeinlocalnewspapersthattheemergencyresponseplan,materialsafetydatasheets,and

inventoryformshavebeensubmitted.


3. The Role of Information Disclosure &

PRTRSystems

Environmental information disclosure works in a variety of ways. In the best cases, it

encouragesbenchmarkingandmonitoringofenterpriseperformanceandcreatesaplatform

for continuous improvement. It can facilitate self-improvement forwilling enterprises and

strengthentheabilityofgovernmentregulators,localcommunities,andotherstakeholdersto

playagreaterroleinpollutionreduction.Figure3belowillustratessomeofthebenefitsof

disclosurefordifferentstakeholders.

Figure3.SignificanceofDisclosureforDifferentStakeholders

Aspart of the so-called “thirdwave”of environmental governance, informationdisclosure

standsincontrasttoother“commandandcontrol”approachestoenvironmentalinformation

disclosure. In particular, establishing systems for corporate environmental information

disclosurecanmotivatepollutingenterprisestomakesubstantialreductionstotheiremissions

andhelptoeliminaterisksposedbyharmfulemissionstowardcitizens’health.

Onetypeofstrategyforenvironmentalinformationdisclosure--ratinganddisclosuresystems

-- focuses on amalgamating performance data into ratings that the public can easily

understand and digest. The relative simplicity of these programs makes them a feasible

solution incountriesandregionsthat lackstrongregulatory institutions.However,because

disclosed information isoftenwhittleddown toa rankingorperformance summary, these

systems lack usability for other key stakeholders. This is particularly true for businesses

•Managementstartsfrommeasuring•Gobeyondcompliance

Factories&Suppliers

•Tracktheperformanceofsuppliers•Measurelifecycleimpacts

Brands

•Manageandreducetoxicandhazardoussubstances•Benchmarkandidentifybetterpollutionreductionstrategies

Industries

•Conserveenergyandreduceemissions•Needtomanagetoxics

Government

•Safeguard community“righttoknow”•Holdpollutersaccountable

GeneralPublic


themselves, who may find it difficult to use the information to set targets for practical

purposessuchasemissionsreductions.

Bycontrast,pollutantreleaseandtransferregistry(PRTR)systemsfunctionmoreorlessasa

comprehensivepollutionaccountingsystemandthereforeposebenefitsforawiderrangeof

stakeholders.APRTRsystemisanationalorregionalenvironmentaldatabaseorinventoryof

potentiallyhazardouschemicalsubstancesand/orpollutants releasedtoair,waterandsoil

and transferred off-site for treatment or disposal. According to the OECD council, PRTR

systemscontainthefollowingkeycomponents32:

Ø A listingofchemicals,groupsofchemicals,andother relevantpollutants thatare

releasedtotheenvironmentortransferredoff-site;

Ø Integratedmulti-mediareportingofreleaseandtransfers(toair,waterandland);

Ø Self-reportingbycoveredindustryorbusinesscategories;

Ø Periodicreporting(preferablyannually);and

Ø Makingdataavailabletothepublic.

PracticalApplicationsforPRTRData

PRTR systemsworldwidehave shown thatenvironmental informationdisclosure can impel

different stakeholders, such as manufacturers, governments and the public, to improve

environmentalmanagementandgovernance.

Figure4.PracticalUsesforPRTRData

32 https://prtr.unece.org/about-PRTR


ApplicationsforCorporations

The disclosure of hazardous substances information is not something that companies are

naturallywilling to accept. In the first few years after Silent Springwas published, a large

numberofchemicalemittersstronglyopposedRachelCarson’spointofview.Infact,justafter

theToxicsReleaseInventorywasannounced,theUSmediaandenvironmentalorganizations

honed in on these large companies, ranking them based on the amount of pollutants

discharged,andcreatingstrongpublicpressure.

Suchpressurealsoencouragedcompaniestotakeactiontopreventandcontrolpollution.For

example,afterthereleaseofTRIin1988,thepresidentofMonsantoCorporationpromisedto

makea90%reduction inpollutionemissionsfromitssubsidiarieswithinfiveyears.Atthat

time,itssubsidiariesthoughtthatthisgoalwouldbedifficulttoachieve,butinfact,afterfive

years, ithadreduceddischargesby95%.Thisresult in largepartcameaboutbecauseself-

determined emissions reductions are less rigid than emissions standards enforced by

government departments, thus giving companies more autonomy and allowing them to

innovatetofindsolutionsthatoptimizecosts.

In fact, many corporations adopted initiatives to voluntarily reduce their emissions. AT&T

committedtohaltingallairemissionsbytheendofthecenturyin1993.33 Dowannounced

that it planned to reduce overall emissions by 50% by 1995, and DuPont committed to

reducingairemissions60%by1993andcancer-causingcomponentsby90%bytheyear2000.

Aftertenyearsofdisclosure,emissionsof340chemicalsreportedontheTRIhaddroppedby45.5percent.34 Ofcourse,ifacompanycanimproveitsTRIranking,thiscanalsocreatea

basisforpositivepublicityandincreasethepublic’strusttowardthecompany.35

ApplicationsforGovernmentsExperiencehasshownthatthedisclosureoffactory-levelenvironmentaldatacanallowthe

public,societyandthemediatoobtainbasicinformationrequiredforpublicsupervisionand

participation,aswellasallowresearchersandscholars tocollectbaselinedataneeded for

pollution control research. Government departments can then use this data to more

accuratelygraspthestatusofhazardouschemicalreleasesandtransfers.

Forexample,afterthereleaseofthefirstToxicsReleaseInventoryintheUnitedStatesin1988,

theUSEnvironmentalProtectionAgencywasforthefirsttimetrulyabletounderstandthe

statusofcompanies’chemicalreleaseandtransfer.Atthattime,18,500companiessubmitted

reports,showingthattheyhadcollectivelydischarged10.4billionpoundsoflistedchemicals

33 https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=P1004DTB.TXT34 ReinventingEnvironmentalRegulation from theGrassrootsUp: Explaining andExpanding the Successof the

ToxicsReleaseInventory.EnvironmentalManagement,February2000,Vol.25,No.235 EnvironmentalRegulationandImpactAssessment,LeonardOrtolano,1996,p.308


in 1987,ofwhich3.9billionpoundshadentered landfills, 3.3billionpoundswere sent to

treatment plants and processing facilities. 2.7 billion pounds were released into the

atmosphere, and 550million poundswere released into bodies ofwater. This result even

caused surprise among environmental management authorities. Linda Fisher, assistant

directorof theEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyat the time,called theresult "surprising,"

"highly unacceptable," and "far in excess" of the EPA's expectations. This result was later

adjustedto7billionpoundsafterremovingcompaniesthatwerenotrequiredtoreport. 36

TheToxicsReleaseInventoryhasalsobecomeanimportantbasisforcongressionallegislation.

BasedontheinformationintheTRI,theU.S.Congresscanadoptstrictercontrolpoliciesaimed

atmajoremittersandthosethatposeaseverethreatfromhazardouschemicalsusage.Italso

enables more targeted supervision of big polluters, thus virtually increasing the cost of

pollution. Investors also use the information provided in the TRI to calculate the future

pollutioncontrolcostsofvariouscompanies.Manyinvestorshavesoldoffsomeofthetop

polluters’stocks,37 sincehighly-pollutingcompaniesarelessefficient.

TherequirementsoftheToxicsReleaseInventoryhaveevolvedovertime,38 makingitdifficult

toconductaccuratecomparisons.Consequently,theUSEPAprovidedsomecomparativedata

on the original pollutantsmeasured. Comparedwith the 1988 list of enterprises handling

hazardousmaterialsorconductingheavyindustry,emissionsfromthissamegroupwere2.616

billionpoundsin1995,2.577billionpoundsin1997,and2.371billionpoundsin2000.39 This

data clearly shows amarked decline from1988. Total emissions in 2000were 7.41 billion

pounds,adropof8percentagepointsfrom1999.

Experience fromdisclosure systems indeveloping countries, suchas the1995Program for

Pollution Control Evaluation and Rating (PROPER) in Indonesia40 and the NGO-led Green

RatingProject41 establishedinIndiain1996,havesimilarlyhelpedspuremissionsreductions,

36 EnvironmentalRegulation:Law,ScienceandPolicy,2003,RobertV.Percival,CristopherH.Schroeder,AlanS.

Miller,andJamesP.Leape,p.33737 ExercisingPropertyRightstoPollute:DoCancerRisksandPoliticsAffectPlantEmissionReductions?James

Hamilton,1999.FromEnvironmentalRegulation:Law,ScienceandPolicy,2003,RobertV.Percival,CristopherH.

Schroeder,AlanS.Miller,andJamesP.Leape�

38 Forexample,in1998,thepublicationrequirementsofenterprisesreleasinghazardoussubstanceswere

expandedtoincludeminingcompanies,allenterpriseswithcoal-firedpowerplants,companiesunderthe

“ResourcesProtectionandReuseAct”underItemC,andchemicalsolventrecyclingcompaniesinthescopeof

environmentalmanagement.Chemicalvarietieshavealsogreatlyincreased,includingtheadditionofavarietyof

persistentbioaccumulativetoxics(PBTs)in2000.Pollutantslistedonthisregisterincreasedfrom329in1988to

650in2000.

39 EnvironmentalRegulation:Law,ScienceandPolicy,2003,RobertV.Percival,CristopherH.Schroeder,AlanS.

Miller,andJamesP.Leape,p.33740 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEMPOWERMENT/Resources/14825_Indonesia_Proper-web.pdf 41 Nicholas Powers et al., “Does Disclosure Reduce Pollution? Evidence from India's Green Rating Project”,


althoughtheseprogramshavebeencritiquedforlackingdetaileddisclosureofrawdataand

other factors. Still, evidence of positive results underscores that disclosure poses benefits

acrossboththedevelopedanddevelopingworldalike.

ApplicationsforNGOsandMedia

Althoughpoliciesanddataplayacrucialroleinmanagingchemicals,theyalonecannotsolve

theproblem.Effectivechangealsorequiresmotivatingpeopleandbusinessestosustainably

changetheirbehavior. IncountrieswhereeffectivePRTRsystemsforcorporateinformation

disclosurehavebeenestablished,NGOsandmediahaveleverageddisclosedinformationto

pressure corporations to reduce their emissions and release and transfer of hazardous

materials.

