Singapore | Proposal to regulate 26 new chemicals and chemical groups

Title of document
Draft Environmental Protection and Management Act 1999 (Amendment of Second Schedule) (No. 2) Order 2022 (10 pages, in English) and Draft Environmental Protection and Management (Hazardous Substances) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2022

Description
Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) is proposing to regulate 26 new chemicals and chemical groups (see Section 4 above) as hazardous substances under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) and the Environmental Protection and Management (Hazardous Substances) Regulations (EPM (HS) Regs).These 26 chemicals and chemical groups have been identified as toxic chemicals and precursors under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and are currently regulated by Singapore Customs, as the National Authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention (NA(CWC)), through the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act (CWPA) and the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Regulations. Under the CWPA, depending on the CWC Schedule that the chemicals belong to, companies are required to apply for a NA(CWC) licence from Singapore Customs if they are engaged in activities including the import, export, production, processing, consumption and local sale and distribution of these chemicals.From July 2023, NEA will also be regulating these 26 chemicals and chemical groups under the EPMA and EPM (HS) Regs. Once the regulations take effect, companies will be required to apply for a Hazardous Substances (HS) licence/permit from NEA for the import, export, manufacture, sale, transport, storage and/or use of these chemicals and of products containing these chemicals. Accordingly, companies engaged in activities involving any of these chemicals would have to comply with the requirements on the import, export, manufacture, offer for sale, transport, storage and/or use of hazardous substances, that are stipulated in the EPMA and EPM (HS) Regs. These include, inter alia, labelling and other requirements for the containers/tanks and vehicles that are used to store or transport the chemicals, as well as other specific safety and documentational requirements.

Notifying member: Singapore

Notification: G/TBT/N/SGP/66

Objective tag
Protection of human health or safety (TBT); Protection of the environment (TBT)

Timing:

• Submission: N/A
• Reception: N/A
• Distribution: 04/11/2022