Note by the Secretariat Article 9 of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants states that each party is to facilitate or undertake the exchange of information relevant to alternatives to persistent organic pollutants. Paragraph 5 of decision SC-4/3 “encourages those parties that may seek a specific exemption for future persistent organic pollutant chemicals to make efforts to introduce alternative measures as soon as possible...” The replacement of persistent organic pollutants with suitable alternatives is a key to eliminating their production and use.