Shortly after the first TRI was released, the U.S. media and environmental organizations

exposedcompanieswiththelargestdischargesoftoxicsubstances,forcingthepublictopay

attentiontothesemassivepolluters.OnAugust1,1989,USATodaypublishedthe"TheToxic

500"acrossafulltwo-pagespread.ThelistusedtheTRItodeterminethe500countiesinthe

U.S.mostpollutedbyindustrialchemicals.TheNationalWildlifeFederationpublishedabook

thatexposed500oftheworld'slargesttoxics-emittingcompaniesthatrelease39knownor

possiblecarcinogens.TheNaturalResourcesDefenseCouncil(NRDC)alsousedthedatafrom

theTRItoproduceits“Who’sWhoofAmericanToxicAirPolluters,”exposing1,500companies

withmajoremissions. 42

CaseStudy:Scorecard

Perhapsoneofthemostwell-knownandeffectiveexamplesofNGOadvocacyis“Scorecard”

(www.scorecard.org),awebsite launchedinApril1998byanAmericanenvironmentalNGO

calledtheEnvironmentalDefenseFund(EDF).Thewebsiteactsasafreeinformationportalfor

thepublicaboutenvironmentalandhealthrisksfromhazardoussubstancesandpollutants.

Scorecardaimstoexposethosecompanieswiththeworstpollutionrecordsinordertopush

forimprovements.Amongmanyfeatures,thewebsitefeaturesazipcodesearchfunction,“Zip

toYourCommunity,”thatprovidestailoredinformationaboutindividualcommunities,making

the “local environment as easy to check on as the local weather.”43 Thus, part of the

effectivenessofScorecardistheplatform’sabilitytotranslatecomplexinformationintoauser-

friendlyandsearchableformthatdifferentstakeholderscouldeasilyaccessandunderstand.

AnanalysisconductedbyEDFfiveyearsafterthelaunchofScorecardfoundthatreleasesof

cancer-causingindustrialpollutantsfellby20%in2001,whilethosepollutantslinkedtobirth

defectsanddevelopmentalissuesfellby24%.Furthermore,theTRIloweredthethresholdfor

Environmental&ResourceEconomics,50(1):131-155(2011).42 EnvironmentalRegulation:Law,ScienceandPolicy,2003,RobertV.Percival,CristopherH.Schroeder,AlanS.

Miller,andJamesP.Leape,p.48543 http://scorecard.goodguide.com/about/txt/history.html


lead reporting,whichgreatly increased relevantdata showing leadpollutionand revealing

that lead pollution was more widespread than previously believed. According to Dr. John

Balbus, thedirectorofEDF’senvironmentalhealthprogramat the time, “Themorepeople

knowaboutthehealthriskstheyfacethemorepressuretheindustrywillfeeltoreduceharmful

chemicalsorreplacethemwithsaferones.”44

Inaddition,disclosurecanfacilitatedirectactionbyNGOsandmediaagainstpolluters.For

example, after the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MassPIRG) identified

Raytheonasthestate’sbiggestemitterofchlorofluorocarbons(CFCs)andmethylchloroform,

MassPIRG pressured Raytheon into committing to using water-based alternatives. 45 In

another example, Syntex Chemicals Corporation in Boulder, Colorado eventually signed a

pledgetoreduceitstoxicemissionslevelsby50%between1991and1994.Infact,through

1998,over800TRIblacklistshadappearedinnewspapersandmagazines,leadingnotonlyto

promisesfromcompaniesbutalsoconcreteemissionsreductions.

The EPA’s July 2013 report, “The Toxics Release Inventory in Action:Media, Government,

Business,CommunityandAcademicUsesofTRIData”46 outlinessomeof themore recent

effortsofthird-partystakeholderstoapplyTRIdataasameansofpushingforenvironmental

improvementsandprotectingpublichealth.Thereport’sappendiceslistexamplesofmedia

coverage directly drawing on the TRI for such purposes as assessing workplace safety,

campaigningforenvironmentalpolicy,outreachandeducation,andalsooutlinesarangeof

toolscreatedbybothgovernmentandothernon-governmentalorganizationswiththeaimof

makingtheinformationintheTRImoreaccessibleandmoreapplicable.

44 https://www.edf.org/news/environmental-defense-still-shining-bright-light-polluting-companies45 “ReinventingEnvironmentalRegulationfromtheGrassrootsUp:ExplainingandExpandingtheSuccessofthe

ToxicsReleaseInventory.”ArchonFungandDaraO’Rourke,EnvironmentalManagement,2000.46 https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/toxics-release-inventory-action-media-government-

business


4. Global Policy Framework for Chemicals

Management

Beginningwiththemovementtoenshrineenvironmentalpoliciesintolawinthe1960’sand

1970’s, there has been a growing international consensus toward the importance of

informationtransparencyandpublicparticipationinenvironmentalprotection.Asignificant

milestoneinternationallycamein1992,whenover170countriesratifiedtheRioDeclaration

on Environment and Development, which includes clauses concerning citizen access to

environmental information and the concept of the public’s environmental “right-to-know.”

Article10oftheRioDeclarationstipulates:

Environmentalissuesarebesthandledwithparticipationofallconcernedcitizens,attherelevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access toinformation concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, includinginformation on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and theopportunity to participate in decision-making processes. States shall facilitate andencouragepublicawarenessandparticipationbymaking informationwidelyavailable.

Effectiveaccesstojudicialandadministrativeproceedings,includingredressandremedy,

shallbeprovided.47

Whilenational-andregional-levelpoliciesimprovelocalchemicalsmanagement,globalpolicy

frameworks help to further high-level management priorities. Below, we examine recent

progressintheglobalpushforimprovedchemicalsmanagementandspecificallymanagement

ofadverseimpactsstemmingfromtheelectronicsindustry.

AarhusConvention

TheConventiononAccesstoInformation,PublicParticipationinDecisionMakingandAccess

toJusticeonEnvironmentalMatters(theAarhusConvention)wasadoptedonJune25,1998,

attheFourthMinisterialConferenceoftheUNEconomicCommissionforEurope.TheAarhus

Conventionmakesclearstipulationsforenterprisesoninformationdisclosureasrelatedtothe

environmental right-to-know for hazardous wastes: “Each Party shall encourage operators

whoseactivitieshaveasignificantimpactontheenvironmenttoinformthepublicregularly

of theenvironmental impactof theiractivitiesandproducts,whereappropriatewithinthe

frameworkofvoluntaryeco-labellingoreco-auditingschemesorbyothermeans.”

Italso requiresconsumerprotectionof the right toenvironmentalknowledge:“EachParty

shalldevelopmechanismswithaviewtoensuringthatsufficientproductinformationismade

availabletothepublicinamannerwhichenablesconsumerstomakeinformedenvironmental

choices.”

47 http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/RIO_E.PDF


TheConventionemphasizestheimportanceofestablishingapollutioninventorysystemand

opening it to thepublic: “EachParty shall take steps toestablishprogressively, taking into

account international processes where appropriate, a coherent, nationwide system of

pollution inventories or registers on a structured, computerized and publicly accessible

database compiled through standardized reporting. Such a system may include inputs,

releasesandtransfersofaspecifiedrangeofsubstancesandproducts,includingwater,energy

andresourceuse,fromaspecifiedrangeofactivitiestoenvironmentalmediaandtoon-site

andoffsitetreatmentanddisposalsites.”

StrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement(SAICM)

Mostsignificantlyforhazardouschemicals,theStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicals

Management(hereinafterreferredtoastheSAICM) isapolicy frameworkwhichpromotes

and advances global chemical safety objectives. SAICM was adopted by a consensus of

environmentministers,healthministersandotherdelegates frommore thanonehundred

governmentsattheInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagement(ICCM1) inDubai,

UnitedArabEmirates,onFebruary6,2006.48

SAICMaimstosupporttheachievementofoneofthegoalsofthe2002JohannesburgWorld

SummitonSustainableDevelopmentthatseekstominimizetheadverseeffectsofchemical

productionandusageonhumanhealthandtheenvironment.Itsimplementationhassince

helpedguidethedevelopmentofgovernmentandcorporatepoliciesonchemicalsandwaste

managementacrosstheglobe.

InadoptingSAICM,governmentsandotherparticipants in the ICCMagreedthat improved

measures are needed to prevent harmful effects of chemicals on the health of children,

pregnant women, fertile populations, the elderly, the poor, workers and other vulnerable

groups and susceptible environments. They noted that some progress has been made in

chemicalsmanagement,butdeclaredthatprogresshasnotbeensufficientglobally,andthat

theenvironmentworldwidecontinuestosufferfromair,waterandlandcontaminationthat

impairsthehealthandwelfareofmillions.SAICMiscomprisedofthreecoretexts:theDubai

DeclarationonInternationalChemicalsManagement,SAICMOverarchingPolicyStrategyand

theSAICMGlobalPlanofAction.TheSAICMSecretariatisbasedintheGenevaofficeofthe

UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme(or“UNEnvironment,”formerlyreferredtoasUNEP).

The Dubai Declaration delineates high-level political commitments to the SAICM. The

Overarching Policy Strategy outlines the scope, needs, objectives, financial considerations

underlyingprinciplesandapproaches,andimplementationandreviewarrangements.Itskey

objectives comprise five overarching areas: risk reduction; knowledge and information;

governance;capacity-buildingandtechnicalcooperation;andillegalinternationaltraffic.

48 http://www.saicm.org/About/SAICMOverview/tabid/5522/language/en-US/Default.aspx


ElectronicsPollutionasanEmergingPolicyIssue

TheSAICMservesasaplatformtodrawattentiontoemergingpolicyissues(EPI)andissuesof

concernwhichmayhavesignificantadverseeffectsonhumanhealthand/ortheenvironment

andtocallforunifiedandcoordinatedactiontowardtheseareas.OneofSAICM’semerging

policyissuesfocuseson“hazardoussubstanceswithinthelifecycleofelectricalandelectronic

products”(sometimesreferredtoasHSLEEP).In2011,theSecretariatoftheBaselConvention,

the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), on behalf of the

participatingorganizationsoftheInter-OrganizationProgrammefortheSoundManagement

ofChemicals,andtheSecretariatoftheStockholmConventionheldaninternationalworkshop

onhazardoussubstanceswithinthelife-cycleofelectricalandelectronicproductsatUNIDO

headquartersinVienna.Themeetingincluded32governments,theelectronicsindustry,and

publicinterestNGOs.

