Malaysia revises its import and manufacturing registration system for environmentally hazardous substances.

The predecessor of MyEHS, Malaysia’s Environmentally Hazardous Substances Notification and Registration (EHSNR), began in 2009. EHSNR defined EHS as “substances that fall into hazard classifications according to the GHS classification or are on internationally agreed lists of prohibited substances,” covering many substances not regulated by specific international conventions. EHSNR registration was “basic” or “detailed”. Basic registration encompassed more than 3,000 DOE EHS list compounds, whereas thorough registration covered EHSs not on the list. Thus, MyEHS, a new scheme, varies from EHSNR in..

(1) substances covered

(2) registration types.

Malaysia implemented MyEHS, a redesigned Environmentally Hazardous Substance (EHS) registration system, on September 5, 2023. The website has been rebuilt, and businesses can now register, log in, and finish the required steps. Companies are asked to provide information on the production and import of chemicals that are subject to particular frameworks, mostly international treaties, as part of the new MyEHS.

What is MyEHS?

MyEHS is a registration system for EHS and its main objectives are as follows:

• To collect information from industry on the EHS imported, exported and/or manufactured in Malaysia, which will be used to prepare a national EHS inventory.
• To provide the necessary information to enable the Department of Environment (DOE) of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change to prepare the EHS Risk Prioritization List and to further conduct the EHS Risk Assessment.
• To digitalize EHS import/export and manufacturing application processes.
• To ensure importers and manufacturers to notify the manufacturing and importation of EHS
• To provide the necessary information on EHS
• To manage EHS in a safe and sound manner to protect human health and the environment.

Based on the information submitted by industry, the Department of Environment (DOE) will establish the Malaysian EHS Reference List. It will contain information about the identity of substances that have been notified to DOE, their uses in Malaysia, their hazard classification and the accumulated amounts placed on the market in Malaysia. The information in this system will be available to the public.

The chemical substances covered by MyEHS are listed in the EHS Reference List as follows:

• Chemicals listed in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention
• Chemicals listed in Annexes A, B and C to the Stockholm Convention
• Chemicals controlled under the Minamata Convention on Mercury
• Chemicals listed in Annexes I and V to the EU PIC Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 649/2012)
• Other substances identified as substances of concern by the Director General of DOE (e.g., chemicals listed in Customs (Prohibition of Import) Order 2023 and Customs (Prohibition of Export) Order 2023)

The chemicals that are excluded from the scope of MyEHS:

• Exempted substances as specified in Article 3 of the Rotterdam Convention
• Exempted substances as specified in Annexes A, B and C to the Stockholm Convention
• Chemicals exported or imported for research or analysis purpose, provided that the quantity exported/imported is unlikely to affect human health or the environment and does not exceed 10 kilograms per exporter to each importing country per calendar year under the EU PIC Regulation

 Chemicals covered by the following legislation are also not subject to MyEHS

• Pesticides Act 1974
• Poisons Act 1952
• Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984
• Chemical Weapons Convention Act 2005