Prospects for Russia’s Accession to the 2013 Minamata Convention as an Important Step in the Transition to Mercury-Free Alternatives in Production Processes in Order to Implement the Concept of Sustainable Development

One of the challenges in implementing the concept of sustainable economic development is to reduce the use of mercury or mercury compounds in production processes. An effective international mechanism in this regard is the 2013 Minamata Convention, which entered into force in 2017, and to date, it has been ratified by 128 states. The Convention encourages states to move towards technically and economically feasible mercury-free alternatives. The Convention regulates the entire life cycle of mercury: supply, trade, use, emissions, waste, storage and management of waste and contaminated sites. Within the framework of this Convention, it is envisaged to promote measures to reduce the use of mercury obtained as a result of primary mining of mercury, to take measures to reduce emissions and releases of mercury into the environment; support for research and development on mercury-free catalysts and processes, and other measures. On September 24, 2014, Russia signed the Minamata Convention, within the framework of the article, and special attention is paid to the problems and prospects of Russia’s ratification of this Convention. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.