Consensusagreementwasreachedonaseriesofrecommendationsfortheupstream(design),

midstream(production)anddownstream(waste)partsoftheelectronicslifecycle,includinga

number of recommendations concerning information disclosure and availability. The

recommendationsforthemidstreampartofthelifecycleprovideabasisforNGOsandother

actors to launch voluntary efforts promoting disclosure of information about hazardous

chemicalsandotherrelatedpollutants.

As part of the SAICMprocess,UN agencies convened ameeting inMarch 2011 in Vienna

focusingonhazardoussubstanceswithinthelifecycleofelectricalandelectronicproducts.

Themeetingincluded32governments(includingChina),theelectronicsindustry,andasmall

groupofpublicinterestNGOs.Anumberoftheoutcomesoftheworkinggroupsspecifically

mention the role of non-governmental organizations in supporting implementation of the

SAICM and/or the importance of transparency regarding hazardous chemicals. One of the

recommendations specifically focuses on promoting the development of PRTR disclosure

systems:

Information: 18) Governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental

organizations including the producers and manufacturers and others shouldformulate,promote,andimplementlegislativeaswellasvoluntaryinitiativestoadopt and implement Pollutant Release and Transfer Registries (PRTR).Governments that have not yet ratified the Aarhus Convention on Access to

Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in

EnvironmentalMattersareencouragedtodoso.49

49 UNIDO,BaselConvention,StockholmConvention(2011)Internationalworkshoponhazardoussubstances

withinthelife-cycleofelectricalandelectronicproducts,29-31March2011

http://old.saicm.org/images/saicm_documents/iccm/ICCM3/Meeting%20documents/INF%20Documents/ICCM3

_INF24_Report%20e-waste%20workshop.pdf


In2012,atthe3rdsessionoftheInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagement(ICCM3),

morethan100governmentsencouragedimplementationoftheViennarecommendationson

hazardoussubstancesinelectronics.ICCM3decidedtocontinuefurtherworkondeveloping

bestpracticeresourcesincludingdevelopmentofdesignsthatreduceandeliminatetheuse

of hazardous chemicals in production; business standards and practices for tracking and

disclosing the presence of hazardous chemicals in themanufacturing, use and end-of-life

stages of electrical and electronic products; tools and information on potential safer

substitutes for chemicals of concern; green purchasing strategies; extended producerresponsibilitypoliciesofbusinessesandgovernments;andprovisionalstrategiesandactions

indesignandmanufacturingthatshouldbeimplementeduntileliminationispossibleorsafer

substitutesareavailable.50

ICCM3alsoaddednewactivitiesonhazardoussubstancesinelectronicstotheSAICMGlobal

PlanofAction.51 Theseactivitiesincludeworkareasongreendesign,environmentallysound

manufacturing of e-products, and awareness-raising. The awareness-raising work area

activities are to promote awareness, information, education and communication for all

relevantstakeholdersalongthesupplychainofhazardouschemicalswiththelife-cycleofe-

products.

AtICCM4in2015,morethan100governmentsreiteratedthecallforimplementationofthe

Vienna recommendations on hazardous substances in electronics. The resolution included

meaningful engagement of all stakeholders to promote advocacy, awareness, information,

educationandcommunicationabouthazardouschemicalsine-products;encouragingoriginal

equipment manufacturers to develop and implement take-back programs; facilitating

implementation of procurement initiatives that favor improved safety and sustainability;

encouraging original equipment manufacturers to collect and provide health and safety

information to workers on chemicals they handle or are exposed to; and encouraging

stakeholderstoimplementtheSAICMchemicalsinproductsprogrammetoprovideaccessto

informationonhazardouschemicalsinthelifecycleofe-products.52

50 UNEP(2012)Hazardoussubstanceswithinthelifecycleofelectricalandelectronicproducts,III/2Emerging

PolicyIssues,ReportoftheInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagementontheworkofitsthirdsession,

SAICM/ICCM.3/24

51 UNEP(2012)AnnexIII.Inclusionofnewactivitiesrelatingtotheenvironmentallysoundmanagementof

nanotechnologiesandmanufacturednanomaterialsandhazardoussubstanceswithinthelife-cycleofelectrical

andelectronicproductsintheGlobalPlanofActionoftheStrategicApproach;ReportoftheInternational

ConferenceonChemicalsManagementontheworkofitsthirdsession,SAICM/ICCM.3/2452 UNEP(2015)Hazardoussubstanceswithinthelifecycleofelectricalandelectronicproducts,IV/2Emerging

PolicyIssues,ReportoftheInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagementontheworkofitsfourthsession,

SAICM/ICCM.4/15


5. BuildingaPRTRinChina:Progress&Gaps

Overthepastdecade,Chinahasintroducedmanyrules,regulationsandmeasurestogreatly

expandthedisclosureofenvironmentalinformation.However,progresstodatehasfocused

on disclosure of government environmental information and the disclosure of corporate

monitoringinformationonconventionalpollutants.Thedisclosureoffactory-levelinformation

onhazardouschemicalsisstillverylimited.

ChinaStrivestoPromoteCorporateEnvironmentalInformationDisclosure

As early as in 2008, China’s State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) – which later

becametheMinistryofEnvironmentalProtection(MEP)andwasupgradedintothecurrent

Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) in March 2018 – released the Measures on

Environmental Information Disclosure (Trial). The Measures encourage enterprises to

voluntarily publish data on pollutant type, quantity, concentration and transfer, aswell as

waste treatment and recycling. Article 20 requires enterprises whose pollution discharge

exceeds national or local emission standards or total discharge control targets to openly

publish the aforementioned environmental information, and accepts no excuses on the

pretextof“commercialsecrets.”

Figure5.MilestonesinChina’sEnvironmentalInformationDisclosureLegislation

Sixyearsafterthisfirstmoveonenvironmentalinformationtransparency,theMEPissuedthe

MeasuresonSelf-MonitoringandInformationDisclosureforKeyState-MonitoredEnterprises

(Trial), which require over 14,000 large industrial emitters to publish their real-time and

manualmonitoringdata,monitoringplans,aswellasannualdischargereportstothepublic

via theplatformsofprovincialorcity-levelenvironmentalprotectionbureaus.Eventhough

this policy resulted only in the public release of information on conventional pollution

parameters such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), sulfur

dioxide(SO2),nitrogenoxides(NOx)andparticulatematters(PM),itcreatedasystemthatis

still the first of its kindworldwide, reflecting theChinese government’s innovation toward

environmentalinformationtransparency.


Inadditiontothis,theMeasuresonEnvironmentalInformationDisclosureforEnterprisesand

PublicInstitutions,whichwentintoeffectonJanuary1,2015,marksanothersignificantstep

towardsenvironmentalinformationdisclosureinChina.Figure6illustratesthetwostepsby

which key pollution-discharging entities are required to disclose their environmental

information.

Figure6.TwoStepstoEnvironmentalInformationDisclosure

ThiscanbeseenasaconcreteimplementationworkplanfollowingtheintroductionofChina’s

newEnvironmentalProtectionLaw(EPL),whichwentintoeffectonJanuary1,2015.Article

55ofthe“newEPL”stipulatesthatkeypollution-dischargingentitiesshalltruthfullydisclose

tothepublicthenamesoftheirkeypollutants,mannerofdischarge,dischargeconcentration

andtotalvolume,statusofwhetheremissionsexceededlimits,aswellastheconstructionand

operation status of pollution prevention and control facilities, and [shall] accept societal

supervision. The 2016-2017 PITI assessment found53 that 230 of the 338 prefecture-level

citieshadreleasedtheirlistofkeylocalpollution-dischargingentitiesin2016.

53 http://www.ipe.org.cn/reports/Reports.aspx?cid=18336&year=0&key


InJune2017,theLegislativeAffairsOfficeoftheStateCouncilreleasedtheRegulationsofthe

People’sRepublicofChinaontheDisclosureofGovernment Information(RevisedDraft for

Comment),whichestablishestheprincipleof“disclosureasthenorm,andnon-disclosureas

theexception.”TheStateCouncilalsoreleasedSeveralOpinionsoftheGeneralOfficeofthe

StateCouncilonStrengtheningtheServiceforandSupervisionofMarketSubjectsbyApplying

BigData,whichproposestheestablishmentofaunifiedinformationdisclosureplatformfor

industry.Thisprospectispromising,butrealizingthisgoalwillrequiresignificanteffort.

Tofurtheradvanceenvironmentalinformationdisclosureofenterprisesandpublicinstitutions,

andtoimproveflexibilityandpracticality,China’sMEPrevisedtheMeasuresonEnvironmental

InformationDisclosureforEnterprisesandPublicInstitutions(MEPOrderNo.31)andreleased

the draft revisions for public comment through September 18, 2017.54 Thedraft revisions

stipulatethattheMEPestablishanintegratedenvironmentalinformationdisclosureplatform

forenterprisesandpublicinstitutions.Theyalsorequirethatkeypollution-dischargingentities

installautomaticmonitoringequipmentandconnecttheirmonitoringdatawiththeintegrated

MEP platform to be disclosed in real-time. MEP shall develop unified criteria for the

formulationofdirectoriesofkeypollution-dischargingentities.

The2016-2017PollutionInformationTransparencyIndex(PITI)assessmentresultsshowthat

Chinastillhasyettoestablishaunifiedplatformandimpelpollutant-dischargingentitiesto

disclosesuchenvironmentalinformationtothepublic.

InformationDisclosureinChina’sManagementofHazardousChemicals

Asillustratedabove,China’stenyearsofeffortstowardleveraginginformationdisclosureasa

meansofpollutioncontrolhavebeencontinuouslystrengthened.However,theseeffortshave

mainly focusedonconventionalpollutionparameters,while largelyoverlooking the roleof

persistentandaccumulativepollutantsthatdirectlythreatenhumanhealth.

Thecontrolofhazardouschemicals inChina ismainlycarriedout throughmanagementof

weixian huaxuepin, which is sometimes translated as “hazardous chemicals” but actually

translatesmore accurately as “dangerous chemicals.” According to the Regulations on the

Safety Administration of Dangerous Chemicals, weixian huaxuepin refers to highly toxic

chemicals and other chemicals that are toxic, corrosive, explosive, flammable, and

combustible,andthatareharmfultohumans,facilities,andtheenvironment.China'scurrent

CatalogueofHazardousChemicalslists2,828substancesthataresupervisedthroughsafety

productionlicenses.

