China
The Environmental Protection Law at China’s environmental legislative system
China’s system of environmental legislation is established based on the Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China that was enacted in 1989. Under this law, other separate laws have been enacted for controlling pollution. Some of these laws are as follows:
China updated the Environmental Protection Law in 2015. This was the first major revisions. The revised law includes stricter punishments on polluters. It also allows non-governmental organizations to file environmental lawsuits against violators. The National People’s Congress revised other laws, including the Law on the Prevention and control of Air Pollution in 2018 and the Law on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution in 2017. The Congress also adopted the Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution on August 31, 2018.
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution was enacted in 1987 and amended in 1995, 2000, 2015 and 2018. This Law is formulated in order to prevent and control atmospheric pollution, protect and improve people’s environment and the ecological environment, safeguard human health, and promote the sustainable development of economy and society. The concentration of the discharged pollutants may not exceed the standards prescribed by the State and local authorities. The quality standards for products containing volatile organic compounds, such as coal, petroleum coke, biomass fuel, and coatings, fireworks and firecrackers, boilers, etc., are developed and the atmospheric environment protection requirements are specified.
The environmental legislative framework to protect the air pollution is as follows.
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution is formulated in order to prevent and control water pollution, protecting and improving the environment, and safeguarding the safety of drinking water.
The environmental legislative framework to protect the water pollution is as follows.
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste is the national primary law governing municipal and industrial waste management. This law lays out basic requirements for solid waste disposal for industrial facilities. It requires the specified facilities to get approval from the local environmental protection bureau for waste disposal plans prior to construction. The bureaus are also responsible for issuing permits for the collection, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.
The environmental legislative framework on waste management is as follows.
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste
Industrial chemicals are mainly regulated by the following regulations in China:
“Decree of the State Council No 591 Regulations on Safe Management of Hazardous Chemicals”
“Order of the Ministry of Environmental Protection No. 7 Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances”
Pursuant to article 15 of the Decree No 591, manufacturers of hazardous chemicals shall provide safety data sheet on the hazardous chemicals that are produced, post or affix a chemical safety label on the package. The contents in safety data sheet and chemical safety labels should meet the requirements of relevant national standards. The relevant standards in China are as follows:
On April 29, 2020, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China (MEE) issued the final Measures on Registrations of New Chemical Substances for Environmental Management under Ministry Order No. 12. The new Measures replaces the current 2010 version and comes into force on January 1, 2021, when the Order No.7 will be repealed.
Same as the current version, the new Measures require manufacturers and importers to register new chemical substances with MEE before placing the new chemical substances on the Chinese market. They also introduce a notification process for new uses of existing listed substances.
Law on the Safety of Hazardous Chemicals (Revision draft for solicitation of comments)
In order to strengthen the safety management of hazardous chemicals, prevent and reduce hazardous chemical accidents, the Ministry of Emergency Management organized the consultation on the draft of the “Law on the Safety of Hazardous Chemicals”, which had been open to the public comments until 1 November, 2020. If approved, it will replace Decree No. 591.
The draft law is applicable to the safety management of the production, storage, use, operation, transportation and disposal of hazardous chemicals. It consists of 11 chapters (Article 137), and based on the lessons learned from the explosion accident, “Safety of hazardous chemical disposal” etc. was added to clarify the responsibility for safety supervision of the disposal (Disposal safety). The State implements a hazardous chemical registration system.
Framework of EHS laws and regulations in China.
