Capitalizing key elements of NonHazCity: empowering private and professional users for better risk management and use reduction of chemical products in their cities
NonHazCity 2
 
PROGRAMME 2014-2020
priority
2 Natural resources
objective
2.1 Clear waters

NonHazCity 2

The Interreg project NonHazCity 2 built municipalities’ capacity in chemicals management and campaigned on the dangers of plastics in our everyday life.
The challenge

Small scale emitters with big impact

Industrial wastewaters, municipal sewage and stormwater are the source of hazardous substances and pollutants entering the Baltic Sea waters. Although emissions from industrial sources are formally regulated, emissions coming from small-scale businesses or households usually are not. However, in cases of substances like phthalates, bisphenol A, alkylphenols and PFAS smaller sources account for 50% of emissions in the region.

So far, the exact emitters have been not identified because of low concentrations of the substances of concern. They have not been addressed either due to the high number of emitters. Consequently, people running small-scale businesses or households have little knowledge of which chemical products to select and which to avoid in order to protect both their own health and the environment.

 

Lacking tools to tackle emissions from small-scale emitters

Another challenge is related to the municipal wastewater treatment facilities, which are unable to effectively treat the pollution coming from small-scale businesses and households. People responsible for wastewater management in municipalities need to learn about new techniques to reduce emissions of hazardous substances and other pollutants that cannot be reached by traditional water treatment and enforcement techniques.

 

NonHazCity 2 is the extension stage project of NonHazCity and helps to implement the earlier developed tools for the reduction of hazardous substances in various environments. The exchange on smart procurement praxis facilitated by the project allows decision-makers, suppliers and end-users to improve their chemical assortment.

Budgets

NonHazCity 2
in numbers
  • 1.11
    Million
    Total
  • 0.75
    Million
    Erdf
  • 0.15
    Million
    Eni + Russia
  • 0.00
    Million
    Norway

Achievements

The partners of NonHazCity 2 focused on the implementation of the chemical action plans (CAPs) at municipalities. The participating municipalities who earlier approved such plans assessed the plans´ effectiveness and adaptability during the implementation. The CAPs contain strategic actions covering all measures taken in municipalities to reduce hazardous substances. As such, the plans were benchmarked, analysed and scored in regard to their contribution to reaching the targets. The feedback from the piloting cities such as Riga (Latvia), Pärnu (Estonia), Västeras (Sweden), Turku (Finland) and Gdansk (Poland) was integrated into the overall assessment and served as a basis for designing the training modules.

 

Training in chemical-smart public procurement

Municipal representatives received training on how to organise chemical-smart procurement, or green public procurement (GPP). The purpose of the training was to learn the basics about hazardous chemical substances, their origin (how they come from products and articles), how they impact the environment and finally, how to avoid them while running a procurement.

Integration of chemical risk management

Based on the key learning that chemicals risk management must become more explicit and be integrated in the environmental management system (EMS) of organisations and businesses, a guide on “Management of chemicals as a part of the environmental management system” was developed and tested.  Through feedback from representatives of businesses and certification bodies, two versions of this guide were prepared: the first focuses on adapting chemicals management to existing international and worldwide standards (ISO) for EMS, the second refers in more depth to EU legislation in the area of chemicals management.

 

For better outreach, the partners organised #NonHazPlasticDiet campaign aimed to raise awareness of the possibilities to reduce hazardous substances. The campaign reached over half a million Europeans across 14 countries. In addition to this, the partners developed Do-It-Yourself (DIY) guides for private consumers and offices as well as a web-based app to measure the personal exposure risk with endocrine disrupting substances at home.

Outputs

Assessment of the chemicals action plans of the Baltic Sea region

The report contains the findings from the assessment of the implementation of chemical action plans (CAPs) in municipalities. It covers the involvement of stakeholders, benchmarking for the CAP assessments and anchoring of CAPs and green public procurement (GPP) at participating municipalities. Besides, it includes an assessment of CAPs through indicators and recommendations to foster the implementation of CAPs and the application of GPP. The publication is useful for procurement and environmental units in municipalities.

