I. Projects with Developing countries

II. Projects focusing on phasing-out mercury in the chlorine industry

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Projects with Developing countries

The EEB through the Zero Mercury Campaign has been supporting financially (and technically) NGOs from developing countries for national activities as well as participation at international level, to assist in the global campaign.

Since the campaign started in November 2004 - 5 NGOs from developing countries have been supported every year to carry out national activities, and many others have been supported to participate in European and global-UNEP meetings.

The following NGOs/countries from Developing countries have been given small grants to develop projects in their countries in relation to mercury. Toxics Link, India, Associação de Combate aos POPs- ACPO, Brazil, Global Village of Beijing, China, and groundWork, South Africa have been supported since 2005. In 2009 one more NGO was given support - Ban Toxics! from Philippines. They have all been working on their proposed and approved projects in view of building capacity in their countries concerning In 2010 EcoAccord from the Russian Federation and Agenda from Tanzania have been added in the supported NGOs.

See below the work carried out so far by these NGOs:

Projects and activities in Brazil
Projects and activities in China
Projects and activities in India
Projects and activities in South Africa
Projects and activities in the Philipinnes
Projects and activities in Russia
Projects and activities in Tanzania

Through the years, support to NGOs in developing countries has generaly grown and many activities have taken and are still taking place. Since these NGOs are members of the Zero Mercury Working Group and have been supported by the network we are providing here the space to show their work and input to the global mercury campaign.

Activities in Argentina
Activities in Egypt
Activities in Indonesia
Activities in Mauritius
Activities in Mexico
Activities in Nepal
Activities in Pakistan
Activities in Suriname-Guyana(s)
Activities in Uganda

Projects focuced on phasing-out mercury in the chlorine industry

During Phase II of the Zero Mercury Campaign, the EEB focused on the mercury use in the chlor-alkali sector and more specifically in Italy, Spain and the Czech republic. Monitoring of mercury in the air outside 11 chlor-alkali plants took place in June 2006.
The monitoring was carried out by Ecologistas en Acción in Spain, by Legambiente in Italy, and by Arnika in the Czech Republic.  The monitoring was part of a broader effort by EEB and cooperating organisations to:-

• create momentum in each country towards obtaining a national commitment for the early conversion of existing mercury-cell chlor-alkali plants, while ensuring that decommissioned mercury from these plants will be safely stored and not re-enter the market; and to
• raise awareness on mercury issues in general.

Further to the chlor-alkali campaign, the EEB commissioned a study to Concorde East/West SA on the Status of the Mercury cell chlor-alkali plants in Europe. The study highlighted the impact of Europe’s chlor-alkali plants. It reveals growing evidence that mercury air emissions from the EU’s chlorine plants may be significantly under-reported, by as much as five times, and might even equal emission levels from the EU’s large coal-fired power stations.

EEB has also issued its own report - Risky Business! No need for mercury in the chlorine industry - including independent air quality sampling results from around mercury-cell chlor-alkali factories in Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic, which found disturbingly high mercury levels around ten of the eleven plants monitored. 
EEB has recommended to EU and national policy-makers that they:-

• Phase out the mercury-cell process as soon as possible, and by 2010 at the latest, as part of an EU initiative or national commitment, (in contrast to industry’s 2020 commitment)
• Safely store surplus mercury from decommissioned plants so it can’t be re-sold
• Remove mercury contamination resulting from plant operation and waste disposal
• Deny operating permits (under the IPPC Directive) to plants using obsolete non-BAT technology
• Prepare full guidelines for decommissioning plants and safely storing all mercury
• Ensure continuous, comprehensive and independently-verified monitoring of mercury emissions from plants, on-site, and at site perimeters, and full accounting for any unexplained loss of mercury from the process
• Improved monitoring of factory workers’ and local residents’ health.

National reports can be found for Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic

A press release on the same issue has been sent out on 10 November 2006, revealing the publication of the two reports.

Czech version, by STUZ, of EEB´s PR "Risky Business: Phase-out mercury in chlorine industry" with 1 paragraph with specific Czech info about Czech chlor-alkali (Spolana, Spolchemie). Czech PR version is available here: http://www.stuz.cz/view.php?cisloclanku=2006110009

The press release also went out in Spain by Ecologistas en Accion - http://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/article.php3?id_article=6078

Eurochlor responded with a statement - on the 14 November 2006.

As  an answer to that, on the 23 November 2006 the EEB sent a letter to EuroChlor copied to EU Member State representatives and journalists

Further to our chlor-alkali campaigns see also the press release issued by Arnika - member of the Zero Mercury Working Group on one of the two mercury-cell chlor-alkali plants operating in the Czech Republic Spolchemie is allowed to operate mercury electrolysis till the end of 2012 only - 21.12.2006

On February 27, 2007 Legambiente organised a conference on chemicals including focus on the chlor-alkali industry following the campaign and monitoring as above.
A press release was posted by Legambiente on the issue , accompanied by a revised report on the Italian Chlor-alkali campaign

The event was covered by press as below.

Spanish - campaign (21/2/2007)
the campaign "Mercurio en pescado" is having great repercussion in the Spanish media.

visit:
http://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=183
http://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/IMG/pdf/guia_peces_mercurio.pdf