Harmonized framework for elaboration of comparable release inventories of Annex C chemicals
Pollutants release inventories are necessary to identify, characterize and quantify sources of these releases; set priorities; elaborate strategies and action plans to reduce these releases; and to evaluate effectiveness of these strategies by establishing release trends through inventory updates.
Release inventories should be:
- Complete (no important source category should be omitted)
- Transparent (use of particular activity data and emission factors should be clearly described, justified and referenced)
- Reliable (best available scientifically sound information should be used)
- Comparable between countries and
- Consistent over time
The Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Releases of Dioxins, Furans and Other Unintentional POPs (Toolkit) provides a harmonized framework for elaboration of release inventories under the Stockholm Convention, fulfilling the above attributes.
The Toolkit was first published in 2003 by the Chemicals Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP Chemicals) and subsequently revised in 2005. In 2006, the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention welcomed the second Toolkit edition and recognized its usefulness. At the same time, Parties acknowledged the need for its ongoing revision and updating, placing emphasis on key sources for which limited data were available and on providing support to developing countries in their efforts to verify their emission factors. Parties also requested overall improvement of the usefulness and user friendliness of the Toolkit.
The revision of the Toolkit was an open and transparent process, implemented in cooperation with UNEP Chemicals and in consultation with users and specialized experts in the field of emission factors and measurements related to releases of Annex C persistent organic pollutants. All experts nominated by parties to the Stockholm Convention and others, included in the Toolkit Expert Roster, were involved in the Toolkit review and updating process at least by electronic means.
Input into the Toolkit revision has also been received via projects implemented thanks to donor support and in-kind contributions such as the project on brick kilns led by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, projects to determine emission factors for open burning of biomass and waste funded by Sweden, the World Chlorine Council and other donors, as well as through national projects such as those dedicated to household heating and cooking led by Germany, metallurgy sector led by France, Japan and China, and evaluation of simple stoves led by Mexico. Funding from the European Commission allowed the implementation of the Toolkit revision process, through organization of annual expert meetings.