China has formally started an upgrading project for the national standard system and is actively adjusting to the changing trends of international regulations. The Standardization Administration of China (SAC) declared on March 11, 2025, that it would begin revision projects for 28 national standards, including:… Read More »China Will Update Guidelines for Packaging Groups and Dangerous Goods Nomenclature

The final REACH reform proposal was formally presented by the European Commission during the REACH-CLAP Joint Consultation Body’s CARACAL-54 meeting on April 3, 2025. The proposal, dubbed “the most significant overhaul in European chemical regulation history,” has provoked conflicting responses, with business warning of worsened… Read More »The Chemical Industry Expresses Concerns About “Overregulation” in the EU’s Final Proposal for REACH Regulation Revision

The European Union’s plastic recycling sector is at a turning point, with domestic production declining, economic strains intensifying, and rising imports threatening the industry’s long-term viability. Imports and Market Distortions Undermine Domestic Recycling Imports of virgin and recycled polymers now make up over 20% of… Read More »EU Plastic Recycling Sector on the Brink Amid Import Surge and Economic Challenges

In March, 2025, South Korea’s National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) issued Notice No. 2025-7, introducing major amendments to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). These revisions align with the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH) and… Read More »South Korea Introduces Significant Updates to Chrysotile GHS Classification

The Macao Special Administrative Region of China announced Chief Executive’s Decision No. 168/2024 on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) 2 in notification G/TBT/N/MAC/31 to the WTO 1 on March 18, 2025. Under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the Decision forbids the import, export, and… Read More »Macao Prohibits the Import of Related Products and Persistent Organic Pollutants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided information on the effective date of the final trichloroethylene (TCE) risk management rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) on March 24, 2025. Due to legal issues and administrative review procedures, the rule’s initial implementation date of… Read More »The Trichloroethylene (TCE) Risk Management Rule’s status has been updated by the US EPA

Australia’s financial regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), has released Regulatory Guide 280 (RG 280), outlining compliance expectations under the country’s mandatory climate reporting framework. The law, enacted in September 2024, requires public companies, large proprietary firms, and significant asset owners to disclose… Read More »Australian Regulator Issues Final Climate Disclosure Guidelines as Mandatory Reporting Set for 2025

In March, 2025, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced the release of 50 new national food safety standards, with significant attention on six standards related to food contact materials (FCM). Among these, one amendment to the Standards for the Use of Additives in Food Contact… Read More »NHC Updates FCM Standards, Revises GB 9685 Additive Rules