Specific Exemptions and Acceptable Purposes

A register of specific exemptions is established in accordance with Article 4 of the Stockholm Convention, to identify Parties that have registered specific exemptions listed in Annex A or Annex B. The register has been amended by various decisions of the Conference of the Parties.

Two registers of acceptable purposes have been established in relation to DDT and PFOS, its salts and PFOSF. The registers have also been amended by various decisions of the Conference of the Parties.

Please click to access the List of Specific Exemptions and the List of Acceptable Purposes.

Any State may, on becoming a Party, by means of a notification in writing to the Secretariat, register for

1. one or more types of specific exemptions listed in Annex A or Annex B (Article 4); and/or
2. one or more types of acceptable purposes listed in Annex B.

Acceptable purposes are registered as provided for in various decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties.

Format for registration

The Conference of the Parties has adopted forms for notifications of specific exemption(s) for:

• A chemical listed in Annex A
• Production and Use of Technical Endosulfan and its related isomers
• Production and use of PFOS, its salts and PFOSF

The Conference of the Parties has also adopted forms for notifications of acceptable purposes for:

• Production and Use of DDT
• Production and use of PFOS, its salts and PFOSF.

Parties wishing to register specific exemptions in relation to PFOA, its salts and PFOA-related compounds are invited to complete and transmit to the Secretariat the relevant form for a chemical listed in Annex A. Parties wishing to register for the amended specific exemptions and acceptable purposes available for PFOS, its salts and PFOSF compounds are invited to complete and transmit the relevant amended forms for PFOS, its salts and PFOSF. These amendments entered into force for most Parties on 3 December 2020 – information on the Parties that are bound by the amendments is available on the Status of Ratifications section.

Procedures and Processes of the Secretariat

Parties are requested to send the duly completed form to the Secretariat by e-mail (brs@brsmeas.org). It is important to note that exemptions and acceptable purposes may only be registered as allowed by the relevant decision(s) of the Conference of the Parties and/or the Convention.

The form must be submitted by an entity duly authorized by the Government to communicate such information to the Secretariat. The Secretariat will check that the notification form is submitted by such an entity; that the information transmitted is in the appropriate format, the specific exemption or acceptable purpose is available, and that the information is unambiguous and complete. Information transmitted will be included in the register of specific exemptions or in the register of acceptable purposes, as applicable, which are maintained by the Secretariat and made available on the website of the Stockholm Convention.

Registers

• Register of specific exemptions
• Registers of acceptable purposes
• Notifications of constituents of articles in use
• Notifications of closed-system site-limited intermediates

Under Article 4 of the Convention, the Register of specific exemptions must include:

1. A list of the types of specific exemptions reproduced from Annex A and Annex B;
2. A list of the Parties that have a specific exemption listed under Annex A or Annex B; and
3. A list of the expiry dates for each registered specific exemption.

Parties may at any time withdraw an entry from the Register for a specific exemption upon written notification to the Secretariat. The withdrawal takes effect on the date indicated in the notification. Please see the individual registers for withdrawal notifications.