China
On August 31, 2021, China National Institute of Standardization published “Report on the 15th Anniversary of China Energy Label System” (hereinafter referred to as the “Report”). The report consists of …
China
According to an announcement of China’s National Medical Products Administration on August 25, the following six substances were added on September 20 to the Catalog of Classification and Types of …
China
China’s Hainan Province on August 16 released the second version of the List of Non-biodegradable, Single-use Plastic Products Banned for Production, Sale and Use in Hainan Province (the “List”) to …
China
On August 24, 2021, China Electronic Standardization Institute published drafts for soliciting opinions on “Technical specification for green-design product assessment” for projection display products and metallized film capacitor. The deadline …
China
On August 16, 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission of China released the “Circular on promoting industrial projects to move into industrial park and tightening regulations and supervision of …
China
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation On August 31 submitted a TBT notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to inform it of a draft regulation called the Regulation on …
China
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on August 9 issued the Technical Specification of Pollution Control for Treatment of Waste Power Lithium-ion Battery (Trial) (HJ 1186—2021; the “Specification”) as national …
China
The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress published a draft revision of the Noise Pollution Control Law (噪声污染防治法) to solicit comments after deliberating on the revision. Comments will be …
China
China’s Ministry of Commerce on July 16 published a draft of the Measures on the Use and Reporting of Single-use Plastic Products (一次性塑料制品使用、报告管理办法) to solicit comments (it was open for …
China
On August 20, 2021, the China Consumer Goods Safety Standardization Technical Committee released the draft of a recommended national standard (GB/T) – “Guideline for setting limits of chemical substances in …
China
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management on July 25 issued the Regulations on Dust Explosion Safety for Industrial and Trading Companies (工贸企业粉尘防爆安全规定; the “Regulations”), which came into effect on September 1. …
China
China’s Fujian Province on July 29 issued the Regulations of Fujian Province on Water Pollution Control (福建省水污染防治条例; the “Regulations”). The Regulations will come into effect on November 1, replacing the …
China
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation on August 16 submitted to the WTO a TBT (Technical Barriers to Trade) notification of mandatory national standards (GB) called the “Limit of Harmful …
China
On August 10, 2021, Tianjin Ecology and Environment Bureau of China published the draft on “Waste electrical and electronic equipment treatment development plan” and started to solicit opinions from the …
China
China on August 16 submitted a draft of its national standards for limits on musical instrument hazardous substances to the WTO. The draft standards are a revision of China’s only …
China
The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment on July 19 released the Plan for Mandatory Clean Production Audit in Shanghai for 2021–2023 so that this audit can play a …
China
On June 21, 2021, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Market Regulation released a local standard- “Implementation guidelines for carbon neutrality of enterprises and institutions” (DB 11/T 1861-2021) (hereafter referred as …
China
The Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation on June 21 issued local standards called the “Norm of water intake—Part 15: Vehicle manufacturing” (DB11/T 1764.15—2021). These standards are put into effect …
China
The Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, a branch of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, released on July 23 the 2021 Annual Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture, Utilization and Storage …
China
On June 21, 2021, the Beijing Municipal Market Supervision and Administration Bureau in China released the local standard DB11/T 1860-2021 “Guidelines for electronic information products carbon footprint accounting” (hereinafter referred …
China
On July 28, 2021, the “Minimum allowable values of energy efficiency and energy efficiency grades for fluorescent lamps for general lighting service” (draft for comments), which was integrated and revised …
China
On July 22, 2021, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published drafts on 5 compulsory national standards, including “Household and similar electrical appliances general requirements-Product safety” and launched …
China
The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment on August 5 issued the List of Key Industries in Shanghai for Construction Project Environmental Impact Assessments 2021 (上海市建设项目环境影响评价重点行业名录 (2021年版); the “List”), …
China
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation on July 22 issued the Regulations on the Responsibilities for the Repair, Replacement and Return of Private Vehicles (家用汽车产品修理更换退货责任规定; the “Regulations”) to clarify the …
China
On July 20, 2021, Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province, China, released “Guangdong Province VOC-related Key Industry Measures Guidelines. The guideline, which covers 12 industries including petrochemical, printing, …
China
