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The BAMA Board is proposing that BAMA members and, were possible, non-members, agree to voluntarily reduce NMVOC emissions from aerosol dispensers sold in the UK by 2030.

NMVOCs are a problem in outdoor air because they react with other chemicals in the atmosphere to form tropospheric ozone. There is also a growing body of work warning about the consequences of high levels of NMVOCs in the home, particularly as we are all spending more time indoors.

The target proposed is that emissions from aerosols will return to 2005 levels by 2030.

Emissions from aerosol in 2020 (as recorded in the NAEI Database) were 72 ktonnes compared to 59.1 ktonnes in 2005 (the baseline year for the current UK Air Quality commitments).

The BAMA NMVOC Reduction Pathway will look to reduce emissions through non-prescriptive routes.

To show progress against the Pathway BAMA will provide an annual report to Government on our industry’s NMVOC emissions through data provided by industry and through information on UK aerosol sales obtained from Kantar, or a similar market research organisation.

BAMA recognises that some products, for example lubricant sprays, will struggle to reduce their NMVOC content as it will impact their efficacy. We also recognise that some formulations will still need to have a high percentage of NMVOC to maintain performance, e.g., antiperspirants and body sprays. For these reasons BAMA is not proposing a traffic light labelling regime because we believe one would be misleading for consumers.

In addition, many years of experience in countries like the USA have shown that product specific targets can be counterproductive as they can degrade product efficacy and performance. Exemptions have then been needed for a range of solvents and propellants that would not be permitted in the UK.

In the BAMA NMVOC Reduction Pathway, it is proposed that there will be no targets for individual sectors or products, rather we believe this is something to which the whole aerosol industry can and should contribute. By reporting total NMVOC emissions to Government, BAMA believes those companies who agree with the Pathway will have the flexibility to use different routes to meet the reduction target. These could include concentrating formulations into smaller packs or reducing the amount of NMVOC in the formula, as well as novel and other yet to be developed solutions.

The BAMA Board urges all BAMA Member Companies to agree to this NMVOC Reduction Pathway.