Chemicals in products

The Chemicals in Products (CiP) Programme of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is an ongoing approach to addressing the policy and practical facets of access to information on the chemicals contained in everyday products. The activities focus on increasing the availability and access to the information actors need – throughout the life cycle of products – so that they can properly manage those products and the chemicals in them.

The CiP Programme was produced through extensive research and stakeholder consultations and was welcomed by the SAICM Governing Body in 2015 (at the 4th session of the International Conference of Chemicals Management - ICCM4) as the means for all stakeholders to advance on this complex issue.

UNEP has led the work on Chemicals in Products since 2008 and - at the invitation of ICCM4 - continues facilitating CiP Programme pilot and implementation activities, stakeholder awareness and capacity building.

This page provide access to:

• Information on the CiP Programme participants and their activities which contribute to the Programme’s objectives;
• CiP Programme documents and related UNEP media;
• Stakeholder outreach, awareness raising and information documents;
• Research results, analyses, meeting records, etc. related to UNEP’s activities under the CiP Programme and related projects.

The CiP Programme

SAICM emerging policy issue

For more information on the emerging policy issue CiP, visit the SAICM Knowledge Platform.

One-pagers

These one-pagers have been developed by the respective stakeholders group participating in the CiP Steering Group in consultation with their constituencies and aimed at providing information on the programme and engaging those already active in the field to showcase and share their initiatives. Given the complexity, breadth, and rapid ongoing developments, these papers reflect the view of each group and might not reflect the views of other stakeholders.

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in these publications do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations Environment Programme or of the members of the CiP Steering Group concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Moreover, the views expressed do not necessarily represent the decision or the stated policy of the United Nations Environment Programme, nor does citing of trade names or commercial processes constitute endorsement.

Civil Society Group

• Guidance to the Chemicals in Products (CiP) Programme for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) representing the public interest - 2017

Industry Group 

• Key Features for Exchanging Product Information along the Supply Chain: An interpretation of the SAICM Chemicals in Products (CiP) Programme Guidance document from an industry view point - 2017

Government Group

• Synopsis of the Chemicals in Products (CiP) Programme guidance for Governments - 2017

Regulations Search Engine

• Global Chemical Regulations Database

On-going projects

• GEF SAICM Chemicals in Products project

Events

• 2017   Chemicals in Products: Strengthening Action Workshop
• 2017   Chemicals in Products Programme Steering Group - Meeting Brazil
• 2014   SAICM Open-ended Working Group (OEWG2)
• 2011   SAICM Open-ended Working Group - Side event: The Chemicals in Products (CiP) project
• 2011   Workshop of the Chemicals in Products project
• 2010   Side event on Chemicals in Products at CSD18
• 2010   Sector-expert Consultation for the Chemicals in Products Project
• 2009   Scoping Meeting for the Study of Stakeholder Needs for Information on Chemicals in Products  
• 2009   Informal Workshop on Stakeholders’ Information Needs on Chemicals in Articles/Products

Mandate at successive International Conferences of Chemicals Management

In 2015, ICCM4 welcomed the Chemicals in Products Programme and the accompanying Guidance

UNEP was invited to lead the Programme and specifically:

• to promote and facilitate activities to implement the CiP Programme, including pilot activities;
• to promote awareness of the use of chemicals in products information for sound chemicals management actions;
• in coordination with the CiP project Steering Group, to engage in stakeholder capacity-building and awareness-raising; and
• to develop a web site to facilitate with the above, as well as with access to CiP Programme documents.

In 2012, the third session of the Internaitonal Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM3) reviewed the findings and endorsed UNEP’s proposed recommendations for future actions. More specifically, in its resolution, the Conference invites UNEP to continue to lead the CiP project and mandated the project (in the next intersessional period, prior to ICCM4) to develop a proposal for an international CiP Programme.^[1] This CiP programme will:

• Identify the roles and suggestions for responsibilities of the major stakeholder groups while providing for flexible and differentiated approaches to meet the needs of individual sectors and individual stakeholder groups throughout the product life-cycle, with special attention paid to the needs of vulnerable populations, and developing countries and countries with economies in transition;
• Develop guidance on what information could be transferred and how information access and exchange could take place to meet the needs of different stakeholder groups throughout the product life-cycle; considering best practices and successful experiences and taking into account paragraph 15 (c) of the Overarching Policy Strategy of the Strategic Approach;
• Implement pilot project(s) to demonstrate the applicability of the guidance developed under the proposed CiP programme in one or more of the priority sectors [building materials, electronics, textiles and toys] subject to stakeholder participation and available resources; and
• Implement activities that seek to raise consumer awareness and gain broader support from business, industry and other stakeholders.

In 2009, ICCM2 adopted a resolution agreeing to implement a project on Chemicals in Products with the overall objective of promoting the implementation of paragraph 15 (b) of the Overarching Policy Strategy of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management. The Conference invited UNEP to lead and facilitate the project. The Conference agreed that the following tasks be undertaken:

• Collect and review existing information on information systems pertaining to chemicals in products including but not limited to regulations, standards and industry practices;
• Assess that information in relation to the needs of all relevant stakeholders and identify gaps;
• Develop specific recommendations for actions to promote implementation of the SAICM with regard to such information, incorporating identified priorities and access and delivery mechanisms.

The resolution recommends that proposals for cooperative actions should take into account the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals and avoid any duplication of efforts under that system.

[1] An activity of the CiP project (which started in 2009) will be to develop the CiP programme, which will have the aim of facilitating and guiding the provision, availability and access to relevant information on chemicals in products among all stakeholder groups.