The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) conventions are multilateral environmental agreements, which share the common objective of protecting human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes. The Secretariats of the Basel and Stockholm conventions are administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and are located in Geneva, Switzerland. The Secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention is jointly served by UNEP in Geneva and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. The Secretariat supports Parties to the conventions with their implementation through various activities, such as the organization of conferences, meetings of subsidiary bodies and meetings of experts, the development of technical and legal guidance and guidelines, the development of technical assistance, the provision of legal advice and the facilitation of various partnerships.
The BRS conventions are treaties aiming at protecting human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes, and have areas of work with impacts across their lifecycle, encompassing production, use, and waste management.
Countries that are Parties to the conventions are expected to implement actions that contribute to a more sustainable environment, and as such, production of more sustainable materials. The conventions cover chemicals that are used as synthetic materials in the fashion industry, and these may be harmful for the environment and human health. They may affect upstream phases of the industry, for example in the design and production phases, but also in the use of artefacts, as well as in downstream phases, such as waste management practices.
The conventions have been working, in general, in areas that impact the industry, by controlling trade of dangerous chemicals, and hazardous waste (and other wastes) that may contain, consist of or be contaminated with dangerous constituents. There is also work on elimination of certain chemicals, for example, flame retardants, PFAs, and certain plasticizers, from the production and use, which may, in the future, also contribute to improvements in the waste management phase.
At the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-17), which took place in May 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, Parties to the Basel Convention adopted decision BC-17/21, formally launching focused work on the management of used textiles and textile waste. The decision includes a call for information, by:
The Secretariat was tasked with preparing a report outlining possible options under the Basel Convention framework to tackle these issues.
This work will lay the foundation for informed discussions at COP-18 in 2027, ensuring that policy responses are well informed and aligned with environmentally sound management principles.
Additionally, as part of the Plastic Waste Partnership (PWP) under the Basel Convention, an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Forum was organized in March 2024.
The PWP EPR Forum provided a platform for sharing experiences and best practices in EPR implementation.
One of its sessions was dedicated to textile waste, underscoring the potential for EPR schemes to reduce environmental impacts and improve textile waste management infrastructure globally.
The Forum highlighted gaps in data, collection systems, and recycling technology, especially for complex, blended textiles.
A factsheet developed by the Plastic Waste Partnership outlines the environmental and social dimensions of textile waste.
Key highlights include:
Awareness-Raising Workstream (2024)