On June 28, the Great Wall Motor(GWM) of China announced that it has succeeded in developing the “Dayu Battery”, which is a highly safe power system for electric vehicles. The …
China
On August 4, 2021, China National Development and Reform Commission and 3 other government agencies released the “Notice on encouraging home appliance manufacturers to participate the recycling target responsibility system …
China
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on July 27 announced a pilot program in which designated pilot districts will perform environmental impact assessments (EIAs) focusing on carbon emissions from construction …
China
On May 14, the Department of Ecology and Environment and the Administration for Market Regulation of Jiangsu Province, China issued a local standard called the Integrated Emission Standard of Air …
China
From late July to early August, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published articles on cases of hazardous waste-related illegal activities on its website in order to provide reference cases …
China
On July 7, 2021, China’s National Development and Reform Commission announced the “14th Five-Year Plan for Circular Economy Development”. The Plan aims to greatly improve the overall resource utilization capacity, …
China
In 2018, State Administration for Market Regulations and other 7 departments of China jointly announced a corporate standard “forerunner” system based on corporate self-declared disclosure will be established and implemented. …
China
In April 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and other 7 departments jointly released the “Interim measures for standardization management of remanufacturing of auto parts”. On May 31, …
China
In order to implement the “Network security law of the People’s Republic of China” and other legal and regulatory requirements, and to strengthen the top-level design of the standardization of …
China
On July 6, 2021, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Jiangsu Province, China released the following 2 mandatory local standards for comments and started to solicit opinions. The deadline …
China
On June 17, 2021, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) published on its website a list of 255 substances that have been added to the Inventory of Existing Chemical …
China
On June 15, 2021, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published on its website a list of eight substances planned to be added to the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances …
China
On June 28,2021, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China released the “Manual of accounting method and coefficient of generation and emission in emission source statistical investigation” (hereafter referred as …
China
The General Office of China’s State Council on May 27 announced its legislative plan for 2021. The plan contains 18 draft laws to be submitted to the congress as well …
China, Organizations with Governing Environmental Regulations
China
The following is a list of representative organizations that are in charge of environmental regulations in China. Ministry of Ecology and Environment: MEE Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center: SCC …
China
China Chemical Safety Association on June 16 released two sets of safety standards for the chemical industry, both effective immediately: Guide for Safe Production Information Management in Chemical Enterprise (T/CCSAS010—2021) …
China
China’s Ministries of Industry and Information Technology, Science and Technology, Finance, and Commerce on June 9 issued a circular on a plan for a pilot program to implement automotive product …
China
On May 30, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published on its website the Guiding Opinions on Enhanced Control of Ecological and Environmental Pollution Sources for Energy- and Emission-intensive Construction …
China
On May 24,2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China gave an answer to the question related to the storage methods of VOC containing materials in coating industry on …
China
China’s State Council on May 28th revealed six substances added to the Catalog of Classification and Types of Precursor Chemicals (易制毒化学品的分类和品种目录) in accordance with Article 2 of the Regulation on …
China
China’s permanent representative to the United Nations on June 17 deposited the country’s instrument of acceptance with the UN Secretary-General. The amendment enters into force in China on September 15 …
China energy saving label
China
Overview about energy conservation regulations in China In the 21st century, China’s economy is rapidly developing, while the ecological environment is gradually deteriorating. Problems have become more serious due to …
China
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management on May 26 published a draft circular on stricter safety control of ammonium nitrate to solicit comments. Public comments will be accepted until June 27, …
China
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on June 4 issued a circular on operations to implement a ban on the production and use of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) under the Stockholm Convention …
China
On April 29, 2021, State Administration for Market Regulation of China released drafts of 2 recommended national standards GB/T, “Biodegradable drinking straws” and “Degradability and identification requirements of biodegradable materials …
China
On May 11, 2021, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) issued the “Notice on the Reform Implementation Plan for Hazardous Waste Management Supervision and Utilization Capacity” …