Since2013,Chinahasissuedanumberofpoliciesaimingtoincreasetheleveloftransparency

offacilitiesengaginginhazardouschemicalproduction,storage,transferandtreatmentasa

meansofenablinggovernmental andpublic supervisiononhazardous chemicalsdischarge

andreducingthepotentialrisksposedtothesurroundingenvironmentandcommunities.

54 http://hjj.mep.gov.cn/dtxx/201708/t20170818_420023.shtml


Figure7.ListofPoliciesandConventionsonHazardousSubstanceManagement

Signedand/orIssuedbyChina

Regulation Issuedby Time Highlights

1 BaselConventionon

theControlof

Transboundary

Movementof

HazardousWastes

andTheirDisposal

SignedonMarch22,1990by

theChinesegovernment;went

intoeffectinChinaonMay5,

1992

Aimstoprotecthumanhealth

andtheenvironmentagainst

adverseeffectscausedbythe

production,transferanddisposal

ofhazardouswastes.

2 Regulationonthe

Environmental

Managementofthe

FirstImportof

Chemicalsandthe

ImportandExport

ofToxicChemicals

FormerSEPA,

General

Administration

ofCustoms,

former

Ministryof

ForeignTrade

andEconomic

Cooperation

PublishedonMarch16,1994;

onJuly6,2007,theregulation

wasreviewedandrevisedbythe

formerSEPA;atitssecond

meetingin2007,Articles9,10,

11weredeletedasaresult

Regulatesenvironmental

managementofthefirstimport

ofchemicalsandtheimportand

exportoftoxicchemicals.

3 Rotterdam

Conventiononthe

PriorInformed

ConsentProcedure

forCertain

Hazardous

Chemicalsand

Pesticidesin

InternationalTrade

SignedonAugust24,1999by

theChinesegovernment;went

intoeffectinChinaonJune20,

2005


andtheenvironment,including

thehealthofconsumersand

workers,fromthepotential

harmfuleffectsofcertain

hazardouschemicalsand

pesticidesininternationaltrade.

4 Stockholm

Conventionon

PersistentOrganic

Pollutants(and

related

amendments)

SignedbytheChinese

governmentonMay23,2001;

wentintoeffectinChinaon

November11,2004


andtheenvironment,taking

measurestoeliminateand/or

restricttheproductionanduseof

persistentorganicpollutants

(POPs).


5 Regulationsonthe

Safety

Administrationof

Dangerous

Chemicals

Orderofthe

StateCouncil

(No.591)

AnnouncedbytheStateCouncil

(No.344)onJanuary26,2002;

amendedatthe144thexecutive

meetingoftheStateCouncilon

February16,2011;cameinto

forceonDecember1,2011

Thepersonnelchieflyinchargeof

theunitsthatproduce,store,

management,use,andtransport

dangerouschemicalsanddispose

ofwastedangerouschemicals

(hereinafterreferredtoasthe

dangerouschemicalunits)shall

befullyresponsibleforthesafety

managementofdangerous

chemicalsintheirunits.Relevant

departmentsengagedinsafety

supervisionandmanagementon

production,storage,use,

operationandtransportationof

dangerouschemicalsshallfulfill

theirduties.

6 ListofPriority

Chemicalsforthe

Preventionand

Controlof

EnvironmentalRisks

(aspartofthe12th

Five–Year-Plan,

2010-2015)

Former

Ministryof

Environmental

Protection

(MEP)

WentintoeffectonFebruary7,

2013

Prioritizesgroupsofchemicals,

enterprisesandregionstobe

controlledfortheir

environmentalrisks.

7 Measuresonthe

Environmental

Managementand

Registrationof

Hazardous

Chemicals(Trial)

(andrelated

supporting

documents)

FormerMEP WentintoforceonMarch1,

2013;repealedonJuly13,2016

Clarifiestherequirementsof

environmentalmanagement

registrationandinformation

disclosurefortheproductionof

hazardouschemicals,andclarifies

theenvironmentalmanagement

registrationrequirementsfor

importandexportofhazardous

chemicalslistedintheCatalogue

ofHazardousChemicalsstrictly

restrictedinChina.

8 Inventoryof

EnterpriseRisk

Assessmentfor

Environmental

Incident(Trial)

FormerMEP WentintoeffectonApril3,2014 Specifieschemicalsubstances

andtheirthresholdquantitiesfor

enterprisetoidentifyandassess

environmentalrisksinthecaseof

incidents.


9 CatalogueofPriority

Hazardous

Chemicalsfor

Environmental

Management

FormerMEP PublishedonApril4,2014;

repealedbytheStateofCouncil

onJuly13,2016

Listsinformationonpersistent,

bioaccumulativeandtoxic

chemicalsthatrequirelong-term


10 Catalogueof

Hazardous

Chemicals

(2015Edition)

SWAS(with9

ministries)

WentintoeffectonFebruary27,

2015

Providesalistof2828hazardous

chemicalsandinformationabout

theirtoxicity.

11 NationalCatalogue

ofHazardous

Wastes

FormerMEP,

NDRC

WentintoeffectonAugust1,

2016

Listsnationalhazardouswaste

categories,industrysources,code

andhazardouscharacteristics,

andhazardouswasteexemption

managementlists

12 Minamata

Conventionon

Mercury

CameintoeffectinChinaon

August16,2017

Aimstoprotectthehumanhealth

andtheenvironmentfrom

anthropogenicemissionsand

releasesofmercuryandmercury

compounds.

13 WaterPollution

Preventionand

ControlLaw

Orderofthe

President(No.

70)

WentintoeffectonJanuary1,

2018

Enterprises,institutions,other

producersandoperatorswith

toxicandhazardouswater

pollutantsdischarge,shall

monitorthesewageoutletsand

thesurroundingenvironment,

assessenvironmentalrisks,and

discloseinformationontoxicand

hazardouswaterpollutants.

14 InventoryofStrictly

RestrictedToxic

ChemicalsinChina

(2018)

FormerMEP,

Departmentof

Commerce,

General

Administration

ofCustoms

WentintoeffectonJanuary1,

2018

Entitiesthattouchuponanyof

thetentypesoftoxicchemicals

listedintheinventoryshallapply

totheMEP(MEE)forClearance

NotificationofEnvironmental

ManagementonImport/Export

ofToxicChemicals.Importersand

exportersshallsubmitClearance

NotificationtoCustomsand

handleimportandexport

formalities.


ThecruxofthesepoliciesistheMeasuresontheEnvironmentalManagementandRegistration

ofHazardousChemicals(Trial),whichwentintoeffectonMarch1,2013.Article22ofthese

Measures stipulates that enterprises that produce and use hazardous chemicals shall in

January of each year publish an annual report on the environmental management of

hazardouschemicals,disclose to thepublic thestatusof the typesofhazardouschemicals

produced and used during the previous year, harmful characteristics, relevant pollutant

discharge and accident information, and measures for pollution prevention and control.

Meanwhile,enterprisesproducingandusingpriorityhazardouschemicalsforenvironmental

managementshallstillpublishinformationonthetransferandreleaseofpriorityhazardous

chemicalsforenvironmentalmanagementandcharacteristicpollutants,aswellasmonitoring

results.

Inspiteofitspioneeringmovetowardsrequiringpublicationoffacility-levelinformationon

thetransferandreleaseofpriorityhazardouschemicals, thispieceof legislationhadnever

beenseriouslyimplementedbeforeitwasannulledinJuly2016.Shortlyafterwards,theState

Council released the Hazardous Chemicals Safety Comprehensive Management Plan in

November2016toincreasethelevelofhazardouschemicalssafetymanagement.Notably,the

newlegislationemphasizessafetyregulationinformationonthemanagementofhazardous

chemicals,whichincludes:

- Optimizingthehazardouschemicalregistrymechanism;

- Constructinganationalhazardouschemicalsupervisioninformationsharingplatform;

and

- Buildinganationalpublic serviceplatform forhazardous chemical safetyonwhich

informationrelatedtoregisteredhazardouschemicalsistobepublished.

All three platforms were slated to reach initial implementation by March 2018 and will

continuetobeoptimizedthroughOctober2019.SinceChinastilllacksacentralizeddisclosure

platformforhazardouschemicals,theimplementationofthesepoliciesmayhelpclosethis

gapandaddressurgentconcerns.However,notuntiltheseplatformsarefullyimplemented

willwebeabletoassesstheireffectivenessandwhetherornottheirimplementationscope

is adequate to address current concerns with lack of mandatory disclosure on hazardous

chemicals.

DisclosureofChemicalsisCrucialtoWaterandSoilPollutionPrevention

Oncecontaminated,soilandgroundwaterareverydifficulttorestore.Toxicandhazardous

substances,includingheavymetalsandpersistentorganicmatters,cancauseseriousandlong-

term damage. A PRTR system is therefore especially important for preventing controlling

pollutionfromhazardoussubstancestosoilandgroundwaterbecauseittacklespollutionat

thesource.

Article32ofamendmentstoChina’sWaterPollutionPreventionandControlLawthatwent

intoeffectonJanuary1,2018requiresthepublicationofalistoftoxicandhazardouswater

pollutants. The same article of the amended law also stipulates, “Enterprises, public


institutions and other producers and operators that discharge toxic and hazardous water

pollutants on the aforementioned list shall carry out monitoring, environmental risk

assessment,andinspectionofhiddenenvironmentalandsafetyrisksatdischargepointsand

their surroundingenvironments,aswellasdisclose informationabout toxicandhazardous

waterpollutantsandadopteffectivemeasurestoprotectagainstenvironmentalhazards.”As

legislationpassedbytheNationalPeople’sCongress,thenewWaterLawthusprovidesahigh-

levellegislativebasisforthedisclosureoftoxicsubstancesreleasedintowater.

AlsoencouragingisthatthefirstpublicdraftofChina’spendingSoilPollutionPreventionand

ControlLaw,releasedtothepublicin2017,alsostipulatesrequirementsconcerningdisclosure

of key toxic and harmful substances in soil. Article 18 of the draft law requires for

environmentalauthoritiesto“announceadirectoryofkeytoxicandharmfulsubstancesinsoil,

andupdatethisasappropriate,”whileArticle19requiresthepublicationof“adirectoryofkey

industriesforsoilpollutionsupervisionandthecorrespondingmanagementmeasures,onthe

basisofthedirectoryoftoxicandtheenvironmentalimpactoftheproduction,use,storage,

transport,recycling,anddisposalofsoilpollutants.”

