POPRC-18 concludes with recommendations to list Dechlorane Plus and UV-328, and news of Italy becoming a Party to the Stockholm Convention

In its 18th meeting, POPRC-18 recommended the listing of two industrial chemicals – Dechlorane Plus and UV-328 – under Annex A. A flame retardant and a UV absorbent respectively, both chemicals are heavily used as plastic additives, including for uses that require time to be phased out, such as for motor vehicles, industrial machines and in medical devices. For that reason, the POPRC-18 recommendations included time-limited specific exemptions, which will be considered by the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP-11).