The PRTR is a publicly available environmental database that provides periodic and reliable data on potentially hazardous pollutants released into the air, water, and soil and transported off-site for treatment or disposal. The PRTR is defined by an international treaty (PRTR Protocol) adopted at the Fifth Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" in Kyiv in 2003, within the framework of the Aarhus Convention, and by Regulation (EU) 2024/1244 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024 on the reporting of environmental data from industrial installations and establishing an Industrial Emissions Portal. The aim of the PRTR Protocol is to improve public access to information, which could facilitate public participation in environmental decision-making and contribute to the prevention and reduction of environmental pollution.
The database includes over 65 economic activities (energy sector, metal production and processing, mineral industry, chemical industry, waste and wastewater management, paper and wood products production and processing, intensive livestock production and fisheries, animal and plant products from the food sector and other activities) and 91 pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, greenhouse gases, dioxins and so on. PRTR data can provide policymakers with key indicators to measure progress in reducing pollutant emissions, advancing sustainability, and the success of the green economy. Governments, academia, research institutions, the public, and businesses can apply PRTR data in the development of their strategic policies and goals.
The basic elements of the PRTR system are:
