At the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention, which took place on May 2, 2025, member nations adopted a resolution to add long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs) and the hazardous chemical chlorpyrifos to the list of pollutants that need to be controlled. The latter is a member of the polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) family. The pact states that, as of January 1, 2026, the manufacture of these two chemicals is essentially prohibited worldwide. The resolution does, however, provide a five-year special exception period that is largely targeted at the firefighting foam production industry. The official BRS website provides access to meeting documents.

Main Points of the Meeting:

1. Addition of Two Major Controlled Substances

 – Long-chain Perfluorocarboxylic Acids (LC-PFCAs)

  The resolution includes their salts and related compounds in Annex A of the convention, and a corresponding action plan is approved:

• A reference list of banned substances must be compiled by the Secretariat.

• The Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee’s (POPRC) Technical Guidelines on Alternatives are recommended reading for all parties.

 – Chlorpyrifos

  Included in Annex A of the control list with conditional exemptions.

2. Special Exemption Approved for South Korea

  South Korea’s application was officially accepted by the conference, extending the exemption until June 2, 2030, and permitting the continued use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in fixed and mobile firefighting systems for suppressing oil vapor and putting out liquid fuel fires (Class B fires).

Industry Shock: Exemption Clauses Spark Fierce Controversy

The conference conclusions, according to the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), are against scientific consensus, weaken review processes, and favor chemical industries’ interests, departing from the convention’s original aim. Concerned about UV-328 UV absorbers and the risky precedent set by the exemption for chlorpyrifos, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) looks forward to enhancing human rights protection cooperation with relevant conventions. The Global Firefighters Union (UFU), which is dedicated to protecting firefighters’ health rights, denounces the decision to permit the prolonged use of fluorinated firefighting foams, seeing it as a disregard for firefighter life safety.

This summit, which took place in Geneva from April 28 to May 9 and coincided with the Basel and Rotterdam Convention parties’ conferences, brought attention to how urgent it is to manage chemicals and waste thoroughly. Although the three treaties’ synergy attempts to improve transboundary pollution management, analysts note that the conflict between public health and business interests is also reflected in the “loopholes” in the exemption clauses. Global environmental governance will face a new problem as the 2026 ban draws near: how nations strike a balance between social protection and business change.

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