The Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practices (BEP) are important tools under the Stockholm Convention that help reduce and eliminate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) by promoting the use of safer alternatives and minimizing the release of POPs into the environment.
To achieve the goal of the Convention of reducing or eliminating POPs releases, Parties are required to implement or promote best available techniques (BAT) and best environmental practices (BEP):
- Best Available Techniques (BAT) are defined as ‘’the most effective and advanced stage in the development of activities and their methods of operation which indicate the practical suitability of particular techniques for providing in principle the basis for release limitations designed to prevent and, where that is not practicable, generally to reduce releases of chemicals listed in Part I of Annex C and their impact on the environment as a whole’’.
- Best Environmental Practices (BEP) are defined as ‘’the application of the most appropriate combination of environmental control measures and strategies.’’
Releases from intentional production and use
In accordance with Article 3 of the Stockholm Convention, Parties that have specific exemptions in accordance with Annex A or specific exemptions or acceptable purposes in accordance with Annex B shall take appropriate measures to ensure that any production or use under such exemption or purpose is carried out in a manner that prevents or minimizes human exposure and release into the environment. For exempted uses or acceptable purposes that involve intentional release into the environment under conditions of normal use, such release shall be to the minimum extent necessary, taking into account any applicable standards and guidelines.
Guidance documents have been developed and are regularly updated to guide Parties and others in their actions to prevent or reduce releases from production and use of chemicals listed in Annex A or B with specific exemptions or acceptable purposes.
More information on measures to reduce or eliminate releases from intentional production and use is available here.
Releases from unintentional production
In accordance with Article 5 of the Stockholm Convention, Parties are required to reduce total releases from anthropogenic sources of the chemicals listed in Annex C with the goal of continually minimizing and, where feasible, ultimately eliminating releases of these unintentionally produced chemicals. Toward this end, Parties must develop action plans as part of their National Implementation Plans (NIP) to identify, characterize and address the releases of unintentional POPs listed in Annex C.
To assist Parties in establishing release inventories of unintentional POPs that are consistent in format and content, ensuring that it is possible to compare results, identify priorities, mark progress and follow changes over time at the country level, as well as regional and global levels, the Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Releases of Dioxins, Furans and Other Unintentional POPs was developed.
Guidelines on best available techniques and guidance on best environmental practices have been developed and are regularly updated to guide Parties and others in their actions to reduce or eliminate releases from unintentional production of chemicals listed in Annex C.
Releases from contaminated sites
In accordance with Article 6 of the Stockholm Convention, Parties are required to endeavor to develop appropriate strategies for identifying sites contaminated by chemicals listed in Annex A, B or C and, if remediation of those sites is undertaken, it shall be performed in an environmentally sound manner.
Draft guidance on best available techniques and best environmental practices for the management of sites contaminated with persistent organic pollutants has been developed to guide Parties and others in the identification, assessment, management, and remediation of POPs contaminated sites.
Expert roster
All these guidelines and reports, as well as the toolkit, are developed and updated with the support of the experts on the joint Toolkit and best available techniques and best environmental practices expert roster.