Leonora Rojas Bracho, General Director of Urban and Regional Pollution Research, National Institute of Ecology (INE-Semarnat) and Member of the SMOC Working Group, spoke at the CEC Chemicals Management Forum in San Antonio, Texas, on May 16, 2012. More information at: http://www.cec.org/chemicals2012

1. Chemicals management indicators in the
movement toward sustainable cities in
Mexico
Dr. Leonora Rojas-Bracho/National Institute of Ecology of Mexico
Chemicals Management Forum
San Antonio, Texas
May 15-16, 2012
Commission for Environmental Cooperation

2. Sustainable cities project
• A new initiative is being undertaken in Mexico
aimed at leading medium-sized cities toward
sustainability
• Indicators related to chemicals management are
being developed to measure compliance with the
current regulation and the elimination of non-
essential uses and the reduction of releases of
hazardous substances
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3. Overall objective
To direct the environmental performance of Mexican cities toward
environmental sustainability, through development of a set of
indicators
Environmental performance Environmental sustainability
The measurable results of the actions The movement toward redesign of the ways
undertaken in a city to protect and promote used to meet society’s needs, which takes
caring for the environment, and to into consideration the long-term capacity of
prevent, reduce and mitigate the adverse effect the environmental to withstand the load
that human settlements, productive activities placed on it.
and services exert upon it, taking as the point
of reference the city’s
policies, regulations, objectives and
environmental goals.
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4. Project overview
• Our vision of an environmentally sustainable city is that in
which its infrastructure and processes have been
redesigned to meet society's needs within the long-term
carrying capacity of the environment.
• Our aim is to produce a comprehensive set of indicators
that serve to evaluate the environmental performance of a
medium-sized city and set environmental sustainability
goals for the short, medium and long terms.
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5. Vision of the indicators
Vision: To minimize the use and release of the chemical substances, the risks on the
environment and health from which have been documented, until their elimination or
substitution by other safer technologies or substances
Indicators are focused on the environmentally-appropriate management of
chemical substances in industrial facilities . Indicators cover two phases:
1st Phase, with short- and medium-term goals:
• Addressed to compliance with the legal framework in effect and the non-regulatory
instruments
• Formulated on the basis of existing information
2nd Phase, with medium- and long-term goals:
• Promotion and application of BAT/BEP as a path forward to eco-efficiency
Policy direction:
Eliminate non-essential uses and minimize the release to the environment of
chemical substances that represent an unacceptable risk to human health and
the environment
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6. Substances subject to Mexican PRTR reporting
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7. Indicator: Substitution of non-essential uses of RETC
substances
Objective: Measure the elimination of non-essential uses of RETC substances by the
substitution for safer substances.
Non-essential uses of RETC substances
Short term Medium term Long term
Policy direction:
It is expected a gradual decrease of non-essential uses of chemicals listed in
the Mexican Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (RETC), included the
Persistent Organic Pollutants listed in the Stockholm Convention.
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8. Indicator: Reduction of releases of RETC substances
Objective: Measure the reduction of releases of RETC substances to the environment
Releases of RETC substances
Short term Medium term Long term
Policy direction:
It is foreseen to reduce the releases of RETC substances through the
implementation of BAT/BEP implementation in order to protect human health
and the environment
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9. Limitations on the chemical substances management
• Few precedents regarding management of chemical
substances in sustainable cities around the world. Not explicit
• Regulation of chemicals is limited in Mexico
• There is no registry in Mexico for chemical substances used in
industry
• Limited information. We are currently working on the first
chemicals inventory, with a 2009 base year, to be published
in 2012
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10. Initial city for project application
Aguascalientes Metropolitan Area
(AMA)
• Three municipalities in a single
metropolitan area
• Population: The population of the state
is 1,200,000 inhabitants, of which 80%
is concentrated in the AMA.
• The Aguascalientes State government’s
“Green Agenda”
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11. Levels of participation in the project
• Federal, State and Municipal governments
• In the first phase we are working with secondary information
• Private sector
• Will get incorporated into the project through a workshop with the
sectors during the initial phase, and
• Will participate in generating information and the strategy for the
second phase
• Social sector
• Will get incorporated into the project through a workshop with the
sectors during the initial phase, and
• Will participate in design of a second phase, for development of
indicators for sustainable consumption
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12. Path forward
• Learn in depth the concepts and methodologies for
chemicals alternatives assessments
• Know international experiences on chemicals substitution
• Propose a regional forum on chemicals substitution with
experts of the region in the framework of the SMOC
activities
• Enhance research on chemicals substitution in the
academy sector
• Continue promoting the use of the indicators in other
medium-sized cities of Mexico
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13. Thank you!
Merci!
¡Gracias!
Three countries. One environment.
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