A Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is a publicly accessible database or inventory of chemicals or pollutants released to air, water and soil and transferred off-site for treatment. It brings together information about which chemicals are being released, where, how much and by whom. Reporting can be both on emissions from fixed sources (e.g., factory smokestacks) as well as from diffuse sources (e.g., mobile sources such as automobiles, trucks, aircraft and trains). The OECD assists countries in the development, implementation and the improvement of PRTR national programmes.
Monitoring and preventing industrial pollution
To help tackle pollution from industrial production, the OECD guides governments in adopting policies and practices that incorporate Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) by providing data on the emissions of toxic substances into the air, water, or land by industrial facilities. It also promotes the use of Best Available Techniques (BAT) to prevent and manage industrial pollution.
Key messages
OECD PRTR Data Explorer: Tracking pollutant releases by country, pollutant or sector
By exploring data from multiple PRTRs simultaneously, this dashboard provides insights into the global picture of pollutant releases and their associated toxicity-weighted releases. It enables cross-country comparisons of emissions and allows users to view aggregated releases.
Use the filters above the set of figures below to explore PRTR data by country, pollutant or sector.
Note that this presentation of the data includes air and water releases from seven PRTRs covering 39 countries and 25 pollutants,. It does not include all PRTRs, all pollutants reported to these PRTRs or releases to land.
The database will be updated regularly as new data become available. To help improve it, the Working Party on PRTRs welcomes your feedback. You can send your comments and suggestions by email.
OECD Centre for PRTR Data
The Centre for PRTR Data provides national PRTR data from OECD countries in a single dashboard, with Japan serving as the lead country responsible for maintaining the website. This includes a more comprehensive dataset of pollutants and covers all types of releases and transfers, based on data voluntarily provided by member countries. Note that the data displayed in the database are not strictly comparable as described below. All data can also be downloaded in CSV format (2001-2010, 2011-2020, 2021-latest).
The Centre for PRTR Data aims at sharing PRTR data within the OECD member countries as widely as possible. It compiles PRTR data on a national or regional level and does not include PRTR data of individual sites of facilities.
Users should note that:
-The data displayed are not strictly comparable due to differences among PRTRs such as target substances, target industries, types of releases and transfers, etc.
- For such differences, the following OECD resources as well as the websites of member countries can be referred to;
- List of pollutants/reporting sectors
- Guidance documents on elements of a PRTR
This interactive table has been developed and is maintained by Japan as a project in the OECD Working Party on PRTRs.
The database will be updated regularly as new data become available. To help improve it, the Working Party on PRTRs welcomes your feedback. You can send your comments and suggestions by email.
Resource Centre for Pollutant Release and Transfer Registrants Release Estimation Techniques
This interactive table provides a clearinghouse of guidance manuals and documents on release estimation techniques available from the principal pollutant release and transfer registries developed by OECD member countries. The manuals and documents include descriptive information on the sources of pollution and the pollutants that are released into the environment, as well as information on emission factors, mass balance methods, engineering calculations and monitoring information. To assist countries in the development, implementation, and the improvement of PRTR programmes, links to PRTR guidance documents are also provided.
Uses of PRTR Data and Tools
The interactive database below compiles good practices of the data uses and tools for their presentation, which were gathered from member countries. It could illustrate the varied uses of PRTR data and encourage additional audiences to access PRTR data.
The examples of the data uses were classified by; 1. Policymaking, 2. Environmental Performance Assessment, 3. Risk Assessment, 4. Education and Research, 5. Environmental Justice, and 6. Building Partnerships/Supporting Public Trust.
The examples of PRTR data tools are sorted by; 1. Presentation of PRTR data, 2. Ranking, 3. Geographic Information Systems/Mapping, 4. Toxicity Weighting, 5. Data Visualisations.
You can find detailed information in the published document.
If you would like to submit new resources for PRTR data usage and presentation tools, kindly provide the necessary information through this form.
PRTR.net
This website provides a global portal to PRTR information and activities from countries and organisations around the world. The website aims to assist countries in the development, implementation and improvement of PRTR programmes.
It has been developed and is maintained by the OECD, in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Environment Programme / GRID-Arendal.
More publications on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers
- On the Use of PRTR Information in Evaluating Progress Towards Meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: An Action Plan for Analysis and Moving Forward (2019)
- Framework on the Role of Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) in Global Sustainability Analyses (2017)
- Global Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, Proposal for a Harmonised List of Pollutants (2014), the report was updated in 2022
- Removal/emission predictions of wastewater treatment for exposure assessment and PRTRs - summary and compilation of responses from 2012 OECD survey (2014)
- Considerations for Ensuring Quality PRTR Data (2008)
- Scoping Study on the Inclusion of Releases and Transfers from Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in PRTRs (2008)
- Comparison of emission estimation methods used in PRTRs and ESDs (2006)
- Framework for Selecting and Applying PRTR Release Estimation Techniques (2005)
- Uses of Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Data and Tools for their Presentation: A Reference Manual (2005), the report was updated in 2023
- Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers: Framework for Selecting and Applying PRTR Release Estimation Techniques (2005)
- Why Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers differ? A review of National Programmes (2001)
- Presentation and Dissemination of PRTR Data: Practices and Experiences - Getting the Words and Numbers Out (2000)
- Proceedings of the OECD International Conference on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, PRTRs: National and Global Responsibility - Part 1 (1999)
- Proceedings of the OECD International Conference on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers, PRTRs: National and Global Responsibility - Part 2 (1999)
- Workshop for Central and Eastern Europe and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union, Prague-Pruhonice, Czech Republic, 15-17 January (1997)
- PRTR Workshop for the America’s San Juan del Rio, Mexico, 29-31 July (1997)
- Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs): A Tool for Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development - Guidance Manual for Governments (1996), French version
