Phase out of Mercury added Products

Introduction To Mercury Added Products

CEJAD in collaboration with European Environmental Bureau with Zero Mercury Working Group (EEB/ZMWG) implementing a project towards phase out of mercury products. The overall objective of the project was to contribute to the early ratification and implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury (MCM) in Kenya by particularly focusing on the development of Mercury Added Products (MAPs) phase down/out strategies and provisions for the adoption of alternatives.

Since 2013 Countries that aim to become a party to the Minamata Convention are encouraged as part of the pre-ratification process to conduct a Mercury Initial Assessment (MIA); MIA enables a country to determine what is needed in order to ratify the Convention and, subsequently, to provide a basis for the development and implementation of phase down/out strategies for mercury and Mercury Added Products (MAPs).

Related to this, under the convention, articles 3 and 4 of this global treaty outline control provisions for the Phase down/out of MAPs and a ban on supply of mercury as an integral part of efforts towards the reduction of mercury contamination. Countries are therefore required as part of the ratification process to develop a roadmap for the phase down/out of MAPs.

As a complementary activity to the Kenyan MIA process, CEJAD project aims to contribute to the ratification and implementation of the Convention in Kenya by particularly focusing on the development of MAPs phase down/out strategies and provisions for the adoption of alternatives. The MAPs covered under the project include the Convention’s Annex A products (i.e. health sector, batteries, cosmetics and lighting products.)

(NB: there are upcoming activities on maps and we’ll be able to update the photos, at the moment I can’t find any.)

We Aim To

Assist the Kenya government in developing and implementing a roadmap toward phasing out Mercury Added Products (MAPs) in Kenya.
Sensitize stakeholders on the MAPs phase out as per Minamata Convention provisions for continuous reporting and monitoring of mercury added products and implementation of the Convention provisions.
Strengthen legal frameworks for implementation of MAPs phase out in Kenya including monitoring of imported MAPs by relevant government agencies to control their entry into the country.
Create awareness among the Kenyan public on the dangers of mercury and mercury containing products (such as cosmetics, healthcare measuring devices, lighting equipment) on human health and the environment, including.

We Do This By

Conducting continuous consultations with stakeholders from government, private sector/agencies and media on the need to phase out MAPs in Kenya.
Reviewing and analysis of relevant policies and laws to identify legal gap analysis to help strengthen policy and regulatory frameworks for phase out of MAPs.
Assessment of the availability of Mercury-free Products in the Kenyan market to help the country transition to mercury free products.
Media outreach and awareness to hep inform the public and stakeholders on the dangers of mercury and mercury added products.