Keep the Promise, Eliminate POPs in Waste! 

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001)

Sometimes referred to as the POPs Convention.

The objective of Stockholm Convention is to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants or POPs. POPs include the organochlorine pesticides; DDT, endrin, dieldrin, aldrin, chlordane, toxaphene, heptachlor, mirex, hexachlorobenzene; and the industrial chemicals and by-products; PCBs, dioxins and furans. These initial twelve chemicals, the 'poisons without passports' were chosen because they have the common hazardous characteristics of toxicity, persistence and bioaccumulation, and are capable of travelling vast distances via water and air.

The Convention aims to eliminate the production, use and emissions of POPs while preventing the introduction of new chemicals with POP-like characteristics and ensuring the environmentally sound destruction of POPs waste stockpiles. The Convention sets out the actions to be taken by Parties to reduce and whereever feasible, eliminate releases of byproduct POPs chemicals. Technical and financial assistance is offered to developing country Parties to help implement the Stockholm Convention.