New United Nations Scientific Council Established for Chemical Contamination Guidance; Future Looks Volatile
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution (ISPCWP) was officially established in June 2025, following over three years of negotiations initiated by a 2022 UN Environment Assembly resolution. The panel, which aims to provide robust, policy-relevant scientific advice to guide global efforts for the sound management of chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention, has been welcomed by environmental scientists around the world.
The ISPCWP is now formally constituted, marking a significant global recognition of chemicals and waste as critical environmental and public health priorities. The panel will synthesize expertise across diverse scientific fields concerning roughly 69,000 chemicals currently in use, many of which remain poorly assessed for hazard and risk.
The creation of the ISPCWP comes at a time when chemical complexity and waste volumes are rapidly increasing, with waste management alone costing an estimated USD 252 billion in 2020 globally. The new panel fills a critical gap by providing a global science-policy interface for chemicals and waste, comparable to what IPCC and IPBES have done in their domains, aiming to elevate these issues on political agendas worldwide.
However, the ISPCWP faces ongoing challenges regarding its operational design, funding, transparency, and mitigating conflicts of interest linked to industry influence. Negotiations revealed concerns about how the panel will determine priorities for assessments and the expertise to be included. Not all operational frameworks are settled, leaving some uncertainty about governance and transparency.
No explicit details on ISPCWPβs funding sources are provided in the current information, but concerns typically focus on ensuring independence and avoiding undue influence by industry stakeholders. Environmental NGOs such as IPEN have voiced strong criticism of chemical governance processes more generally, highlighting how industry influence has previously diluted regulatory measures on hazardous substances.
As the panel moves forward, it is crucial to maintain rigorous independence and science-based decision-making. The ISPCWP is seen as a historic step towards putting chemical waste and pollution on a par with climate change and biodiversity loss. However, treaty negotiations on related issues, such as plastics pollution, remain contentious and unresolved, with some governments resisting strong measures to reduce plastic production and hazardous chemical use.
In the final round of negotiations to establish a global plastic pollution treaty, there are concerns that similar strategies will be employed, potentially delaying action on an urgent problem. The panel's decision-making body will have a representative from every member state, and will approve budgets, select the members of the bureau and secretariat, and nominate and select the scientists for the panel.
The committee will be the 'scientific heart' of the panel, vetting research proposals, prioritising assessment topics, and shaping the scope and questions addressed in the panel's reports. Excluding non-governmental stakeholders, such as Indigenous peoples, labor groups, industry, and environmental health advocates, from the 'scientific engine room' might risk the effectiveness of the new panel.
As the ISPCWP begins its work, it is essential to ensure that all voices are heard and that the panel remains independent and focused on science-based decision-making. The US representative, Elizabeth Nichols, expressed her unwavering commitment to international cooperation during the Punta del Este meeting. The panel is yet to be named.
- The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution (ISPCWP) aims to provide advice for managing chemicals, waste, and pollution, recognizing them as critical environmental and public health priorities.
- The ISPCWP will synthesize expertise across various scientific fields concerning approximately 69,000 chemicals currently in use, many of which remain underassessed for hazard and risk.
- The creation of the ISPCWP comes as chemical complexity and waste volumes are rapidly increasing, with global waste management costs estimated to be USD 252 billion in 2020 alone.
- The ISPCWP faces ongoing challenges, including operational design, funding, transparency, and mitigating conflicts of interest linked to industry influence.
- Environmental NGOs have voiced concerns about industry influence on chemical governance processes, highlighting previous dilution of regulatory measures on hazardous substances.
- To ensure the ISPCWP's effectiveness, it is crucial to maintain rigorous independence and science-based decision-making, ensuring that all voices are heard, including Indigenous peoples, labor groups, industry, and environmental health advocates.
- The ISPCWP, which is yet to be named, has a significant role in elevating the issues of chemical waste and pollution to the same level as climate change and biodiversity loss, although treaty negotiations on related issues, such as plastics pollution, can be contentious and unresolved.
