The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is the all-encompassing global framework for supporting the realization of sound management of chemicals and waste throughout their lifecycle. Its core elements include the implementation of all binding chemicals and waste agreements, as well as providing guidance for work with issues that are of international priority but not yet in global agreements.
In order to achieve sound chemical and waste management, 11 basic elements have been identified as critical elements of national and regional strategy. Those elements include:
- Legal frameworks that address the life cycle of chemicals and waste;
- Relevant enforcement and compliance mechanisms;
- Implementation of chemicals and waste-related multilateral environmental agreements, as well as health, labor and other relevant conventions and voluntary mechanisms;
- Strong institutional frameworks and coordination mechanisms among relevant stakeholders;
- Collection and systems for the transparent sharing of relevant data and information among all relevant stakeholders using a life cycle approach, such as the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals;
- Industry participation and defined responsibility across the life cycle, including cost recovery policies and systems as well as the incorporation of sound chemicals management into corporate policies and practices;
- Inclusion of the sound management of chemicals and waste in national health, labor, social, environment, and economic budgeting processes and development plans;
- Chemicals risk assessment and risk reduction through the use of best practices;
- Strengthened capacity to deal with chemicals accidents, including institutional strengthening for poison centers;
- Monitoring and assessing the impacts of chemicals on health and the environment; and
- Development and promotion of environmentally sound and safer alternatives.
While SAICM’s mandate ended in 2020, there is an urgent need to continue working towards those goals.
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) joined other organizations in producing a series of tutorials designed to increase the knowledge of civil society organizations (CSOs), national and regional decision-makers on how to systemically work toward the realization of SAICM’s core elements.
Chemicals Governance Made Simple offers a high-level overview of the challenges that chemicals pose and what is necessary to achieve effective chemicals governance.
Finance for Chemicals Governance explores what funding streams may be available to countries for chemicals management, noting that when surveyed, countries identify inadequate funding as the major barrier to managing chemicals more safely.
Toxic Impact of Plastics Across its Lifecycle examines how countries can develop policy solutions to the plastics crisis that borrow from responses to adjacent sectors, such as the chemicals, waste, and petrochemicals industries.
See Working for Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste for all of the tutorials.
Originally published November 2021.