New Stockholm Convention persistent organic pollutants

In February 2020 we asked for feedback on our proposal for two persistent organic pollutants.

These two chemicals were added to the Stockholm Convention, so needed to be added to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (HSNO Act) in order to implement the changes to the Convention into New Zealand law.

The new chemicals were:

Dicofol, an organochlorine pesticide, that was used to control mites on fruit, vegetables, ornamentals, field crops, cotton, tea, and Christmas tree plantations (Convention Decision SC-9/11).
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds that were used in a wide variety of applications and consumer products across many sectors, including fire-fighting foams and textiles (Convention Decision SC-9/12).

Submissions on the proposed ban of these chemicals closed on 31 March 2020.

We reviewed the feedback we received and provided the Minister for the Environment with our recommendations. The Minister considered our advice and recommended to Cabinet amendments to the HSNO Act by way of an Order-in-Council.

The effect of the Order, which came into effect on 3 December 2020, was to add the chemicals, as persistent organic pollutants, to Schedule 2A of the HSNO Act:

Dicofol - without exemptions
PFOA - with exemptions for 5 years for (a) photographic coatings applied to fims, and (b) for firefighting foams under certain conditions.