Article20ofthedraftSoilPollutionPreventionandControlLawbuildsonthisbystipulating

requirementsforthoseenterprisesdesignatedforsoilpollutionsupervisionandmanagement:

Article20 Thecompetentdepartmentofenvironmentalprotectionofprovincialpeople'sgovernmentsshall

developandpublishalistofenterprisesforkeysoilpollutionsupervisionandmanagementintheadministrative

regiononthebasisofthedirectoryofindustriesforkeysoilpollutionregulation,thedistributionofindustrialand

miningenterprises,andthestateofpollutantemissions,andupdateitasappropriate.

Enterprisesincludedinthelistoftheprecedingparagraphshallperformthefollowingobligations:

(1)Controltheemissionsoftoxicandharmfulsubstances;

(2)prevent leakage,seepage,oftoxicandharmfulsubstances, scatteringanddispersionof toxicandharmful

substances;

(3)Formulateandimplementanannualmonitoringplanning;

(4)Reportontheannualemissionsandtransferenceoftoxicandharmfulsubstancestotheenvironment.

Theobligationsprovidedforintheprecedingparagraphshallbeindicatedinrelevantlicensessuchasdischarge

permits,permitsforthedisposalofdomesticwaste,andpermitsforthedisposalofconstructionwaste.

Thecompetentdepartmentsforenvironmentalprotectionofprovincialpeople'sgovernmentshallperiodically

conductmonitoringofthesoilsurroundingkeysupervisionandmanagemententerprises,andusethemonitoring

resultsasthebasis forenvironmental lawenforcementandriskearlywarnings,andpromptlyuploadit tothe

nationalsoilenvironmentalinformationplatform.


UnliketherequirementsoftheWaterPollutionandPreventionLawfor"disclosinginformation

ontoxicandhazardouswaterpollutants,"theSoilPollutionPreventionandControlLaw(Draft)

requires"reportingoftheannualreleaseandtransferoftoxicandhazardoussubstancesto

theenvironment,"buthasnotclarifiedwhetherrelevantreportsshallbepubliclydisclosed.

EffortstoImplementDisclosurePoliciesinChina

Given the severity of pollution in China from hazardous substances and the fact that

management and control cannot wait, some local governments and NGOs in China have

carriedoutseveralprojectstopilottheestablishmentofaPRTRsystem.

TianjinTEDA’sPilotPRTRSystem

In2009,Tianjin’sEconomicandTechnologyDevelopmentArea(TEDA)firstannouncedthat

theareawoulddiscloseenterpriseenvironmentalinformation.Fouryearslater,in2013,the

TEDA Eco Center, TEDA’s Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB), the Institute of Public &

EnvironmentalAffairs(IPE),andSweden’sInternationalInstituteforIndustrialEnvironmental

Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University co-implemented the “EU-China Environmental

GovernanceProgramme:DevelopingaPilotRegionalPollutantReleaseandTransferRegister

inTianjinBinhaiNewArea,China,”withtheplanofdrawingontheEuropeanUnion’srelevant

experienceandmanagementexpertisetoimplementaPRTRsystemwithinTEDA.

The program encouraged the enterprises in TEDA to voluntarily disclose environmental

information, improve their environmental management strategies, and reduce pollutant

emissions.Partoftheaimsoftheprojectweretoserveasapilotprojectfortheestablishment

of a nationwide PRTR disclosure system that could strengthen information disclosure and

safeguardthepublic’senvironmentalright-to-know.

Figure8.TEDAPromotionMechanismforPRTR

Source:ExaminingBusinessPerceptionsofaPollutantReleaseandTransferRegisterinChina,

ACaseStudyinTianjinEconomic-TechnologicalDevelopmentArea


Asof2015,thenumberofenterprisesdisclosinginformationonpollutionandpollutantshad

increasedfromaninitialnumberof29enterprisesin2013to129enterprisesin2015.These

participatingenterprisesregularlypublishedenvironmentalinformationdisclosurereportsto

informthepublicaboutthedischargeandtransferofprimarypollutantsandcharacteristic

pollutants.Oneof themajor lessons learned from theproject is that the corporate sector

requires significant training and guidance due to a lack of general understanding about

environmentalinformationdisclosure.

Sincethepilotprojectconcludedin2015,however,theprojectwebsitehasnotbeenupdated

withanynewdata.55 Still,theprojectdemonstratesthatPRTRdisclosureinChinaisfeasible,

anditsworkingmodelcouldpotentiallybereplicatedinothereconomicdevelopmentareas

and/orindustrialparksinChinaasameansoftrainingenterprisesonhowtosystematically

measuresemissionsandcomprehensivelydisclosePRTRdata.

NGOandMediaAdvocacy

Pollution reduction results due to NGO and media advocacy based on corporate

environmental information disclosure pose implications for the Chinese context. Because

environmental information disclosure in China has traditionally emphasized corporate

disclosureonly for those entities that are out of complianceor exceed certain thresholds,

corporations regularly and easily flout disclosure requirements by simply not disclosing

information in what amounts to an “innocent until proven guilty” fashion. For example,

accordingtoKer,56 “A2009Greenpeacestudyontheimplementationofmandatorycorporate

informationdisclosurefoundthatnoneofthe500FortuneGlobalandthe100FortuneChina

companiesfoundtobeinviolationofpollutantdischargestandardsdisclosedenvironmental

informationwithintherequiredperiodof30days.”

Although some provinces, such as Jiangsu and Inner Mongolia, have experimented with

“GreenWatch” programs that assign enterprises color-coded environmental ratings, these

initiativesarestillgovernment-ledandonlycontainsummarydata,sotheir implicationsfor

NGO, media and other third-party advocacy is limited. Without compulsory disclosure of

hazardouschemicalsinformation,environmentalorganizationscanonlychoosetoadvocate

forvoluntarydisclosurefromenterprises.Andwheninformationdisclosureisvoluntary,itis

difficulttoexertpressureviarankings,becausecompaniesthatdiscloseoftheirownwillmay

receiveadditionalpressure,whilecompaniesthatrefusetodisclosewillnotbeexposed.To

solvethisproblem,itisnecessaryforinformationonhazardouschemicalsbemadepublicand

toseverelypunishcompaniesthatrefusetodisclose.

55 http://prtr.ecoteda.org/ 56 Ker,Michelle.“GettingDowntoBusiness:DeepeningEnvironmentalTransparencyinChina.”TheSolutions

Journal.2014.Vol.5,No.4.


IPE’sPRTRDisclosurePlatform

Sinceitsestablishmentin2006,IPEhasoperatedtheBlueMapDatabase(previouslyreferred

toas the“ChinaPollutionMapDatabase”),whichcollectspublicly-availableenvironmental

informationfromofficialgovernmentsourcesandcollatesitintoauser-friendlydatabaseso

that stakeholderscansearch forandeasily locate relevantenvironmental information.The

databasecurrentlycontainstwomainsections:1)fourreal-timemapsrespectivelydisplaying

air quality, water quality, air emissions sources andwastewater sources; 2) a database of

“enterpriseenvironmentaldata” thatasofMay2018 includesover970,000environmental

supervision records issued by environmental and other authorities, as well as enterprise

responsestotheserecordsandenterprises’self-disclosedemissionsdata.

Figure9.IPEBlueMapDatabaseLandingPage

To confront hazardous chemicals pollution and other related environmental issues from

electronicsproduction,in2010,IPElaunchedaseriesofinvestigationsintopollutionfromIT

industrymanufacturers.Theinitialcampaign,whichengaged29majorITbrands,eventually

succeededinmotivatingmanyofthesecompaniestocheckpublicly-availableenvironmental

violationrecorddataandmotivatesupplierswithviolationstoissuepublicstatementsabout

correctiveactionsand/orundergosupervisedthird-partyauditstoverifytheeffectivenessof

corrective actions. Based on the Green Choice supply chain management standards,

enterprisesthatdesireto“de-list”(i.e.removetheirviolationrecord)fromIPE’sdatabasevia

on-siteaudit are required topublish thepast twoyears’ emissionsdataand to commit to

continuepublishingtheirannualemissionsdata.


IPElauncheditsownplatformforvoluntarydisclosureofpollutantreleaseandtransferdata

(PRTR)inAugust2013topromotehighenvironmentalimpactmanufacturerstodisclosetheir

emissionsdata,includingforhazardouschemicals.Sincethen,IPEhasencouragedelectronics

companiesandcompaniesfromotherindustriesthatsourcefromChinatorequiretheirhigh

environmentalimpactsupplierstopublishtheirannualdataontheportal.

IPEDevelopsaPRTRReportingTemplate

IPEhaslongadvocatedfortheestablishmentofanationwidePollutantReleaseandTransfer

Registry(PRTR)systemsuitableforChina’snationalsituation.BeginningwiththefirstPollution

Information Transparency Index (PITI) report published in 2009, 57 IPE has studied and

analyzedinternationalexperiences in implementingPRTRinorderto introduceaneffective

andefficientsystemforChinathattakesintoaccounttheindustrialmakeupofpollutersand

effectivelyfurthersinformationtransparency.

In2013, IPEdevelopeda“ProposedPollutantInventoryforChinaPriorityPollutantRelease

and Transfer Register (PRTR).” The list is based on China’s National Register of Hazardous

Wastes,aswellasthehazardoussubstancesfromtheUSTRIandEUPRTRliststhataremost

relevant to industries in China. Thereafter, IPE launched a PRTR information disclosure

database for enterprises, allowing them to publish PRTR data online on IPE’swebsite in a

sectiondedicatedtoenterprises’annualemissionsdisclosure.

Figure10.IPE’sProposedPollutantInventoryforChinaPollutantReleaseandTransferRegister

Note:SeeAppendixIforfullproposedpollutantinventory.

57 http://www.ipe.org.cn/reports/Reports.aspx?cid=18336&year=0&key=


Since its launch in 2013, IPE’s Proposed Pollutant Inventory has undergone one round of

revision,withthecurrentversionbeingadoptedonAugust1,2014.Theinventorycontains

104 substances across ninedifferent categories of pollutants: persistent organic pollutants

(POPs), metals, inorganic substances, chlorinated and brominated organic substances,

greenhousegases(GHGs),othergases,polycyclicaromatichydrocarbons(PAHs),otherorganic

substances,andactivesubstancesofplantprotectionproductsorbiocidalproducts.Thefull

pollutantinventorycanbefoundinAppendixI.

