According to the announcement on Further Strengthening the Inspection and Supervision of Imported Hazardous Chemicals issued by the General Administration of Customs, on April 13, 2023, China formally implemented a new inspection mode for imported hazardous chemicals.

On March 24, 2023, Taiwanese Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) released the Guidance on Phrase 1 Registration of New and Existing Chemical Substances (Version 1) (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidance”). The Guidance aims to explain relevant provisions of the Regulation of New and Existing Chemical Substances Registration to help registrants complete registrations. Earlier in August 2015, Taiwan’s EPA implemented the Guidelines for the Registration of New and Existing Chemical Substances (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"). In the past 8 years, many problems have been encountered and some testing standards have also been updated. Considering these problems and the increasing suggestions from the industry, Taiwan’s EPA hereby made the revisions.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Thailand recently proposed removing citronella oil from the list of hazardous substances. Citronella oil (substance number 99, CAS number: 8000-29-1) is commonly used for household or public hygiene purposes to prevent, control, repel, and eliminate insects and other animals. It is currently classified as a Type 1 hazardous substance.

On March 15, 2023, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) published a public consultation on the Notice of the Entry into Force (Draft for Comments) of the Amendments to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to List Three Persistent Organic Pollutants Including Polychlorinated Naphthalenes, and the Amendments to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to List Three Persistent Organic Pollutants Including Short-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins. The consultation closed on March 27, 2023.

On February 28, 2023, the Thailand Department of Industrial Works (DIW) published the regulation on the "Management of Hazardous Substances relating to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Its Salts, and Related Compounds" in the Royal Gazette. The regulation requires business operators to notify DIW of the inventory and progress of these substances. So far, Thailand government has released a list of hazardous substances that includes eight PFAS related compounds.

On March 1, 2023, the National Public Service Platform for Standards Information in China released two draft national standards – GB 6944 Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods and GB 12268 List of Dangerous Goods. The two drafts are open for public consultation until May 8, 2023.

Statistics indicate that the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) in India has reinforced the scrutiny of imported goods in the first quarter of this year. Products from several enterprises exporting chemicals to India have been detained because of the absence of the mandatory BIS certificate. In the following article, we summarize the latest BIS lists and their corresponding implementation timelines (as of March 2023). All products in the List under Mandatory Certification must obtain relevant certificates from the Bureau of India Standards (BIS) before they are introduced to the Indian market.

On March 1, 2023, members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted their opinions on amending the regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gas) emissions with 64 votes in favor, eight against and seven abstentions, and the further target is to accelerate the transition to climate neutrality. The report is scheduled to be adopted during the March 29-30, 2023 plenary sitting and will constitute Parliament’s negotiating position with EU governments on the final shape of the legislation on F-gas.

On February 17, 2023, ECHA published a public consultation on two substances that are proposed to be identified as substances of very high concern (SVHC). Related enterprises may make comments on the two substances before April 3, 2023.

On February 9, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee tweeted that it has endorsed the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a measure aimed at responding to climate change and preventing carbon leakage, with 63 votes in favor, 7 votes against and 7 votes in abstention.