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.
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On March 27, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce issued the industry standard “Used Home Appliance Collection Service Specification” (SB/T 11246-2025), which will take effect from October 1, 2025.This standard outlines …
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On July 3, 2025, the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment released a draft revision of the mandatory national standard “Standard for the Use of Additives in Food …
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On June 27, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) published a draft notice titled “Announcement on the Ban on the Production of Polyurethane Products Using 1,1-Dichloro-1-Fluoroethane (HCFC-141b) as …
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On June 26, 2025, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management announced that two chemical substances—4-piperidone and 1-BOC-4-piperidone—will be added to the country’s list of controlled precursor chemicals. The regulation will take …
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On June 24, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) released the “2024 Report on Progress in Climate Change Response.” The report summarizes China’s efforts and achievements in addressing …
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On May 30, 2025, China’s Standardization Administration has issued a new mandatory national standard titled Safety Technical Code for Packaging Containing a Variety of Dangerous Goods (GB 45835—2025). The regulation …
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On May 30, 2025, China’s Standardization Administration has issued a new mandatory national standard titled Safety Technical Code for Packaging Containing a Variety of Dangerous Goods (GB 45835—2025). The regulation …
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On July 10, 2025, China’s Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA) has released the first edition of the Product Carbon Footprint Label Certification Pilot Program Product List. The announcement follows the …
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On May 30, 2025, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a revised mandatory national standard, titled Limit of Harmful Substances of Coatings—Part 1: Architectural Coatings (GB 30981.1-2025). The …
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On April 25, 2025, China’s National Standardization Administration announced a new recommended national standard, titled Specification for the Usability Classification of Second-Hand Electronic Products (GB/T 45656-2025). The regulation took effect …
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On May 30, 2025, China’s Standardization Administration issued a mandatory national standard, the “Limit of Harmful Substances of Coatings—Part 2: Industrial Coatings” (GB 30981.2-2025). It will come into effect June …
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On June 16, 2025, China’s General Administration of Customs issued a Notice on Matters Concerning Customs Inquiries Related to Dual-Use Item Export Control (General Administration of Customs Notice No. 123 …
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On June 23, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published the Second List of Toxic and Hazardous Water Pollutants on its official website. The list was developed in accordance …
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On June 12, 2025, China’s Jiangsu province issues the 2025 edition of the List of Administrative Law Enforcement Items for Ecological and Environmental Protection. The list shows environmental violations with …
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On June 10, 2025, China’s National Development and Reform Commission published draft revised Energy Planning Management Measures. The commission is seeking comments on the draft through July 9, 2025. The …
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On April 25, 2025, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced the release of a new recommended national standard titled Coding Rules for Lithium-Ion Batteries (GB/T 45565-2025), in a move …
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On April 25, 2025, China’s Standardization Administration announced the release of a revised voluntary national standard titled “Packaging of Household and Similar Electrical Appliances—Part 1: General Requirements” (GB/T 22939.1-2025). The …
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On May 26, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced on its website a survey of the use of UV-328, a chemical used as an ultraviolet (UV) absorber, in …
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On May 25, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published on its website Administrative Measures for Listing-based Government Oversight Against Major Environmental Violations. It came into effect immediately, replacing …
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On June 9, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, General Administration of Customs, and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued a notice, to standardize the import management …
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On May 30, 2025, China’s National Development and Reform Commission and National Energy Administration issued a circular on the orderly development of “green power direct connection” systems, where green power …
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In May 2025, the China National Light Industry Council published a draft of a recommended national standard titled “Specification for the Use of Recycled Materials in Household Appliances.” The proposed …
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On May 14, 2025, China’s central government released a new policy, aimed at improving the market-based allocation of environmental resources. The guideline, titled the “Framework for the Market-Based Allocation …
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On April 25, 2025, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has issued a new mandatory national standard, titled General Code for Standardized Safe Production in Hazardous Chemical Enterprises (GB 45673-2025), …
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On June 16, 2025, the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Macau Special Administrative Region announced that it will prohibit the import, export, and transshipment of 14 types of mercury-added products …
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On May 13, 2025, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a draft of a new mandatory national standard titled “Safety Technical Requirements for Children’s Wristwatches” and began soliciting …
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On April 25, 2025, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has issued a new mandatory national standard, titled General Code for Standardized Safe Production in Hazardous Chemical Enterprises (GB 45673-2025), …
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According to information released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China on May 6, 2025, the Ministry announced three lists as of April 30, 2025: the “Existing Chemical …
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On April 17, 2025, China National Light Industry Council published a draft national voluntary standard called the Technical Specifications for Lithium-ion Batteries for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances. The council …
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On May 22, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, along with 14 other government agencies, jointly released the National Climate Change Response Standards System Development Plan. The plan outlines …
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On May 12, 2025, China’s Ministry of Water Resources has released a draft set of 14 mandatory national standards that define industrial water use quotas for various sectors operating in …
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On May 13, 2025, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has issued a new mandatory industry standard, AQ 7017-2025, titled “Safety Code for Lithium-Ion Battery Production.” The standard will take effect …
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On April 21, 2025, the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau issued Registration and Management Rules for Carbon Emissions Trading Market for the carbon market of Beijing, China. The Rules …