Unlike most PRTR reporting and disclosure systems, IPE's PRTR reporting template and

disclosureplatformcoversamorecomprehensivesetofpollutants,includingnotonlyharmful

chemicals,butalsoconventionalpollutants,aswellaswaterconsumption,waterefficiency,

energyefficiency,andcarbonemissionsinformation.

Figure11.InformationIncludedinIPE’sPRTRDisclosurePlatform

ThereasonwhyIPEhasincludedmoreindicatorsintheinformationreportinganddisclosure

platformisthatChinaiscurrentlyfacingafullrangeofenvironmentalandresourcechallenges.

Corporate general pollutants, as well as information disclosure on energy efficiency and

greenhousegasemissions,areasseriousasharmfulchemicals.Integratingthesedisclosure

indicatorsintoasingletablecanmakecorporateinformationdisclosuremorecomprehensive

andefficient.

TosubmitdataonIPE’sdisclosureplatform,enterpriseusersmustfirstregisterforacorporate

user account on IPE’s website. 58 Once registered, a user may download the reporting

templateandcompleteitwithdata,includinginformationaboutthesourceofeachpieceof

data.Asshownbelow,alldatasourcesareverifiedby IPEandasealedconfirmation letter

mustbeprovidedbytheenterprisebeforedataisofficiallypublishedontheIPEplatform.

58 http://wwwen.ipe.org.cn/


Figure12.DataReportingProcessforIPE’sPRTRDisclosurePlatform

Inadditiontoprovidingaplatformfordatasubmission,IPE’swebsitealsoallowsuserstoselect

individualindicatorsfromthePRTRchartandconductcomparisonacrosssuppliersandyears.

Thisallowsthepublictoviewasinglesupplier’senvironmentalperformanceoverseveralyears,

aswellastocompareandcontrasttheperformancesofdifferentsupplierswithinoneindustry.

Figure13.IPE’sPRTRViewingPage


ScopeandImpact

Since its launch in2013, IPE’sPRTRdisclosuresystemhasseenasignificant increase inthe

number of suppliers publishing their annual resources and energy usage data, as well as

pollutantreleaseandtransferdata.

Figure14.NumberofSuppliersSubmittingPRTRDatatoIPE’sPlatform

Thisrisingtrendcanbeattributedtothecombinedresultofthefollowingfactors:

a. Strengthenedlegislationonenvironmentalinformationdisclosure;

b. IPE’scontinuedeffortstosupportChinesePeople'sPoliticalConsultativeConference

(CPPCC)delegatestosubmitproposalscallingfortheestablishmentofanation-wide

mandatoryenvironmentalinformationaldisclosureplatform;

c. IPE’s Green Choice Alliance (GCA) green supply chain program, which requires

suppliersundergoingon-siteauditsconductedbythird-partiestopublishPRTRdata

forthemostrecenttwoyears;

d. Rising number of brandswho embrace the idea of supply chain transparency and

integratePRTRdisclosureintotheirsupplierenvironmentalmanagementmechanisms;

e. Increasedlevelofpublicandmediasupervision.


Figure15.MainMotivatingFactorsforSupplierstoPublishonIPE’sPRTRDisclosureSystem59

Intheelectronicssectorspecifically,atotalof14brandshavemotivatedsupplierstousethe

PRTRplatformdevelopedbyIPEtodisclosetheirPRTRdata.Thesebrandstovaryingdegrees

allrequiresupplierstodisclosetheirannualenvironmentaldata.

Figure16.NumberofSuppliersPublishingviaIPE’sPRTRDisclosurePlatform60

59 Inthisfigure,“GCA”referstosuppliersthatwererequiredtopublishdataaspartoftherequirementstopass

aGreenChoiceAllianceaudittoremoveaviolationrecordfromIPE’sdatabase.Facilitiesthatundergothisprocess

mustpublishthepasttwoyears’emissionsdata,andcommittopublishingtheirannualPRTRdatagoingforward.60 DataasofMay2018.


WeselectedtoanalyzeeightsupplierstoanITindustrybrandthatpublishedtheirannualPRTR

dataforatleastthreeyearsinarow.CalculationsbasedontheirPRTRdataindicatesthatthe

total amount of hazardous waste produced can vary greatly among suppliers. This

phenomenon, aswell as the reductionor increaseof dischargesover several years at one

supplier,requiresdeeperanalysisoftheunderlyingcausesandshouldmotivatesuppliersto

improvetheirperformance.

Figure17.HazardousWasteProducedbySuppliersSelectedforAnalysis61

CaseStudy:PushingSupplierstoTreatHeavyMetalsinRiverBasinSediment

62

In2013, investigationsby theSuzhou-basedenvironmentalprotection

organization,LvseJiangnan,uncoveredthatalargeelectronicsfactory

had been dischargingwastewater into an internal channel, causing a

pungentodor,darkenedwaterandthickfoam.Thisproblemattracted

theattentionofseniorstaffatthecompany.Underrequestsfromoneof

itsbrandcustomers,thefactorybegantoinvestigatetheprobleminthe

channel, and launched a remediation project for the channel, which

unfoldedinfivestages.

Thefirstfourstageswerecompletedoversixmonthsandincludedcuttingoffthewatersourcestothechannel,

completely diverting storm-water, drying up sediment in the riverway, and developing a river sediment

monitoringandtreatmentscheme(whichpassedanexpertreviewonMay2014).Stage5wasthelaunchof

sediment dredging treatment work and implementation of experts' recommendations for the “hydraulic

digging,remoteexposure”dredgingplan.InNovember2014,constructionofthesedimentexposuretanks

wascompleted,andonDecember20,2014,alldredgingworkwasfinished.Aspartofitsremediationefforts

andcommitmenttocompliance,thefactorycontinuestodiscloseitsannualPRTRdataonIPE’splatform.63

61 DataasofMarch2017.62 2015CITIannualreport:http://wwwen.ipe.org.cn/reports/Reports.aspx?cid=18334&year=0&key= 63http://wwwen.ipe.org.cn/IndustryRecord/regulatory-record.aspx?companyId=6947&dataType=3&selfdata=prtr-


Amongthesebrands,PanasonicwasoneofthefirsttoadaptaPRTRsystemforenvironmental

managementofitssubsidiaryfactoriesinChina.Beginningin2016,theJapaneseelectronics

giantstartedtopublishtheannualdataoftenofitssubsidiarycompaniesinChinaonitsown

official website. Published data include wastewater and exhaust gas emissions, energy

consumption,hazardouswasteproduction,andthenamesofthecentralizedwastewaterand

hazardouswastetreatmentfacilitiesthatreceivewaste;hazardouswastesincludenickel,lead,

mercury and organic resin. Such disclosure therefore increases the transparency of the

productionandtreatmentofhazardouswaste.

Figure18.PanasonicDisclosesSubsidiaryEnterpriseEnvironmentalInformation

Source:PanasonicChinaofficialwebsite

group&dataId=0&isyh=0


AnotherITbrandthatactivelypromotestransparencyandtraceabilityofhazardouschemicals

is Apple. In its Supplier Responsibility 2017 Progress Report64, Apple states that all of its

ChinesesupplierswhohaveremovedtheirviolationrecordsfollowingGCAauditsfill inand

publishtheirannualenvironmentalmonitoringdataviaIPE’sPRTRplatformtodemonstrate

theirsustainedcomplianceinaccordancewithChineselawsandregulations.

Figure19.AppleRequestingSupplierstoConductInformationDisclosure

Source:SupplierResponsibility2017ProgressReport,Apple

64 https://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2017_Progress_Report.pdf


InadditiontoAppleandPanasonic,startingin2015,Dellbeganactivelyrequiringitssuppliersto

disclose data via IPE’s PRTR disclosure platform as part of its supply chain management

requirements.SuppliersthatdisclosedataarerewardedinDell’squarterlybusinessreviewsofkey

suppliers,whichimpactDell’spurchasingdecisions.Dellhighlightedtheimportanceofitssuppliers’

PRTRdisclosureinits2017SupplyChainSocialandEnvironmentalResponsibilityProgressReport.

Figure20.DellRequestingSupplierstoConductInformationDisclosure65

Source:Dell2017SupplyChainSocialandEnvironmentalResponsibilityProgressReport

Case Study: PRTR System Developed by IPE Helps Companies Successfully Reach New U.S.

ProcurementStandards

Disclosurecanposepracticalimplicationsforcorporatecompliancewithnewlawsandpolicies.

For example, some companies have been exploring using PRTR data for suppliers in China

disclosed via IPE’s platform to fulfill certain requirements for disclosure of environmental

impactsofelectronicscomponentsviatheElectronicProductEnvironmentalAssessmentTool

(EPEAT),66 aninitiativemanagedbytheGreenElectronicsCouncilthatcameaboutfollowing

astakeholderengagementprocessinitiatedbytheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.

InordertomeettheEPEATstandardforServers(NSF/ANSI426-2017)criterion12.2.3(Optional

-Publicreportingoftoxicsreleasedata(corporate)),themanufacturermustconformtothe

reportingformatandchemicalslistedonU.S.ToxicsReleaseInventory,UnitedNationsProtocol

onPollutantReleaseandTransferRegistry,orapplicablecountry/regionregistryfor3ofthe

manufacturer’stop6suppliersof3specificcomponents,ifapplicabletotheproductdeclared

65 http://i.dell.com/sites/doccontent/corporate/corp-comm/en/Documents/ser-report.pdf 66 http://www.epeat.net/about-epeat/


toconformtotheServerStandard.Thosethreecomponenttypesareprincipalstoragedevices,

principle semiconductor devices, andprinted circuit boards.Because many of Dell’s top 6

suppliersofthesethreecomponentshavefacilitieslocatedinChina,Dellisexploringusingthe

PRTRdatathatwassubmittedtoIPEinsteadofrequiringthemtocompleteanotherform.

RemainingGaps

Dr. Joe DiGangi, Senior Science and Technical Advisor at IPEN – which has long been a

participantinmultilateralinitiativesonhazardouschemicals–said,“Morethan100countries

haveagreedthathazardouschemicalsinelectronicsisanissueofglobalconcernunderthe

Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and formulating and

implementingPRTR is a key recommendation. IPE’s advancementof PRTR supports SAICM

implementation and sets the stage for a comprehensive mandatory system that requires

polluterstobeaccountable.”

