Switzerland supports the development of a comprehensive, coherent, effective and efficient international regime for chemicals, as well as improved co-operation with the private sector.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are toxic and do not readily degrade. They can accumulate in the bodies of humans and animals. Once released, they can spread around the globe via air or water or through the food chain, and thus have toxic effects on people and the environment far from where they were originally released. They can also cause cancer, disrupt the endocrine system or harm reproduction. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was negotiated to reduce the release of these substances into the environment.
The objective of the 1985 Vienna Convention is to preserve human health, and to protect the environment from any harmful effects of the depletion of the ozone layer. The objective of the 1987 Montreal Protocol is to repair the ozone layer through the worldwide control, reduction and ultimately elimination of production and consumption of ozone depleting substances. The latest extension of the Montreal Protocol in 2016 – the Kigali Amendment – regulates hydrofluorocarbons as well. These chemicals are currently in use as a substitute for ozone-depleting substances, but are themselves potent greenhouse gases.
Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal with global impact. Mercury disperses widely, is highly persistent in the environment, can bioaccumulate in organisms and ecosystems, and has harmful effects on human health and the environment. The aim of the Minamata Convention is to protect public health and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury.
The Global Framework on Chemicals (subtitled For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste) was adopted in Bonn, Germany, in September 2023. It is a framework agreement to promote the safe and sustainable management of chemicals, and follows on from the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), which ran from 2006 to 2020.
The GHS is a model regulation developed at international level for the classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals. Each country is invited to apply. The GHS has been implemented in Switzerland in several stages since 2009, and chemical products are now classified and labelled in accordance with the GHS.
EU Regulation on chemicals: REACH
The new EU Regulation on chemicals (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) came into force in June 2007. The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment against risks associated with chemicals, and also to maintain the competitiveness of the chemical industry. In addition, REACH gives greater responsibility to industry to manage risks and to provide safety information on substances. Switzerland has implemented specific parts of REACH in its own chemicals legislation in order to prevent inconsistencies between Swiss and EU law on safety issues relating to hazardous chemicals.