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On March 28, 2025, China’s Standardization Administration issued a mandatory national standard, the “List of Dangerous Goods” (GB 12268-2025). It will come into effect Oct. 1, 2025, replacing the current …
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On May 18, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced the conclusion of its anti-dumping investigation on polyoxymethylene copolymer imported from the U.S., the EU, Taiwan and Japan (Ministry of Commerce …
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On April 9, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced a national implementation plan on fulfilling the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer during the 2025-2030 …
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On April 27, 2025, China’s National People’s Congress released a draft of the Ecological and Environmental Protection Code on its official website and began soliciting public feedback. The consultation period …
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On March 31, 2025, China’s Ministry of Water Resources, in coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and other central agencies, has …
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One April 13, 2025, China’s State Council has issued a revised version of the Interim Regulations on Express Delivery, introducing new requirements aimed at promoting environmentally friendly, reduced, and recyclable …
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On Aril 24, 2025, China’s National Development and Reform Commission published on its website the 2025 edition of the Market Access Negative List. It lists things and activities for which …
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On April 25, 2025, All-China Environment Federation, a Chinese non-profit organization, published a draft group standard called the Guidance on Corporate Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Information Disclosure. The federation seeks …
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On March 28, 2025, China has released the 2025 edition of its mandatory national standard, Classification and Code of Dangerous Goods (GB 6944-2025), which will take effect on Oct. 1, …
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Carbon dioxide capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology can achieve large-scale sustainable low-carbon utilization of fossil energy, help build a low-carbon industrial system, and when combined with biomass or air …
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On April 10, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published “Official Guidelines on more Effective Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Construction of Facilities Involving New Pollutants” in key …
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China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on May 6 released a draft revision of the national standard for biodiversity protection assessments and opened it for public comment. The consultation …
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China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, along with six other central government agencies, jointly issued the revised “Measures for the Implementation of Safety Production Liability Insurance” on March 29, 2025. The …
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On March 17,2025, China’s National Energy Administration released the 2025 edition of its “100 Questions and Answers on Green Electricity Certificates,” a guide designed to promote public understanding of Green …
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On April 4, 2025, China’s General Administration of Customs, along with the Ministry of Commerce and other central government agencies, announced on its website the “Notice on Export Restrictions for …
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On October 21, 2024, the Chief Executive of Macau issued Executive Order No. 168/2024, prohibiting the import, export, and transshipment of substances regulated under the Stockholm Convention (POPs Convention), as …
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On April 9, 2025, China’s National Medical Products Administration issued regulations on the safety risk monitoring and assessment of cosmetics. These will come into effect Aug. 1, 2025. The regulations …
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On April 14, 2025, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the draft for approval of the mandatory national standard for China RoHS, titled “Requirements for the Restriction …
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On March 6, 2025, five central administrative agencies, including the National Development and Reform Commission of China, issued the “Opinions on Promoting the Development of the Green Electricity Certificate (GEC) …
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On March 21, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced the revised “Regulations on the Import and Export Management of Ozone-Depleting Substances” on its official website. The 2025 version …
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On Feb. 28, 2025, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and Standardization Administration published a recommended national standard, “Recovery of Traction Battery Used in Electric Vehicle—Echelon Use—Part 5: Battery Design …
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On March 21, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced a plan to expand the national carbon market to include the steel, cement and aluminum smelting industries. In the …
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On March 12, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a draft mandatory national standard called the Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants for Textile Industry. The ministry seeks comments …
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On Feb. 10, 2025, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other seven central government departments jointly announced an action plan for sound development of new-type energy storage system …
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On December 10, 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China issued Announcement No. 39 of 2024. This announcement includes the amended electronic industry standard “Requirements for the …
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On September 29, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation of China announced the amended voluntary national standard “Labeling of Plastic Products” (GB/T 16288-2008), now updated to GB/T 16288-2024. This …
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On February 26, 2025, the Department of Economy and Information Technology of Zhejiang Province issued the “Zero-Carbon (Near-Zero) Factory Development and Construction Plan (2025-2027)”. This plan aims to achieve carbon …
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On Feb. 19, 2025, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued an experimental standard for a national scheme for reporting on controlled chemicals and declarations regarding the Chemical Weapons …
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On February 14, 2025, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China issued the “Guidelines on Promoting Voluntary Corporate Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Information (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidelines”. …
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On Feb. 25, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a draft indicative list of long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), their salts and related compounds, as well as draft updated …
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On Feb. 14, 2025, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong province, China, announced a provincial action plan for climate change response for 2025–2035. It has four key objectives:
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On Jan. 24, 2025, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued a recommended national standard called the Guidelines for Comprehensive Safety Risk Assessment of Chemical Industry Park (GB/T 45233-2025). This …
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On Feb. 27, 2025, the government of Zhejiang province, China, announced a set of measures to implement carbon emission intensity control and carbon emissions caps. These measures constitute a provincial …