IPE’sPRTRdisclosureeffortsandthevoluntaryparticipationofbrandsandsuppliersfromthe

electronicsindustrysupporttheimplementationofrecommendationsfromtheSAICM’s2011

ViennaMeetingonElectronicsandhave furthered information transparencyonhazardous

discharge in China. Still, the overall impact of their efforts remains limited because the

disclosureplatformismainlyemployedbyleadingcompanies,whilepollutersarefreenotto

disclose their data. Policies that require across-the-board disclosure would endow the

discloseddatawithgreatercomparabilityandthusopenspace forNGOs,mediaandother

thirdpartiestousethedataasaneffectivetooltopushforemissionsreductionsandimproved


Electronics companies’ experiences with the PRTR disclosure system on IPE’s Blue Map

Databaseshowthatdisclosureisfeasibleandbeneficial.Inordertotrulybringaboutextensive

improvements in management of hazardous chemical release and transfer, though, the

adoptionandfullimplementationofamandatoryPRTRdisclosuresystemisneeded.


6. Recommendations

As demonstrated by the experiences of the U.S., Europe and many other countries, 67

mandatory PRTR disclosure can play a crucial role in managing hazardous chemicals and

reducing relatedpollution impacts so thatcompliance isno longeracat-and-mousegame.

Instead,publicizinginformationaboutthedischargeofhazardoussubstancescanmotivatebig

emitterstovoluntarilycarryoutsignificantemissionsreductionsunderthepressureofpublic

supervision.

Chinaiscurrentlyconfrontingsevereissueswithhazardouschemicalpollution.Wehopethat

thegovernment,thepublicandtheprivatesectorcanallrecognizethatinadditiontousing

traditional orders and controls to strengthen supervision, they can also take advantage of

informationdisclosureandtheestablishmentofaPRTRsysteminChinatoworktogetherto

promotereductionsinthedischargeofhazardoussubstances.

Buildingontheabove,weraisethefollowingrecommendations:

1. BeginthelegislativeprocesstolaunchaPollutantReleaseandTransferRegister(PRTR)

systemassoonaspossible.With requirements for corporate environmental disclosure currently scattered across

different laws and policies, China should pass legislation that specifically mandates the

implementationofaPRTRsystem.

Since2013, IPEhasworkedonmultipleoccasionswithentrepreneurs from theSocietyof

Entrepreneurs&Ecology(SEE),aswellasotherpartnerssuchasNRDC,toraisethefollowing

recommendationsregardingChina’slegislationonaPRTRsystem:

- Publishalistofhazardouschemicalsformandatorydisclosure;

- All polluting facilities are required to register the release and transfer dataof the

listedpollutantsonthegivenplatformwithstandardizedformat;

- Thescopeandbreadthofconventionalpollutantsanddangerouschemicalsrequired

for disclosure should be no less than the pollutants identified in environmental

impactassessments(EIAs);

- Relevantagenciesshouldstrengthensupervisiontoensurethatpollutersaccurately

andpromptlyreportthereleaseandtransferoftoxicpollutants;

- Facilitieswhofailtopublishorpublishfraudulentdatawillbepunished;

- Thepublichasfullaccesstothepublisheddata.

67 SeeAppendixIIformoredetails.


2. Publishexistingpollutantdischargereportsdatathroughaunifiedplatform.

Before PRTR legislation is in place, it should be clarified that existing pollution discharge

reportsdatafromenterprisesshouldbepublished.Thescopeofthisinformationshouldbe

no less than all characteristic pollutants andhazardouswastes identified in environmental

impactassessment(EIA)reports.

Currently, the “National Discharge PermitManagement Information Platform” has already

beencompletedandputintouse,andtensofthousandsofcompanieshavealreadydisclosed

theiremissionspermitinformationthroughtheaforementionedplatform.Itisrecommended

forenterprisesandpublicinstitutionstodisclosetheirpollutantsthroughtheaforementioned

platform,especially informationonthereleaseandtransferofcharacteristicpollutantsand

hazardouswastes.

Itisalsoproposedtotakeadvantageoftheenterpriseself-monitoringinformationdisclosure

platformsor theenvironmental informationdisclosureplatformsforenterprisesandpublic

institutionsbuiltbyenvironmentalauthoritiesatalllevels.

3. Ensure the implementation of requirements for the disclosure of information on

characteristicpollutantsandtoxicandhazardoussubstancesinthenewEnvironmentalProtectionLawanditssupportingMeasuresonEnvironmentalInformationDisclosureforEnterprisesandPublic Institutions,aswellasthenewWaterPollutionPreventionandControlLaw.

ThenewEnvironmentalProtectionLaw,whichwentintoeffectonJanuary1,2015,aswellas

itssupportingMeasuresonEnvironmentalInformationDisclosureforEnterprisesandPublic

Institutions, clearly stipulate requirements for the disclosure of major pollutants and

characteristicpollutantsbykeypollution-dischargingentities.

TheWaterPollutionPreventionandControlLaw,whichbeganitsimplementationonJanuary

1, 2018, stipulates for the first time that entities which discharge toxic and hazardous

pollutants must disclose relevant information. Based on this law, we recommend the

formulation of a register of toxic and hazardous water pollutants. With this foundation,

companies should be encouraged to disclose information on water-related hazardous

substances,creatingahelpfulattemptatimplementingamorecomprehensivePRTRsystem.

4. MorecompaniesandfinancialinstitutionsshouldleveragegreensupplychainandgreenfinancetopromotePRTRdatadisclosure.

We eventually hope to see stronger legislation clarifying mandatory requirements for

corporations to disclose relevant information about hazardous chemicals. But we also

recognizethatthatitwilltaketimeforamandatoryPRTRsystemtobefullyandeffectively

implemented.Duringthisgapperiod,wehopethatleadingcompanieswillproactivelywork

to achieve compliance and be a part of the solution, rather than taking advantage of

legislativeloopholes.


Weareencouragedtoseethatsomeleadingbrandsarealreadydoingso,asevidencedby

disclosureonIPE’sPRTRdisclosureplatform.Werecommendformorebrandcompaniesto

requiretheirsupplierstovoluntarilydisclosetheirPRTRdata,andtousegreenprocurement

toselectsuppliersthatgotransparentwiththeirPRTRdata.Then,basedonthedata,they

canestablishverifiabletargetsforemissionsreduction.

Werecommendthatfinancialinstitutionslearnfromthesuccessfulimplementationofgreen

supplychain,andusegreenfinancetopromotethedisclosureofPRTRdatabylendingand

financialcompanies.

5. EnvironmentalorganizationsshouldpayattentiontopublishedPRTRinformation.In countries withmandatory disclosure, environmental organizations played a key role in

promoting implementation and applying disclosed data to push for improvements in

environmentalperformance.WerecommendthatChineseenvironmentalNGOsandother

environmental organizations in China actively pay attention to disclosed data to help

companies identifyproblemsandpromotethereductionofharmfulchemicals,andcreate

toolstohelpotherstakeholderssuchaslocalcommunitiesandfinancialinstitutionsbetter

understandhowdatacanbeapplied.Atthesametime,environmentalgroupscanhelpto

identifygapsandpromotethefullimplementationofthePRTRsystem.

6. Increaselegalmeanstohandlethosewhoviolateinformationdisclosurerequirements.

The Opinion on Deepening Environmental Monitoring Reform to Improve Environmental

MonitoringDataQualityalsotouchesonpublicinterestlitigationbyprocuratoratesandcivil

societyorganizations,aswellasadministrativeenvironmentaldamagecompensatorysuits,as

a tool that can supplement typical legal penalties to hold accountable those monitoring

agenciesandotherswhoparticipateindatafraud.

We recommend to strengthen both administrative and judicial channels for legal relief to

ensurethatcompaniesreporttheirpollutantreleaseandtransferdatatruthfully,promptly,

andaccurately.


Appendices

AppendixI:IPEProposedPollutantInventoryforChina 68

b kn u yProposed Pollutant Inventory for China Priority Pollutant Release and Transfer Register

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68 ThischartdisplaysthepollutantssuggestedfordisclosureviaIPE’sPRTRdisclosureplatform.Thelistwasfirstdevelopedin2013andisbasedonacombinationofinternationalexperiencesalongwithareview

ofthesubstancesregulatedonChina’sNationalRegisterofHazardousWastes:http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/bl/201606/t20160621_354852.htm. 69 ThePOPslistedinthischartarethosecurrentlyrequestedforreportingonIPE’sPRTRdisclosureplatform.Partiesthatacceptamendmentsfornewlistingswillberequiredtoreportonthefollowing28

substanceslistedintheStockholmConvention:Aldrin,Chlordane,Chlordecone,DDT,Decabromodiphenylethercommercialmixture,Dieldrin,Endrin,Endosulfan,Heptachlor,Hexabromobiphenyl,

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56

AppendixII:OverviewofPRTRSystemsWorldwide

Western countrieswere the first to be affected by hazardous chemicals in the process ofindustrialization.ThePRTRsystemforcontrollinghazardouschemicals through informationdisclosure was only formed after a long period of exploration. Experience sharing fromdeveloped systems – especially concerning the earliest system, the U.S. Toxics ReleaseInventory–hasplayedanimportantroleinspurringtheglobalexchangeandspreadofPRTRusage.Othermultilateralinitiatives,includingthePRTRProtocoltotheAarhusConventionandtheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement(SAICM),havealsopromptedgovernmentstostrengthentheircapacityformanagingharmfulchemicalsincludingthroughPRTRdisclosure.Below,weprovideabriefoverviewsomeofthemostprominentexamplesofPRTRsystemsworldwide.

