Preventing, controlling and managing pollution is central to improving health, human well-being and prosperity for all.
UNEP drives capacity and leadership in sound management of chemicals and waste while working to improve ways to reduce waste through circularity and pollutants released to the air, water, soil and the ocean.
Happening from 17-19 February in Osaka, Japan and online, the UNEP-IETC Global Dialogue is a high-level biennial conference aimed to convene key stakeholders, including policymakers, private sector representatives, academia, civil society, and youth, to foster dialogue and develop actionable strategies for advancing circular waste management practices.
This Dialogue aspires to serve as a catalyst for collaboration, establishing clear pathways to integrate sustainable practices across sectors. It emphasizes social equity, gender responsiveness, and impactful policy frameworks. Participants will explore insights from global case studies and actively engage in discussions aimed at shaping inclusive, future-ready waste management solutions that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At a session titled New Agreement on Plastics: What will it take? at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Inger Andersen said the following:
"After two years of talks, we are closer to securing a treaty for the ages. One that hits the problem of plastic pollution hard and protects human, planetary and economic health.
"A high degree of convergence has been reached in 29 out of 32 articles that are proposed to make up the treaty text. However, three areas require significant further work. Products, including the issue of chemicals. Sustainable production and consumption. Financing, including a financial mechanism and aligning financial flows.
"There is a strong determination across Member States, across communities, across science, across civil society and across industry to get the treaty done. But a big political and diplomatic push is needed in the coming months, with the engagement of all stakeholders and strong G20 leadership, to lay the ground for success at INC 5.2."
To commemorate International Day of Zero Waste 2025, the public is invited to submit good zero waste practices in the fashion and textiles sector - whether a widely accepted approach or an innovative business model, method, process, or technique that demonstrates effectiveness and contributes to positive zero waste outcomes.
Submissions must feature practices that have been in implementation for at least one year. If the practice has already concluded, it should have been completed as recently as 2024.
Submission deadline: 12 February 2025
The Global Tailings Management Institute (GTMI), an independent, multi-stakeholder governed organisation dedicated to improving the safety of mine tailings facilities worldwide, was launched on 21 January 2025.
It has been founded by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).
Based in South Africa, the GTMI will drive the responsible management of tailings facilities throughout their lifecycle. The goal is to achieve zero harm to people and the environment, by overseeing an independent assessment process through which tailings facilities will be audited and certified.
From a landmark deal to fund conservation to chilling news about greenhouse gas emissions, 2024 was a rollercoaster year for the planet.
Here’s a closer look at some of the most memorable environmental moments of the last 12 months, shaped by the UNEP and the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) UNEP hosts that underpin the global environmental movement.
A landmark 206.8 million programme supported by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), UNEP, and partners will support countries in meeting the Stockholm Convention’s target of eliminating the use of harmful polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in equipment by 2025.
PCBs are a class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) primarily found in electrical transformers around the world. They persist in the environment for long periods and can travel over great distances through air, water and migratory species across international boundaries. They can cause serious health effects in humans and animals, including reproductive impairment and immune system dysfunctions.
The new programme will tackle this legacy pollutant through an approach that integrates PCB elimination with the deployment of renewable energy and electrification, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent through the replacement of old, inefficient transformers.
The programme is expected to deliver significant global environmental benefits, including the elimination of approximately 8,750 tons of PCBs in Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Uganda (participating countries in phase 1). It will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent through the replacement of old, inefficient transformers. Moreover, the programme will improve the operational and energy efficiency of electricity grids in the participating countries, thus contributing to broader climate change mitigation efforts.
Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago have united to drive the transformation and eliminate the environmental impact of fashion and construction.
The fashion and construction sectors are among the world’s most chemical-intensive industry sectors. The building and construction sector is the largest end-market for chemicals, and producing 1 kg of textiles requires 0.58 kg of various chemicals on average. Both sectors connect producers, retailers, and consumers from across the world and are characterised by complex, fragmented, global supply chains with globally significant impacts.
The $340 million initiative will transform resource-intensive processes and materials with sustainable alternatives and fostering circular, collaborative value chains.
Happening on 4 December from 3:00pm - 4:30pm EAT, Wastewater as a Solution for Climate Mitigation and Methane Reduction is a webinar that aims to showcase the untapped potential of wastewater to tackle the challenges of climate change, water and food security.
This webinar will also emphasise the need to include sustainable wastewater management, including resource recovery, in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for countries to accelerate action towards climate adaptation and mitigation.
Cada dólar gastado en la restauración de bosques degradados puede resultar en US$ 30 en beneficios económicos.
