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 Oct. 28, 2024, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other five government departments announced a Program for Nurturing Smart Factories in Phases.
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On Oct. 11, 2024, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published the 2024 edition of the list of advanced safety and emergency equipment that should be promoted in the …
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On Sept. 29, 2024, the Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau of Beijing, China, published the Municipal Measures to Implement a Carbon Offset Scheme in Beijing’s Carbon Market on its website.
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On October 16,2024, the Ministry of Finance of China issued the “Implementation measures for water resource tax reform pilot” and announced that the water resource tax will be implemented nationwide …
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On Sept. 24, 2024, the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Shanghai, China published a mandatory local standard called the Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Paint, Ink and …
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On September 30, 2024, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China jointly promulgated the “Measures for the Management of Special Funds for the Treatment …
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On Aug. 23, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a recommended national standard titled “Green Product Assessment—Printers and Multifunction Devices”, which will come into effect March 1, 2025. …
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On Sept. 27, 2024, the government of China’s Zhejiang province published Provincial Regulations on the Promotion of Green and Low-Carbon Transition, which will come into effect Jan. 1, 2025.
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On July 1, 2024, the Ecology and Environment Department of Hunan Province, China issued a mandatory provincial standard called the Discharge Standard of Perchlorate Pollutant for Industrial Wastewater. The standard …
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On Aug. 23, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a recommended national standard titled “Restricted Substances Management Systems for Electrical and Electronic Products—Requirements” (GB/T 31274-2024). It will come …
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On Sept. 23, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a draft 2024 edition of the list of waste materials that are not regulated as hazardous waste, as part …
East Asia
In the current global context of energy crisis, hydrogen energy has garnered widespread attention as a secondary energy source that is abundant, green, low-carbon, and widely applicable. Accompanying the practical …
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On Aug. 23, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued a mandatory national standard titled “Household and Similar Electrical Appliances—Energy Saving and Environment Protection Specification” (GB 44499-2024), which will …
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On August 23, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation approved a voluntary national standard “Greenhouse gases—Carbon footprint of products—Requirements and guidelines for quantification” (GB/T 24067-2024), which was proposed and …
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On September 24, 2024, the All-China Environment Federation released a draft group standard “Guidance on corporate environment, society and governance (ESG) evaluation” and started to collect comments. The group standard …
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On Aug. 26, 2024, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management published a draft mandatory industry standard called the “Specification for Safety Management of Fine Chemical Enterprises.” The ministry is seeking comments …
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On August 30, 2024, the Ministry of Transport of China released a draft industry standard called “Container coatings Part 2: water-based coatings”, which sets limits on harmful substances in container …
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On Aug. 16, 2024, the China Electronics Standardization Institute publishes two draft association standards that set out methods and requirements for the carbon footprint quantification of storage devices and servers, …
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On Aug. 27, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued a WTO/TBT notification of a draft mandatory national standard titled “Indoor Decorating and Refurbishing Materials—Limit of Harmful Substances of …
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On August 30, 2024, the Ministry of Emergency Management of China issued a draft on general norms for work safety standardization of hazardous chemical enterprises and started soliciting comments from …
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On Aug. 22, 2024, the Department of Ecology and Environment and seven other government departments of Guangdong province, China announced a Provincial Program for Methane Emission Control. This program aims …
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On Sept. 9, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced a pilot program for product carbon footprint labeling certification. The published details of the program include eligible products, criteria …
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On Sept. 5, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a 2024 list of standards for the ecological and environmental monitoring of contaminants of emerging concern (“new pollutants”). It …
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On Sept. 9, 2024, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Zhejiang province, China published revised measures on the oversight of the soil contamination risk management and remediation of land …
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On Aug. 28, 2024, China’s Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs published on the ministry’s website a list of goods related to antimony and superhard materials that are …
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On July 30, 2024, the China National Institute of Standardization published a draft revised national standard called the General Principles of Stipulation for Energy Efficiency Requirements of Energy Consuming Products. …
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On Sept. 11, 2024, the General Department of the National Energy Administration and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China published a Circular on the Integration of the Country’s …
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On July 24, 2024, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration of China jointly issued the “Guideline for Medium-and Long-erm Green Power Trading.” The guideline stipulates …
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On July 24, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a mandatory national standard, “Specification for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals—Part 1: General Rules” (GB 30000.1-2024). This standard is …