TheU.S.ToxicsReleaseInventory(TRI)

TheU.S.ToxicsReleaseInventory(the“TRI”)isadatabasethatpublishesinformationontoxicchemicalreleasesandotherwastemanagementactivitiesintheUnitedStates.Itistheearliestmajor example of a PRTR system and heavily influenced the adoption of later systemsworldwide. 70 It was established via Section 313 of the 1986 Emergency Planning andCommunityRight-to-KnowAct(EPCRA)inthewakeofseveraldisastersinvolvingreleasesofhazardouschemicals,mostnotablythe1984BhopaldisasterataUnionCarbidepesticideplantinIndiathatkilledthousands,aswellasasimilarincidentthatfollowedshortlyafterwardataUnionCarbideplantinWestVirginia.Duetothelackofavailableinformationaboutchemicalreleasesandothertoxicchemicalsatthetime,theEPCRAcreatedTRItorequirethosefacilitiesfromspecificindustrysectors(suchasmanufacturing,miningandelectricalpowergeneration)thatemployover10employeesandmanufacture,processorotherwiseuseachemicallistedontheTRIinlevelsabovesetthresholdstodiscloserelevantinformationonanannualcycle.Thedatabasewasexpandedtoincludewastemanagementandsourcereductionactivitiesin1990whenU.S.CongresspassedthePollutionPreventionAct. TheU.S.TRIhasadvancedsinceitsearlybeginningsandpavedtheroadtoraiseawarenessabout informationtransparency. Itscurrentscopehasgrowntoincludeover650chemicalsandover20,000reportingfacilities.Whilethedatawasoriginallysomewhatdifficulttoaccess,effortsbyNGOsandothergroupshavecreatedtoolstotranslatethedataintoformsthatarehelpfulforeverydaycitizens.AremarkbyU.S.SenatorTomUdallsumsitupwell:“Whileitwas a new approach in 1986, todaymore than fifty countries have established their ownregistries, using the TRI as amodel. These registries, in theU.S and abroad, have allowedcompanies to learn best practices from each other and, simply by shining a spotlight onreleasesoftoxicchemicals,haveledtodramaticreductions.”

70 https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/learn-about-toxics-release-inventory


The TRI pioneered a range ofbenefitsofdisclosurethathaveproven consistent across otherPRTR disclosure systems. Fromanalyzing collected data todispersing information abouttheeffectsof chemicals,wastemanagement, emissions, andotherpollutionprevention, theTRIdatabaseinformsthepublicaboutpotentialrisksfromtoxicchemicals and pushes facilitiesto adopt more environmental-friendly and less harmfulactivities and methods. Thedatabase’s information abouthealth and environmentalimpacts is also helpful forenvironmental researchers andhealth organizerswho can respectively assess environmental justice concerns and identifypotentialpublichealthrisks.Governmentofficialsusethedatatoevaluatetheeffectivenessof environmental policies and reconsider their environmental priorities. Furthermore, TRIoffers valuable resources to inform media investigations on the current corporateenvironmentalperformanceofTRIfacilitymembers.

Figure2.TrendsinTRIReleases,1988-2015

Source:Introductiontothe2015TRINationalAnalysis

Figure1.ReportingCycleChartforTRI

Source:USEPAwebsite


Inmoreconcreteterms,researchershavegonesofarastodrawlinksbetweenTRIandmarketbehaviorbycompaniesandotheractors.WhenTRIwasfirstreleased,stockpricesofpubliccompaniesexperiencedcomparativelylargedeclines,promptingoutwardeffortsbymanyofthesecompaniestoreducetheiremissions.Onestudyfoundthatreducingemissionsby10%canleadacompany’smarketvaluetoincreaseby$34million. 71 HighTRIreleasesarealsofoundtonegatively impacthousingprices.Andbeyondmarket impacts,somestudieshavealsofoundthatdecreasesinchemicalreleaseshavesavedbillionsofdollarsinhealthcarecostsjustforinfantsalone.

PRTRSystemsinEurope,JapanandtheRepublicofKorea

ThemorerecentEuropean-wideEuropeanPollutantReleaseandTransferRegister(E-PRTR)(originallycalledtheEuropeanPollutantEmissionRegister,orEPER)wasestablishedin2000on the basis of the 1998Aarhus Convention,72 an environmental agreement between theEuropeanUnionand46statesthatestablishesthepublic’senvironmentalright-to-knowandtoparticipateinenvironmentalgovernance.Theimplementationofthesystemwassolidifiedthroughthe2003KievProtocolonPollutantReleaseandTransferRegisters,thefirst legallybindinginternationalagreementregardingPRTRs.Itisthefirstregional-levelPRTRsystem.TheE-PRTRprovidesdataforpollutantreleasestotheair,water,waste,andwastewaterfromindustrialfacilitiesinEuropeanUnionMemberStatesandinIceland,Liechtenstein,Norway,Serbia and Switzerland.73 The database collects information on 91 pollutants from30,000industrialfacilitiesacrossEuropeandcoveringmorethan65economicactivities.Easilyaccessedonlineandnavigated,E-PRTRallowsthepublictolocateemissionreleaseandwastetransfer informationonhistorical industrial sitesaswellascurrentmonitors.E-PRTRalso allows users to compare pollutant release and transfer information from differentindustrialfacilitiesinordertobetteraidgovernmentofficialsandothermembersofauthorityinprioritizingenvironmentalandhealthpolicies.Asdataiscollectedbyindustries,assessedandvalidatedbynationalauthorities,andpublishedbytheEuropeanCommission,E-PRTRhasbecome a model for bringing awareness to environmental concerns for those residing inEuropeandinfluencesinternationalprotocolswithitseasy-to-accessfacility-levelinformation.

71 ReinventingEnvironmentalRegulation from theGrassrootsUp: Explaining andExpanding the Successof the

ToxicsReleaseInventory.EnvironmentalManagement,February2000,Vol.25,No.272 http://www.unece.org/env/pp/introduction.html 73 http://prtr.ec.europa.eu/#/static?cont=about


Figure3.E-PRTRHomepage

InthecaseofJapan,shortlyaftertheestablishmentofthe1999“ActonConfirmation,etc.ofRelease Amounts of Specific Chemical Substances in the Environment and Promotion ofImprovementstotheManagementThereof,”aPRTRsystemwaslaunchedinordertopublicizeinformation on businesses’ handling of chemical substances. 74 The system covers 354substancesandaimstodetermineprioritiesinthecaseofadministrativemeasures,promotevoluntarymanagementofchemicalsubstances,andprovidepublicinformationonchemicalsubstancesandtheireffectsonenvironmentalconservation.Notably,JapanPRTRcollectsdatafromnotonlylargebusiness,butalsonon-listedbusinesses,households,andmobilesources.This allows manufacturers and environmentalists alike to determine ways to reduceenvironmentalandhealthcosts.

Japan’sPRTRsystemhashelpedtoidentifyhighlevelsofseveralpollutantsthathadnotbeenmonitored before the systemwas implemented, prompting several existing environmentalmonitoring programs to be re-designed. These results were facilitated in part by Japan’senvironmental ministry releasing a handful of materials to support implementation thatengagedbusinessesandthepublicalike, includingtheManualforPRTRReleaseEstimationMethods, Cases of Success toward Reduction of PRTR Substance Emissions, and theGuidebookforCitizensinthePRTRInformationPlazaJapanonline.75

74 http://www.env.go.jp/en/chemi/prtr/prtr.html75 JensHartmann,NorioOkadaandJasonLevy,“UsingPRTRDatabasefortheAssessmentofSurfaceWaterRisk

andImprovementofMonitoringinJapan,”InternationalJournalofCriticalInfrastructures1(2/3):155-169(2005).


InSouthKorea,41typesofindustriescoveringapproximately3634companiesarerequiredtoprovidePRTRdataincludingthoseinvolvedinthemanufactureofelectricalequipmentandelectronic components, computer, radio, television and communication equipment.76 Thescopeincludesemissionstoair,water,soil,wastesdisposedonsite,andwastestransportedoff-site.77 Substancesaredividedintotwogroups:sixteensubstancesareinGroup1and399arepresentinGroup2andreleasesfromindividualfacilitiescanbesearchedwiththemostrecentpubliclyavailabledatafrom2015. 78 79 Toqualifyforreporting,eachsubstancemustbeequaltoorgreaterthanacertainconcentration(usually0.1%or1.0%byweight). 80 IfthesubstanceisinGroup1itmustbereportedifusedatlevelsof1tonormoreperyear;ifinGroup2,thenitmustbereportedifusedatlevelsof10tonsormoreperyear. 81 Substancesincludechemicalsusedinproductionprocessesevenifnotpresentinthefinalproduct.82 TheChemical Control Act also grants authority to the Ministry of Environment to entermanufacturingfacilitiestoinvestigateemissions.Dataispubliclyavailableviainternet.83

NGOscanalsoplayaroleinpushingforthesuccessfulestablishmentofPRTRsystems.IntheCzechRepublic,acoalitionofNGOsincludingArnikaAssociationpushedfornearlytenyearsfortheestablishmentofaPRTRsystemasthenationenteredtheE.U.Ultimately,in2004,thegovernment adopted legislation stipulating the establishment of the Integrated PollutionRegister(IPR),whichbegantobe implemented in2005.Althoughthe initialresponsefromcompanieswaspoorcomparedtotheactualnumberofcompaniesthatshouldhavereportedbasedonlegislation,NGOseffortspushedittoincreasefrom871plants inthefirstyearofimplementationto1327plantsby2006.84 InmanywaysthePRTRsystemthatwasestablishedisevenmorerigorousthanE-PRTR.

76 http://ncis.nier.go.kr/triopen/대상업종77 http://ncis.nier.go.kr/triopen/조사절차78 http://ncis.nier.go.kr/triopen/대상물질79 http://ncis.nier.go.kr/triopen/배출.이동량정보80 http://ncis.nier.go.kr/triopen/대상물질81 http://ncis.nier.go.kr/triopen/대상물질82 http://ncis.nier.go.kr/triopen/대상물질83 https://icis.me.go.kr/prtr/prtrInfo/entrpsSearch.do84 http://www.ipen.org/project-reports/prtr-and-pops-czech-republic


Over50countries (seeFigure4)have fullyestablishedPRTRsystemsorhave implementedpilot programs to track and disclose information about chemical releases. Many morecountries are in theprocessofdevelopingPRTR systems,particularly in SouthandCentralAmerica,orhaveexpressedsignificantinterestindevelopingPRTR.

Figure4.ScopeofGlobalPRTRSystems85

PRTRThresholds

PRTRsystemssetthresholdsforreportingwherebyonlyentitiesthatmeetcertaincriteriaarerequiredtoreport.SettingthresholdsallowsgovernmentstobalancethebenefitsofreceivingaPRTRreportwiththecostsimposedonreportersandtheauthorities.Different regions’ PRTR systems set thresholds based on science and local parameters,includingsuchfactorsastypesandquantitiesofhazardousmaterialsusedandthesizeandoutput of the firm. The table below explores the threshold ranges for PRTR reportingdeterminedbyPRTRsystemsindifferentcountriesandregions.

85 10thInternationalPRTRCoordinatingGroup,October5,2016.


Figure5.ScopeofThresholdsofSelectedPRTRSystemsWorldwide