The On-line Halon Trader is a new service provided by the clearinghouse to support national halon banking by facilitating the exchange of halons for critical uses via the world wide web. The On-line Halon Trader seeks to promote the responsible management of halons on both sides of halon banking transactions. Persons seeking halons who wish to access the listings agree that their organizations have endeavoured to reduce, avoid, or eliminate the use of halons to the maximum extent feasible, and are seeking recovered, recycled, reclaimed or banked halons for an essential or critical use. This web site is part of the information exchange services provided by UNEP to developing countries to help them meet their obligations under the Montreal Protocol. UNEP's clearinghouse services will now unleash the vast potential of the Internet to promote cooperation between industry, government and civil society to find solutions to environmental problems.
Halons are man-made brominated hydrocarbons that act as very effective fire extinguishants.
Their production and consumption has been phased out in developed countries by 1994. At their 4th meeting in Copenhagen from 23-25 November 1992, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol urged all countries to encourage recovery, recycling and reclamation of halons in order to meet the needs of all Parties, particularly developing countries. They also called upon Parties importing recovered or recycled halons to apply, when deciding on the use of those substances, the essential-use criteria set out in the 1991 report of the Halons Technical Options Committee. The purpose of these criteria is to minimise the use of halons in non-essential applications. At the same meeting, the Parties requested the UNEP to function as a clearinghouse for information relevant to international halon bank management.