Our Work

The Right to a Healthy Environment

IPEN stands for your right to know when toxic chemicals put your health at risk, exposing chemical threats and aiming to eliminate harmful chemicals and toxic plastics for a healthy, toxics-free future for all.

Click below to see our Areas of Work, focusing on eliminating highly toxic chemicals (POPs), stopping toxic plastics, eliminating hazardous pesticides, ending threats from lead poisoning and mercury contamination, working through global chemical forums, and ending the toxic waste trade.

Areas of Work

More Production = More Pollution

Scientists have identified three crises impacting the environment globally: climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and pollution from toxic chemicals and plastics.

IPEN’s work is critical to reverse these planetary crises. Chemicals and plastics are made from oil and gas – producing plastic threatens the climate, biodiversity, and the healthy environments we need to thrive. The chemical and plastics industry plans to triple production in the coming decades – despite the threats to our health, the climate, and all life on Earth. We need to dramatically reduce the production of petrochemicals and plastics – more production means more pollution.

Global Challenges, Global Solutions

Everyone is impacted by toxic chemicals, and low- and middle-income countries face disproportionate risks from chemical threats. IPEN leaders from these countries come together in a global network, securing global and national policies to eliminate harmful chemicals and promote safer, sustainable solutions.

Public Policy for Public Health

IPEN members produce original science, innovative policy solutions, and bring their local expertise to global deliberations, ensuring that global policies reflect the needs of their communities who face the most serious health threats from hazardous chemicals.

From Local to Global to Local

IPEN and its members develop local research and produce local data, bringing unique information and perspectives to international policy debates. Stronger global policies then serve as templates for national regulations, especially in countries with limited government experience in controlling hazardous chemicals. IPEN members have contributed to global and national policies that have protected millions of children and families from toxic exposures.

Theory of Change

IPEN’s long experience shows that four criteria need to be fulfilled for decision-makers to move toward health-protective policy change. Decision-makers need

Access to science and research to understand and analyze problems.
The ability and knowledge to make decisions.
A specific, timely intervention (a prompt), to create the motivation to change policies.

Critically, there is a need for a catalyst for change, which is:

An organized, diversified, and skilled civil society.

IPEN’s skilled civil society members provide strategic interventions that address the missing or weak criteria, and IPEN coordinates among its members and partners to spur positive change.

A Movement for a Healthier Future

IPEN and its members work together to advance and strengthen global and national policies to protect health and the environment from toxic chemicals and waste. IPEN members produce groundbreaking, original research; contribute expert and community knowledge to global negotiations; and build a global movement for a toxics-free future.