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On Aug. 5, 2024, the government of Shanghai, China published a local standard called the Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Printing Industry (DB 31/872-2024). It is a revision of …
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On August 5, 2024, the China Household Electrical Appliances Association (CHEAA) issued a group standard called “Technical specifications of recycled plastics for home appliances” (T/CHEAA 0034-2024). Although this standard is …
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On June 25, 2024, China’s National Development and Reform Commission and several ministries issued Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Water Conservation Industry. The guiding opinions aim to …
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On July 23, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published draft Guidelines for the Standardized Environmental Management of Non-Hazardous Industrial Solid Waste. The ministry is seeking comments on the …
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On July 30, 2024, the General Office of China’s State Council announced a Program for Accelerating the Development of a “Carbon Emissions Dual Control Scheme” — mechanisms to control the …
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On Aug. 14, 2024, China’s Maritime Safety Administration issued a “List of Hazardous Materials Banned from or Restricted in Use on Chinese-flagged Seagoing Ships.” It specifies control measures for the …
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On Aug. 6, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published two sets of draft rules, or “National Ecology and Environment Standards”, on the application and issuance of pollution discharge …
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On July 22, 2024, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management published a draft emergency management industry standard titled “Major Hazard Sources for Hazardous Chemicals Storage Perception Data Access Standardization”. The ministry …
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On July 8, 2024, China’s Ministry of Transport issued criteria for major accident risks in dangerous goods handling at ports. These criteria are based on the country’s Work Safety Law1, …
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On Aug. 1, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation made a WTO/TBT notification of a draft revised mandatory national standard (GB) called the Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency …
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On Aug. 2, 2024, China’s Ministry of Public Security and other central government departments announced that they would add seven substances to the list of controlled precursor chemicals, which had …
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On July 23, 2024, China’s National Development and Reform Commission announced a Special Action Plan for Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in the Electrolytic Aluminum Production Industry. The key plans …
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On July 23, 2024, the Emergency Management Bureau of Shanghai, China, published Guidelines Listing Work Safety Rules for Hazardous Chemical Companies in different industries. The guidelines consist of eight parts …
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On July 17, 2024, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published a draft mandatory national standard, “Limit of Harmful Substances of Coating Materials Part 2: Industrial Coatings”. The ministry …
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On July 22, 2024, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management published a draft emergency management industry standard titled “Major Hazard Sources for Hazardous Chemicals Storage Perception Data Access Standardization”. The ministry …
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On June 29, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the voluntary national standard “Requirements for treatment and disposal of waste printed circuit board” (GB/T 44157-2024). The standard took …
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On June 25, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation of China released a mandatory national standard called “Limit of hazardous substances of furniture” (GB 18584-2024), which is a consolidation …
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On July 9, 2024, the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau (Beijing MEEB) issued a draft regulation named “Measures for carbon offset management in Beijing”. The Measures was stipulated in …
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On June 29, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a revised version of the recommended national standard, “Green Product Assessment—Sanitary Wares” (GB/T 35603-2024), which sets out green product …
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On July 8, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published draft rules for the import of recycled raw material copper, copper alloys, aluminum and aluminum alloys. The ministry sought …
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On July 17, 2024, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published a draft mandatory national standard that sets limits on harmful substance content in coating materials used for buildings. …
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On July 5, 2024, the Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center, a branch of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, published a 2024 version of the general rules for solid …
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On June 18, 2024, as part of China’s national program for standards development1, the China Electronics Standardization Institute published the following draft national standards: Requirements of Disassembly and Treatment for …
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On July 8, 2024, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Jiangsu province, China published a draft provincial standard called the Technical Specification for Pollution Control of Comprehensive Utilization of …
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On July 8, 2024, China’s General Administration of Customs announced a nationwide experimental program for the lot-based custom inspection of hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods packaging exported from China. Under …
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On July 8, 2024, China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development published a draft revised standard for the construction industry called the Limit and Test Method of Harmful Substances in …
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On May 9, 2024, the China’s National Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control issued an amendment sheet to the national occupational health standard “Occupational exposure limits for hazardous factors …
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On July 5, 2024, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a 2023 report on practices of leading companies in energy efficiency in key industries. The Ministry of Industry …
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On June 6, 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and 13 other central government departments of China announced a program for developing carbon footprint management framework in accordance with …