China
On June 11, 2021, the 2021 amendment of “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Work Safety” (hereinafter abbreviated as “2021 amendment”) was promulgated. And the amendment will come …
China
China National Institute of Standardization on June 4 published recommended national standards called the Workpiece Machining Energy Consumption Limit Setting Method (draft for comments) (the “Standards”; 机械加工制造过程工件能耗限额制定方法 (征求意见稿)). This draft …
China
China’s National Medical Products Administration on May 28 issued the List of Banned Cosmetic Ingredients (化妆品禁用组分) and the List of Banned Botanical (Animal-derived) Cosmetic Ingredients (化妆品禁用植 (动) 物组分), both of …
China
On June 2, 2021, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management released the “Measures for grading construction of occupational safety and health management system ” (draft for soliciting opinions) and began soliciting …
China
The Civil Aviation Administration of China in May announced the Plan for Civil Aviation Plastic Pollution Control Measures 2021–2025 (民航行业塑料污染治理工作计划 (2021–2025年)). The total number of passengers in China’s civil aviation …
China
China’s National Development and Reform Commission and State Administration for Market Regulation on May 17 published five sets of revised Energy Efficiency Labeling Implementation Rules (the “Rules”; 能源效率标识实施规则) for small …
China Accelerates Plastic Regulations
China
China, aiming to enter the world market as an economic powerhouse, has raised the need for domestic production of technology in its five-year plans since 20 years ago, even in …
China
In April. 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China added a total of 319 chemical substances into the “List of existing chemical substances” in two times. The reasons …
China
On April 22, 2021, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province released the “Provisions on inquiry work of Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong Province” (hereafter referred …
China
On January 4, 2021, the China Standardization administration released a collective standard “Specification for information disclosure for extended producer responsibility of electric and electronic producers”. The standard will take effect …
China
On April 19,2021, the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau released “Regulations on classification of ecological environmental penalty and management of publicity period in Beijing (2021 Edition)” (hereinafter referred as …
China
On April 9, 2021, Department of Ecological Environment of Shandong Province issued the “Implementation opinions (trial) on the ‘Regulations on the administration of pollutant discharge permits’ ” (hereinafter referred as …
China
On May 7, 2021, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China released the “Guidelines for screening of priority assessment chemical substances ” (Draft for comments) and began soliciting comments from …
China
On April 22, 2021, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China exposed an illegal sewage discharge by a company in Henan Province on its official website, which was found by …
China
On April 25, 2021, the Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center MEE released the answers to the frequently asked questions(FAQ) related to the “Environmental management registration of new chemical substances” …
China
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on May 8 published an article that describes the details and penalties of seven cases of automated monitoring regulation violations, including fabrication of data, …
China
On April 28, 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the “Announcement on emission factors and material balance methods for calculating the taxable pollutants of environmental protection tax”. The …
China
The Fujian Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment on April 23, 2021 published an article on some enforcement cases of the Regulations on Pollutant Discharge Permit Management (排污许可管理条例; the “Regulations”). …
China
State Administration for Market Regulation of China issued a WTO/TBT notification on April 8, 2021 on the proposed revision to the mandatory national standard “Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency …
China
On March 26, 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of P.R. China released the “Guidelines for verification of corporate greenhouse gas emission report” (Trial). In order to standardize the …
China
On April 1, 2021, the Ministry of Transport of P.R. China released the “Regulations on the administration of road transportation of dangerous goods (Revised draft for comments)” on its homepage. …
China
On January 18, 2021, China National Resource Recycling Association(CRRA) released the group standard ” General guidelines for the evaluation of plastic products’ easy-to-collect & easy-to-recycle design” (T/CRRA 0302-2020). The standard …
China
On March 30, 2021, one of China’s state-run think tanks, the Xinhua Outlook Research Institute, released its “2021 Annual Survey Report on Trade-in of Home Appliances”. In this report, it …
China
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on March 17, 2021 published a proposed third addition to the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China (IECSC), which contains 204 substances, including …
China
On March 25, 2021, State Administration for Market Regulation of China released the “2021 National Supervision and Sampling Inspection Plan for Product Quality”. The inspection will focus on consumer products …
China
