Strengthening Waste Dumping Regulations at the North Sea Protection Conference - August 1995 At the North Sea Protection Conference held in 1995, it was agreed to completely ban the dumping of hazardous waste into the North Sea by 2020. This agreement aims for a significant reduction in the over 10,000 tons of hazardous waste currently dumped into the North Sea annually. The targeted substances include heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, as well as highly toxic chemicals like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins. These pose severe adverse effects on marine ecosystems, particularly burdening fishery resources.

Strengthening Waste Dumping Regulations at the North Sea Protection Conference - August 1995 At the North Sea Protection Conference held in 1995, it was agreed to completely ban the dumping of hazardous waste into the North Sea by 2020. This agreement aims for a significant reduction in the over 10,000 tons of hazardous waste currently dumped into the North Sea annually. The targeted substances include heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, as well as highly toxic chemicals like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins. These pose severe adverse effects on marine ecosystems, particularly burdening fishery resources.

North Sea coastal nations including France, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway have established a policy to gradually reduce dumping volumes by 2020 and ultimately achieve zero dumping to meet these reduction targets. Meanwhile, the UK, facing pressure from major domestic chemical companies like ICL (Imperial Chemical Industries), Union Carbide, and pharmaceutical firms, did not sign up to the complete ban on dumping. Consequently, the UK is expected to continue dumping approximately 2,000 tons of waste into the North Sea annually.

This agreement is expected to significantly impact the improvement of North Sea water quality. France and Germany have announced plans to allocate a budget of 500 million euros (approximately 65 billion yen) for the development of waste recycling facilities. Furthermore, the Norwegian government intends to invest 10 million euros (approximately 1.3 billion yen) annually in developing waste treatment technologies, advancing efforts toward the goal of zero ocean dumping.

While these North Sea protection initiatives are expected to benefit fishery resources and tourism, the chemical industry is being called upon to transition toward sustainable management practices, including waste recycling and harmless treatment.