Chemicals & Plastics

The Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine has issued the Ukraine REACH Resolution – “On the Approval of Technical Regulations on the Safety of Chemicals” and is open for comments as of March 22, 2024.
The Ukraine REACH draft, identical to the one submitted to the World Trade Organization in 2023, establishes the Ukrainian chemical legislative framework and aims to align Ukraine’s chemical safety regulations with EU standards. Foreign companies that are importers, manufacturers or represented by a local sole representative, companies that sell chemicals (substances/mixtures) on the Ukrainian market, as well as downstream users of these chemicals will be affected by Ukraine REACH.

The Law on Chemicals (No 06/2007/QH12) was passed by the second session of the 12th National Assembly on November 21, 2007, and has come into effect since July 1, 2008. It has become the cornerstone of Vietnam’s chemical management, reflecting the specific economic situation of the chemical industry and the development of global chemical management. After 15 years of stable implementation, the law has shown its comprehensiveness and advancement. However, with the enactment of the Planning Law, the Investment Law, and the Environmental Protection Law, etc. as well as changes in the management system, the guiding documents of the Law on Chemicals have been affected, weakening the coordination and unity of the regulatory system. Therefore, the government and the National Assembly have decided to revise the Law on Chemicals to promote regulatory consistency and management efficiency.

According to the latest announcement from ECHA, the Enforcement Forum will initiate inspections related to the EU Poison Center Notifications (PCN) in January 2025. These inspections will last for six months, with the final report expected to be published at the end of 2025. Inspectors will verify not only the submission of PCN but also the accuracy of labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for mixtures.

Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) initiated a risk management evaluation and public consultation for chlorpyrifos, scientifically known as O, O-diethyl O-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate.

EPA announced that it has finished the risk management rule under the updated existing chemical review process in Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), banning the manufacture, import, processing, distribution and use of chrysotile asbestos.

ECHA released the Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) for the years 2024-2026, which updates a list of 28 substances suspected to pose risks to human health and the environment for evaluation by the competent authorities of 11 Member States.

On March 1, 2024, ECHA released two substances proposed to be added into the SVHC Candidate List for public consultations. Comments are welcomed before April 15, 2024. ECHA regularly updates the SVHC Candidate list twice a year. So far, the total number of substances on the SVHC list (also known as the Candidate List) has reached 240.

In February 2024, UK‘s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced that the expiry date of all biocide active substances expiring between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2026 would be extended to 31 January 2027. This amendment impacts up to 110 active substances, with the expiration dates of 46 active substances having been formally prolonged.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has performed compliance checks of approximately 15000 registrations between 2009 and 2023, representing 21 % of full registrations. It is a significant increase compared with 5% in 2019. At the same time, ECHA has also conducted compliance checks on 30% of high-tonnage registered substances (annual production of more than 100 tons). In 2023, 301 compliance reviews were conducted on more than 1750 REACH registration dossiers involving 274 substances, aiming to supplement potentially missing information to improve the safety of these chemical substances. Thus far, ECHA has made more than 251 data supplement requests to a number of companies.

On February 22, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory for the first half of 2024. The updated TSCA Inventory contains a total of 86,741 chemical substances, of which 42,293 are active. The latest update adds 23 new chemicals compared to the August 2023 Inventory. The TSCA Inventory is updated biannually to keep chemical information current and accurate.

On Feb 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final rule on revising the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fee. The revised fees will be effective 60 days after the 2024 final rule is published in the Federal Register.

On Feb 9, 2024, the European Commission proposed a new draft aimed at amending the existing regulations on food contact materials (FCMs), involving a ban on bisphenol A (BPA) and its derivatives. The draft amends (EU) No 10/2011 and (EC) No 1895/2005, and repeals (EU) 2018/213. Bisphenol A (BPA), known as 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenylpropane (CAS No: 80-05-7), is a monomer or starting substance widely used in the manufacture of polycarbonate, polysulfone, epoxy resins, and other resins. It is extensively used in plastics, varnish coatings, inks, adhesives, and rubbers.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is considering recommending five substances for the REACH Authorisation List. These five substances cover: Melamine; Bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate covering any of the individual isomers and/or combinations thereof (TBPH); S-(tricyclo[5.2.1.0 2,6]deca-3-en-8(or 9)-yl) O-(isopropyl or isobutyl or 2-ethylhexyl) O-(isopropyl or isobutyl or 2-ethylhexyl) phosphorodithioate; Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide; and Barium diboron tetraoxide.