On April 7, 2021, State Administration for Market Regulation of China made a WTO/TBT notification on the proposed revision to the mandatory national standard “Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency …
China
On March 3,2021, the Safety Committee Office of State Council of P.R. China released the “Assessment measures for the production safety accident prevention and implementation of rectification measures” (hereafter refereed …
China
Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation released a local standard “Technical specification for grid monitored ambient air particulate matter assessment” (DB11/T 1819-2021) On March 29, 2021. The standard will take …
China
On March 31,2021, four administrative agencies, including Ministry of Industry and Information, Ministry of Commerce and etc. of P.R. China jointly released “Notice on implementing new energy vehicles going to …
China
The Development and Reform Commission and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Jilin Province, China on April 7, 2021 published the “Main Points of Plastic Pollution Control Measures for …
China
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on March 30, 2021 published the “Provisional Regulations on Carbon Trading Management (revised draft)”. This draft is open for public comments until April 30, …
China
On March 19, 2021, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Work Safety Committee of China jointly released two typical crackdown cases of the connection between administrative enforcement of law and …
China
The Department of Ecology and Environment of Jiangsu Province, China on March 18, 2021 published information on 10 notable cases of environmental regulation breaches subject to law enforcement and punishment …
China
Based on the “Measures on new chemical substance environmental management registration” (Ecology and Environment Order No.12, hereafter as Order No.12), the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will reissue new chemical …
China
On February 4, 2021, Shanghai Municipal Government Office announced the “Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Development of New Energy Vehicle Industry in Shanghai (2021-2025) “. The plan clearly outlines the …
China
“Pollutant Discharge Permit Management Ordinance” (State Council Decree No. 736) was officially released on January 24, 2021 and came into effect on March 1, 2021.Pollutant discharge unit must apply for …
China
On March 12, 2021, Fujian Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, the Department of Public Security and the People’s Procuratorate jointly released the “Guidelines for Handling Environmental Pollution Crime Cases …
China
Many customs offices across China reported that they detected paint products exceeding VOC content limits of reviewed national standards (GBs) during inspections from January through March 2021. Here are some …
China
Four Chinese government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance on March 22, 2021 published the Circular on Adjustments to the Subsidies for the disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. …
China
The Hainan Provincial Development and Reform Commission on March 2, 2021 issued a Circular on Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Construction in 2021 (the “Circular”). It conveys the province’s resolution to …
China
The Department of Commerce of Jiangxi Province, China on February 1, 2021 issued the Measures of Jiangxi Province on the Qualification of Scrap Vehicle Recycling and Dismantling Companies (the “Measures”) …
China
On March 10, 2021, China’s Alliance of Technology Innovation in Extending Producer Responsibility (EPR Alliance) released the “Notice on the Application for the Second EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) Partner Plan”. …
China
On March 1, 2021, Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong province released the ” Classification rules of key VOC industries in Guangdong province ” (Draft for comments) and started …
China
To fully implement the “Administrative measures for cosmetics registration and filling”, on February 26,2021, the National Medical Products Administration of China released the “Regulations on the management of registration and …
China
On March 5, 2021, the People’s Government of Hebei Province released the “Ten measures for deeply implement the comprehensive control of air pollution of Hebei province”. The 10 measures proposed …
China
On February 20, 2021, the national compulsory standard “Fuel consumption limits for passenger cars” (GB19578-2021), which developed by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, was released after getting …
China
National Standardization Technical Committee for Hydrogen Energy released the “Official Announcement on the Call for Opinions on 3 National Standards, including “Compressed hydrogen dispenser for vehicles” and launched a call …
China
China’s National Development and Reform Commission, in cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, released the following “clean production evaluation indicator …
China
On January 25, 2021, China Electronics Standardization Institute released the “Green supply chain management specification for electronics information manufacturing industry” (draft for comments) and its explanation, and started collecting comments. …
China (1,040)
*Hong Kong (22)
*Taiwan (223)
Japan (79)
South Korea (293)
Brunei (8)
Cambodia (2)
Indonesia (112)
Laos (14)
Malaysia (126)
Myanmar (7)
Philippines (154)
Singapore (131)
Thailand (218)
Vietnam (307)
Oman (2)
Saudi Arabia (6)
Australia (55)
New Zealand (21)
