Issue Cutting the production and proliferation of novel entities

Summary

The report argues that after more than a century of producing, using and discarding chemicals and materials in a largely technology-centered way, societies must fundamentally rethink their relationship with novel entities. A first step is reversing production growth that outpaces population growth, since basic petrochemical output doubled between 1990 and 2010 but has recently stalled amid structural overcapacity, leaving room to align output with real demand. Rich countries' material footprint is six times that of poor countries, so curbing overconsumption can cut demand further. With over 350,000 chemicals and mixtures registered, the report favors simplification, meaning fewer and less diverse substances for the same functions, along with substances that are safe and sustainable by design. Citing falling levels of pollutants restricted under the Stockholm Convention, it proposes extending the essential-use concept, born in the Montreal Protocol and now applied to PFASs, to other hazardous substances. More evidence can deepen understanding, it says, but should not become an excuse to delay action.