1.The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

To prevent hazards posed by persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the United Nations (UN) established the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (referred to as the Stockholm Convention, or the Convention). The Convention mandates the prohibition or restriction of the use of the POPs listed in its inventory. Although Taiwan is not a party to the Convention, the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan; the Ministry of Health and Welfare; the Ministry of Economic Affairs; the Ministry of Finance; and the Ministry of Labor were invited to collaboratively develop "The National Implementation Plan under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants" (referred to as the NIP or the Plan) in order to take proactive control measures. The initial version of the plan was approved by the Executive Yuan on July 3, 2008. Acting as the coordinating agency, subsequent revisions have been made to align with the resolutions added to the Convention and the restructuring of national organizations, thus driving forward related efforts.

2.The Minamata Convention on Mercury

The Minamata Convention prohibits the manufacturing, import, and export of 9 categories of mercury-containing products starting from January 1, 2021. They are: specific batteries; switches and relays; compact fluorescent lamps; linear fluorescent lamps for general lighting; high-pressure mercury lamps for general lighting; fluorescent lamps with electronic displays; cosmetics; pesticides/biopesticides/local antibacterial agents; and non-electronic measuring devices. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor, Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance, and Ocean Affairs Council have been invited to establish a task force to promote cross-departmental collaboration. Through these efforts, regulations related to mercury-containing products are being enforced, and ongoing public education and communication initiatives are being carried out.

3.The Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Management Plan

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has defined “environmental hormones” as exogenous substances that interfere with the synthesis, secretion, transmission, binding, action, and elimination of endogenous hormones responsible for maintaining homeostasis, reproduction, development, or behavior within a biological organism. Through inter-departmental collaboration, the Chemical Substances Administration, Ministry of Environment (hereinafter referred to as the Administration) has established the Environmental Hormone Management Plan. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Council of Agriculture under the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Education were also invited to establish a task force for promoting inter-departmental collaboration. This collaboration manages the ongoing division of tasks in implementing regulatory enhancements, market inspections, audits or sampling, environmental fate investigations, and educational outreach efforts.