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This policy brief examines the evolution of global hazardous waste regulation, from early marine pollution treaties to the Basel Convention and its Ban Amendment. It highlights the risks of 'toxic colonialism,' the challenges of managing rapidly growing e-waste streams, and the need for proactive governance to protect vulnerable populations during the energy transition.

This report analyzes the environmental implications of the 2022 amendments to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), managed by the World Customs Organization (WCO). The author explains how the creation of specific commodity codes for environmentally sensitive products and environmental goods improves trade monitoring and facilitates the negotiation of trade agreements aimed at climate and environmental sustainability.

This report evaluates the potential risks to water resources posed by the proposed Thabametsi Power Plant's coal ash dump and pollution control dams. The author concludes that the chosen site is unsuitable and the proposed mitigation measures are insufficient to protect groundwater, surface water, and wetlands.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) provides comments on a Revised Legal Analysis by the Basel Convention's Secretariat regarding hazardous wastes generated on board ships. CIEL argues that the Secretariat's analysis creates loopholes by excluding non-Marpol wastes generated on ships from the Convention's transboundary movement (TBM), generation, and environmentally sound management (ESM) obligations. CIEL proposes alternative interpretations based on the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), emphasizing that both coastal State jurisdiction (in internal waters, territorial seas, and EEZs) and flag-State jurisdiction (including on the high seas) should trigger Basel obligations for non-Marpol wastes.

This amicus curiae brief submitted to the WTO Panel argues that Brazil's import ban on retreaded tires is justified under GATT Article XX. The document contends that a life-cycle approach to product analysis reveals that importing retreaded tires increases waste and public health risks in developing countries, and that such measures are supported by multilateral environmental agreements, human rights law, and the international environmental law principle of prevention.

This 2001 research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and WWF examines the legal and practical tensions between Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). It analyzes how WTO rules on trade in goods, services, and intellectual property can conflict with environmental objectives, such as the precautionary principle and biodiversity conservation. The paper argues for a legal clarification of the MEA-WTO relationship to ensure that trade rules do not undermine environmental governance and proposes practical steps for policy coherence, including sustainability assessments and enhanced inter-ministerial cooperation.

A statement from the Basel Action Network and other environmental organizations opposing the United States government's intent to selectively ratify the 1989 Basel Convention while refusing to implement the 1995 Basel Ban Amendment.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a comprehensive overview of 21 international agreements and instruments governing the trade of domestically prohibited goods (DPGs). It categorizes these goods into chemicals, pharmaceutical products, consumer products, and hazardous wastes, analyzing the legal and voluntary frameworks designed to protect importing countries—particularly developing nations—from risks to human, animal, plant health, and the environment.

This case study examines Molten Metal Technology Inc. (MMT) between 1989 and 1995, focusing on its development of Catalytic Extraction Processing (CEP) to recycle hazardous and radioactive waste. While MMT achieved significant financial growth through an IPO and government grants, and formed strategic alliances with firms like Lockheed Martin, the company struggled to transition from R&D to full commercial operation by late 1995.

This teaching note, prepared by Dr. Christine H. Stinson for the World Resources Institute, provides a framework for discussing corporate environmental accounting using the case of Specialty Glass, Inc. It focuses on how traditional cost accounting can distort the perceived cost of products that generate hazardous waste and the associated financial risks and liabilities.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the human rights impacts of electronic waste (e-waste), focusing on the toxic substances released during informal recycling and their effects on health, food security, and labor rights, particularly in developing nations.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the European Commission's October 2020 "Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability." It evaluates the strategy's potential to create a "toxic-free environment" and provides recommendations for the EU to lead global chemical management by strengthening international standards and eliminating the "double standard" of exporting hazardous substances banned within the EU.

This legal opinion by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the European Union's Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR) is illegal under international and EU law. CIEL contends that the SRR creates an unlawful exemption for EU-flagged ships from the Basel Convention's prohibitions on exporting hazardous waste to developing countries, particularly following the entry into force of the Basel Ban Amendment on December 5, 2019.

This legal briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the export of pesticides banned or not approved in their countries of origin—specifically from Europe to Africa and Central America—violates international law, including the Basel Convention, the Bamako Convention, and the Central American Agreement, as well as international human rights obligations.

This research paper provides a comparative analysis of the United States legal and regulatory frameworks governing the export of controlled and hazardous substances, including chemicals, drugs, pesticides, radioactive materials, and hazardous wastes. The author concludes that there is no single, unified approach to these exports, with requirements for notification, consent, and labeling varying significantly across different statutes.

This report details a workshop held on March 5, 2019, at the Century City Conference Centre, organized by GreenCape, Inspired Evolution, and SAPVIA. The event brought together 39 delegates from industry, government, and academia to address the emerging challenge of end-of-life (EOL) solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on legislative barriers, technical recycling solutions, and logistical strategies to prevent landfilling.

This case study describes Specialty Glass, Inc., a privately owned manufacturer in the Pacific Northwest of the United States that produced approximately 30 percent of the global supply of colored sheet glass for lamps and stained-glass windows. The company faced significant environmental and regulatory challenges due to the use of toxic pigments, specifically cadmium oxide used for ruby-red glass, which resulted in hazardous waste and air emission concerns.