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On June 28, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published draft regulations on eight items of mercury-added products, including mercury vacuum pumps, and on dental amalgam to seek comments …
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On June 19, 2024, the Department of Emergency Management of Zhejiang Province, China, published a 2024 edition of work safety compliance guidelines for hazardous chemical companies. The guidelines apply to …
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On May 18, 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China announced the addition of seven new chemical substances to the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances on its website. …
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On April 29, 2024, the China’s Standardization Administration issued a mandatory national standard called “Minimum allowable values of the energy efficiency and energy efficiency grades for heat pumps and water …
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On April 25, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a recommended national standard, “Green Manufacturing—Green Supply Chain Management in Manufacturing Enterprises—Implementation Guide” (GB/T 43902-2024). The standard will come …
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On April 25, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published a revised version of the recommended national standard, “Restricting Excessive Packaging for Commodity—General Rule” (GB/T 31268) — a standard …
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On April 25, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a voluntary national standard named “Green Manufacturing–Evaluation indicators” (GB/T 43914-2024). The standard will come into effect on August 1, …
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On June 28, 2024, the China Petrochemical Industry Federation released a draft national voluntary standard (GB/T) titled “Requirements of concentration limits for restricted substances in recycled plastics” on the National …
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On April 29, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and Standardization Administration published a mandatory national standard called the Norm of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of Tyre and …
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On May 20, 2024, the China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced the addition of 34 substances to the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances. Those 34 substances were included in …
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On May 20, 2024, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published experimental guidelines for improving the management of manufacturing supply chains. The guidelines call on manufacturers to develop environmentally …
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On June 29, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published the first update to the China RoHS-related national standard called the Requirements of Concentration Limits for Certain Restricted Substances …
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On April 29, 2024, the Chinese government published a mandatory national standard called the Norm of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of Toluene Diisocyanate and Diphenyl Methane Diisocyanate. The standard …
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Close on the heels of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) and Beijing Stock Exchange (BSE) issuing sustainability reports guidelines for listed companies, the Beijing Municipal Government …
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On April 29, 2024, the Chinese government published a mandatory national standard called the Norm of Energy Consumption per Unit Production of Caustic Soda, PVC, Methane Chloride, which will come …
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On April 29, 2024, the Chinese government published a mandatory national standard called the Safety Technical Specification for Ammonium Nitrate, which will come into effect Nov. 1, 2024. This standard …
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On May 22, 2024, the China’s Ministry of Finance released a draft named “Corporate sustainability disclosure standards: Basic principles” and started soliciting comments. The deadline for comments is June 24, …
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On April 29, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation published the following mandatory national standards: Minimum Allowable of Energy Efficiency and Energy Efficiency Grades for Cold Store (Box) and …
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Overview The circular economy focuses on the efficient and cyclical use of resources, guided by the principles of “reduction, reuse, and resource recovery” and characterized by “low consumption, low emissions, …
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On May 13, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a draft program for the full implementation of the pollutant discharge permit scheme. The ministry sought comments on the …
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On May 8, 2024, the China Household Electrical Appliances Association published a draft of an association standard called the Technical Specifications of Recycled Plastics for the Household Electrical Appliances. The …
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On April 22, 2024, the China Household Electrical Appliances Association issued two association standards related to the safe service life, one is “Safe service life for household electrical appliances Part …
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On April 26, 2024, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangdong province, China, published the second version of the list of spot check items to be shared in the …
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On May 9,2024, the Chinese State Council announced the “2024 Legislative Work Plan”. According to the plan, the draft of the Law on Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals will be …
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On April 23, 2024, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Emergency Management and 3 other ministries jointly announced the amendments to the Catalog of precursor chemicals for export to …
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On May 15, 2024, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform released the draft of the “Implementation plan for promoting high-quality development of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) …
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On March 25, 2024, the Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau of Beijing, China, published a local standard called the Guideline for Soil Contamination Risk Screening of Former Industrial Sites (DB11/T …
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On May 7, 2024, China’s Ministry of Transport published a series of six revised industry standards for the road transportation of dangerous goods (JT/T 617.1–6), which came into effect immediately. …
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