Training programme on chemicals-smart public procurement

The online programme offers training for municipal representatives on various aspects to ensure a chemicals-smart procurement. The material is structured in 5 practical modules that cover: what are hazardous substances, how they originate from products, their footprint on the environment, the legal basics of chemical management, and how to avoid the chemicals. For convenience, the training modules are available as an online kit. The training programme is used to raise the awareness of municipal representatives about hazardous substances and green public procurement. Besides, for so-called “chemical ambassadors” (volunteers trained by the project in this capacity) there is an additional training kit integrating brochures, video tutorials, handouts and a manual.

Guide: management of chemicals as a part of the environmental management system

The aim of this document is to provide guidance on the integration of chemical risk management into environmental management systems. It follows the format of ISO 14002 standard series. It guides on how to control risk and implement hazardous chemicals policy. In addition, the document is translated to Polish and nationally distributed to certification bodies and public authorities. The guide serves as underlying material for international discussions aimed to raise awareness about combining chemicals management with environmental management systems.

Project Stories

  • 31.05.2021

    How NonHazCity paves the way for a tox-free Europe

    From toothpaste to toys, hazardous chemicals are everywhere around us. Read about the Interreg project NonHazCity and its #MadeWithInterreg solutions for a greener and healthier life. Together with another project from the North Sea region, Sullied Sediments, they show how dedicated people working across borders are putting the EU Green Deal into practice.
    Read full story
  • 23.09.2020

    Interreg projects from the region gain EU wide visibility

    Two Interreg Baltic Sea Region projects - EcoDesign Circle and NonHazCity - have reached the finals of two EU wide campaigns: RegioStars Awards 2020 and the Interact Project Slam. Both projects showcase how cooperation in an Interreg project actively contributes to a greener Europe.
    Read full story
  • 03.09.2020

    “We want all citizens in Europe to become tox-free”

    The NonHazCity projects are a great example of how Europeans with smart ideas successfully cooperate to turn good solutions into common practice. Environmentalists, public officials and researchers from eight countries demonstrate how we can reduce the amounts of hazardous substances that enter the environment from sources that cannot be controlled by traditional water treatment, e.g. offices, schools, recreational facilities and businesses. Read here about the household check – a unique tool to reach out to private households and to initiate better consumption decisions. The concerted approach of NonHazCity is innovative and far-reachig which is why the projects are flagships of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
    Read full story

Partners

Riga city

  • Town
    Riga
  • Region
    Rīga
  • Country
    Latvia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
99,753.39
56.949397724.1051846

Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia

  • Town
    Riga
  • Region
    Rīga
  • Country
    Latvia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
73,261.09
56.949397724.1051846

Baltic Environmental Forum Lithuania

  • Town
    Vilnius
  • Region
    Vilniaus apskritis
  • Country
    Lithuania
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
64,257.04
54.687045825.2829111

Gdansk Water Utilities Ltd.

  • Town
    Gdansk
  • Region
    Gdański
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
81,718.74
54.3611928518.62860883362069

City of Västerås

  • Town
    Västerås
  • Region
    Västmanlands län
  • Country
    Sweden
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
75,774.69
59.611099216.5463679

Pärnu City Government

  • Town
    Pärnu
  • Region
    Lääne-Eesti
  • Country
    Estonia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
23,943.43
58.633108925.1684058

Baltic Environmental Forum Estonia

  • Town
    Tallinn
  • Region
    Põhja-Eesti
  • Country
    Estonia
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
85,666.81
59.437215524.7453688

Baltic Environmental Forum Germany

  • Town
    Hamburg
  • Region
    Hamburg
  • Country
    Germany
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
255,847.84
53.543764110.0099133

Turku University of Applied Sciences

  • Town
    Turku
  • Region
    Varsinais-Suomi
  • Country
    Finland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
95,690.94
60.451753122.2670522

Association Polish Forum ISO 14000

  • Town
    Gdansk
  • Region
    Gdański
  • Country
    Poland
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
71,501.31
54.3611928518.62860883362069

Saint-Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation

  • Town
    Saint-Petersburg
  • Region
    City of St. Petersburg
  • Country
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
89,617.74
59.91785735000000630.380619357025516

Ecological union

  • Town
    Saint-Petersburg
  • Region
    City of St. Petersburg
  • Country
Approximate total partner budget in EUR
90,142.51
59.91785735000000630.380619357025516

Videos

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