China: Updates to the Chinese chemicals law

 

China has published updates to its chemicals law: Measures on the Environmental Management Registration of New Chemical Substances.

In accordance with the law, enterprises and public institutions that produce or import new chemical substances shall apply to the competent department of ecology and environment under the State Council for a registration certificate.

For the purposes of the Regulation, “new chemical substances” refers to chemical substances that meet one of the following conditions:

(1) chemical substances not listed in the “Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China”;

(2) chemical substances in the “Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China” subject to environmental management for new uses.

The Measure mainly stipulates the legislative purpose, scope of application, registration procedures and requirements, processing time limits, requirements for the alteration, cancellation, and revocation of registration certificates, post-registration tracking management, legal liabilities, definitions of key terms, and transitional policies.

Environmental management registration of new chemical substances is divided into routine registration and simplified registration. For new chemical substances with an annual production or import volume of 1 ton or more, an application for a routine registration certificate for environmental management of new chemical substances (hereinafter referred to as the routine registration certificate) shall be submitted. For new chemical substances with an annual production or import volume of less than 1 ton, an application for a simplified registration certificate for environmental management of new chemical substances (hereinafter referred to as the simplified registration certificate) shall be submitted. Applicants for environmental management registration of new chemical substances shall be enterprises or institutions legally registered within the territory of the People’s Republic of China that are capable of independently assuming legal responsibility and engaged in the production or import of new chemical substances.

To find out more about the planned updates to the Measure as well as compliance for chemicals in general, do not hesitate to contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.