The transition to a chlorine-free economy

Abstract

In April of 1992, the International Join Commission (IJC), a United States-Canadian agency that monitors environmental quality in the Great Lakes, called for the phasing out of chlorine as an industrial feedstock. The IJC had concluded that, based on a review of the scientific evidence, the health of humans was in danger due to persistent toxic chlorinated compounds found in the environment. The IJC and the task force went on to recommend a comprehensive transition planning process in order to implement the phase-out of industrial chlorine in an orderly and planned manner.

In spite of almost a decade of deliberation, the conclusions and recommendations of the IJC were strongly criticized by industry, and received only limited support from the Canadian and U.S. governments. Industry and government advanced alternative approaches that were far less sweeping and were based on traditional pollution control strategies. The comprehensive transition planning process as envisioned by the IJC has not been implemented and, because of funding concerns, the IJC's ability to pursue the toxic substance issue is being constrained.

Although the approaches currently being pursued by government and industry will lead to some reductions in toxic chemical emissions, these approaches fail to address the unique problems of persistent and bioaccumulative substances. Traditional pollution control strategies will not prevent the accidental release of toxic substances during the production, application and disposal of chlorine-based products. Once released, these toxic byproducts do not readily break down in the environment. They slowly accumulate - adding to the increasing load of toxins found in virtually all human and animal tissue around the globe. The IJC's recommendations, which are focused on eliminating the source of the problem, is a more prudent approach to addressing the unique problems of persistent and bioaccumulative substances.

Furthermore, industry's claim that a transition to a chlorine-free economy is too expensive appears to be unfounded. In this thesis, two applications - polyvinyl chloride pipe and perchloroethylene solvent - were examined to evaluate industry's claim. It was determined that, although there are some differences in cost-performance, chlorine-free alternatives compare favourably to chlorine-based products. The cost-performance differences that do exist appear to be manageable.

In order to move the transition process forward, government needs to firmly establish its commitment to eliminating the industrial use of chlorine. Then, rather than applying a comprehensive planning approach, government needs to establish appropriate phase-out timelines and develop market-based instruments which will provide industry with the incentives to implement the transition. The timelines must provide industry with enough time to: (1) obtain a return on chlorine-based investments, (2) develop chlorine-free business strategies, and (3) assist affected employees.

The details and innumerable business decisions concerning a transition to a chlorine-free economy should be left to the marketplace. This is because adapting to change is business-as-usual in competitive industries. Industry is constantly responding and adapting to new customer requirements, initiatives from competitors, and new technologies. Industry's flexibility, innovativeness, and responsiveness are powerful tools that can be applied to implement a transition to a chlorine-free economy. Market-based instruments established by the government, in consultation with industry, will provide the signals and incentives to move the transition process forward.