This Action Plan is a sectoral policy document covering the period of 2022-2025. Main objectives of the Action Plan include: By 2025, to complete environmental risk screening for highly concerned, high-yield (used) chemicals, and complete a batch of environmental risk assessments for chemicals; Dynamically release the List of Key Controlled New Pollutants; Implement environmental risk control measures such as prohibition, restriction, and emission restriction for key controlled new pollutants; The regulatory system and management mechanism for environmental risk management of toxic and harmful chemicals will be gradually established and improved, and the ability to control and treat new pollutants will be significantly enhanced.
According the Action Plan, the production and use of toxic and hazardous chemicals is a major source of new pollutants. At present, the new pollutants that are widely concerned at home and abroad mainly include persistent organic pollutants controlled by international conventions, endocrine disruptors, and antibiotics. In order to strengthen the control of new pollutants, and effectively protect the safety of the ecological environment and the health of the people, this Action Plan is formulated.
The Action Plan proposes six initiatives. First, strengthen the construction of laws, regulations, and technical standards systems, establish a cross departmental coordination mechanism for new pollutant treatment, fully implement the territorial responsibility for new pollutant treatment in accordance with the principle of national overall planning, provincial overall responsibility, and city/county implementation, and establish and improve the new pollutant treatment system. The second is to carry out investigation and monitoring, assess the environmental risk status of new pollutants, and dynamically release a list of key controlled new pollutants. The third is to fully implement the environmental management and registration system for new chemical substances, strictly implement elimination or restriction measures, strengthen the control of the content of key new pollutants in products, strictly control the source, and prevent the generation of new pollutants. Fourth, strengthen clean production and green manufacturing, standardize the use and management of antibiotics, strengthen the use and management of pesticides, strengthen process control, and reduce the discharge of new pollutants. Fifth, strengthen the coordinated treatment of multiple environmental media for new pollutants, strengthen the collection, utilization, and disposal of wastes containing specific new pollutants, deepen terminal treatment, and reduce environmental risks of new pollutants. Sixth, strengthen scientific and technological support, strengthen basic capacity building, and consolidate the foundation for new pollutant treatment.