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On February 28, 2025, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China published the “Public Notice on the Standardization of Import Management for Recycled Black Mass Materials and Recycled Steel …
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On Jan. 9, 2025, the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, a Chinese non-profit organization, published association standards that set out carbon footprint assessment (or “quantification”) methodologies and requirements for the …
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On December 18, 2024, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Market Regulation issued a voluntary local standard “Cascading use※ of automobile traction battery-Operation requirements for energy storage systems” (DB31/T 1525-2024). The …
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On Feb. 13, 2025, China Chemical Safety Association released the 2025 edition of the hazardous chemical safety risk assessment sheet for key counties and key business entities. The assessment sheet …
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On January 16, 2025, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, together with 11 central administrative departments, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry …
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On February 5, 2025, the Ministry of Transportation (MoT) of China published a draft of the “Safety Management Code for Dangerous Goods Road Transport Enterprises” on its website and began …
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On Feb. 8, 2025, China’s Shenzhen city issued a mandatory local standard called the “Limit of Volatile Organic Compounds and Certain Harmful Substances of Cleaning Agents in Microelectronic and Electronic …
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On Jan. 16, 2025, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published on its website the first list of recommended association standards for carbon footprint assessment (or “quantification”) of industrial …
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On February 7, 2025, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China released a draft of the mandatory environmental standard “Technical Specifications for Public Disclosure of Environmental Information on Non-Road …
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On Feb. 11, 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other 10 government departments of China announced a “Program for High-Quality Development of the Copper Industry for the …
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On Jan. 27, 2025, the government of Beijing, China announced 2025 action plans for air, water and soil pollution control, climate change response, and ecological protection. The official notice refers …
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On November 11, 2024, the Guangdong Provincial Administration for Market Regulation issued a voluntary local standard “Application specification for safety information code of hazardous chemical” (DB44/T 2564-2024). The standard will …
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On Jan. 22, 2025, China’s Zhejiang province issued a mandatory provincial standard for air pollutant emissions from boilers (DB 33/1415-2025). It sets out requirements for the control and monitoring of …
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China had issued a total of 4.955 billion Green Electricity Certificates (GECs) as of the end of 2024, according to a report published by China’s National Energy Administration on its …
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On Dec. 30, 2024, the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Shanghai, China issued detailed regulations, including an independent table, on the environmental credit evaluation of pollution-discharging entities in …
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On December 28, 2024, China Beijing Green Exchange Co., Ltd. announced the “Announcement on matters related to the trading entities and trading methods of the national greenhouse gas voluntary emission …
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On December 28, 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China issued the “Guidelines on the development of product carbon footprint calculation standards”. The guidelines sets a target for …
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On January 7, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation of China issued the “List of Implementing Product Carbon Footprint Label Certification Pilot Program” (list). The “Notice on the Implementation …
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On December 31, 2024, the State Administration of Market Regulation of China issued the voluntary national standard “General Technical Specification for Reused Parts of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV)” (GB/T 45193-2024). The …
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On Nov. 28, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulations published a recommended national standard that provides general rules for the downcycling of photovoltaic (PV) modules. The standard’s English title …
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On Dec. 31, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a revised recommended national standard that sets out environmental protection requirements for fax machines and multifunction fax machines (GB/T …
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On 2024, Nov. 29, the China Electronics Standardization Institute, a Chinese non-profit organization under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, published drafts of three industry standards for high-purity recycled …
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On Nov. 28, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a voluntary national standard for the label and logo of recycled plastics (GB/T 45090-2024). The standard shows requirements for …
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On Nov. 28, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a voluntary national standard that shows allowable concentrations for certain hazardous chemicals in recycled plastics (GB/T 45091-2024). The English …
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On Nov. 28, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued a mandatory national standard that sets criteria for major accident risks in the use of certain special equipment (GB …
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On Nov. 19, 2024, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management published Penalty Standards for Violations in Work Safety Emergency Management, which came into effect immediately. These set out penalties for 233 …
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On Sept. 29, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a national standard called the Specification for the Limitation of Harmful Substances Found in Watch Casings Contacting Directly with …
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On Nov. 25, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment made on its website an announcement seeking information from the public on the production, use, import and export of chemicals …
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On Dec. 20, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued WTO/TBT notifications of draft revised mandatory national standards that set noise limits for tractors and harvest machines, respectively. Their …
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On November 26, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published National List of Hazardous Waste (2025 edition) on its homepage. The list is formulated based on the Act on …
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On October 30, 2024, the National Development and Reform Commission of China issued the “Guidelines on vigorously implementing renewable energy transition actions”. The Guidelines sets a target of achieving national …
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On November 25, 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China announced the addition of 36 chemical substances to the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances on its website. Among …
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On Dec. 26, 2024, China’s national people’s congress published on its website a draft Law on the Safety of Hazardous Chemicals. It is seeking comments on the draft through Jan. …
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