Philippines Wins Future Policy Award for Banning Lead in All Paints
A groundbreaking Chemical Control
Order (CCO) promulgated by the Government of the Philippines banning lead in
the manufacture of all paints to prevent children’s and workers’ exposure to
this toxic chemical was adjudged one of the five winners for this year’s Future
Policy Award (FPA), also known as the “Oscar on best policies.” Other awardees
are from Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka and Sweden.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy
Cimatu thanked the World Future Council (WFC) for the recognition. “This
will inspire us to further strengthen the implementation of our chemical
control policy and to develop other policies to protect human health and the
environment,” he said. “Our drive to ensure safer lead-free paint
products does not end with the issuance of this policy,” he emphasized, citing
the government's continuing efforts to “strengthen monitoring to enhance
environmental compliance among stakeholders and thereby ensure a healthy and
lead-free environment for our people.”
Cimatu likewise acknowledged partners from the public and private sectors,
including the EcoWaste Coalition and the Philippine Association of Paint
Manufacturers (PAPM), for their participation in the development and
implementation of the trailblazing CCO. “We appreciate the vigilance of
non-government organizations like the EcoWaste Coalition in the lead phase-out
campaign. We also commend the academe and the PAPM for their support in
making our CCO implementable.” The CCO
issued in 2013 imposes a total lead content limit of 90 parts per million (ppm)
on all paints and provides for a two-stage phase-out of lead-containing paints,
which culminated on December 31, 2019.
“This global recognition affirms the importance of adopting a lead paint law
with the most protective lead content limit and crafted through an open and
participatory process. Stakeholders’ participation is key to catalyzing
an industry-wide switch to the production of all paint types without added lead
and to the eventual elimination of lead paint, a major source of lead exposure
in children,” said Manny Calonzo, Adviser, EcoWaste Coalition, who also honored
NGO colleagues at the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) for
their invaluable campaign guidance, support and solidarity for the last 10
years.
“The country’s paint makers have ably demonstrated their capacity to replace
lead additives from all brands and products in compliance to the CCO and in
pursuit of their corporate social responsibility. It only shows that
eliminating lead paint in all categories is an attainable goal. Some
manufacturers have even voluntarily secured third-party Lead Safe
Paint® certification to prove conformance with the strictest 90
ppm limit for lead content in paint," said Derrick Tan, President, PAPM.
A case study prepared with inputs
from the DENR, PAPM. EcoWaste Coalition and IPEN has identified several factors
that contributed to the successful promulgation of the CCO, including “data on
lead in solvent-based paints generated by the civil society that provided
evidence of a pressing problem requiring immediate and collective action,
multi-faceted efforts to raise awareness about the issue, industry-wide shift
that created the impetus for all companies to transition to lead-safe paint
formulations, and the government’s commitment to a multi-stakeholders’
approach.”
As to the
way forward, the government, industry and civil society stakeholders identified
the following as steps to be undertaken to foster the implementation of the
CCO: “continuous compliance monitoring efforts, continuous information,
education and communication activities, continuous promotion of paint
manufacturers’ voluntary participation in the third-party Lead Safe Paint®
Certification program, continuous maximization of opportunities to promote the
procurement and use of lead-safe paints, continuous participation in the work
of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint."
"Every day, our rights are violated
by the exposure to toxic chemicals and pollution. Especially children are disproportionally
affected," said Alexandra Wandel, Executive Director, WFC. "For the
sake of current and future generations, it is absolutely critical that
stakeholders make the protection from hazardous chemicals a priority. The
Philippines and the other winning policies show the
way forward and are an inspiration for policymakers worldwide."
Since 2010, the most impactful policies tackling humankind's most pressing
challenges are celebrated with the Future Policy Award, the first
and only award that recognizes policies for the benefit of present and future
generations on an international level. For this year, the FPA is
dedicated to the most effective policy solutions such as those regulating lead
paints that minimize the adverse effects of harmful chemicals on the
environment and human health.
Other lead paint-related policies nominated for the prestigious award include
those from Ethiopia (which made it to the shortlist), Cameroon, Colombia,
Ecuador, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Tanzania, Uruguay, USA (New York) and Zambia, as
well as the Model Law and Guidance for Regulating Lead Paint developed by the
Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint.
A high-level, virtual award ceremony will be held on July 6 to celebrate the winning policies of the Future Policy Award 2021.
Reference:
https://chemical.emb.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DAO-2013-24-CCO-Lead.pdf
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