China publishes national standard for concentrations of some hazardous substances in recycled plastics

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 title of the standard is “Plastics—Limits for Restricted Substances of Recycled Plastics”. It will come into effect June 1, 2025.

The changes from the draft released in July 2024 include that the final version revises the scope of affected substances, and gives definitions of restricted substances classified in the “control”, “declaration” and “precaution” categories.

The standard aims to promote plastic recycling, and provides lists of substances restricted in recycled plastics with reference allowable concentrations for recycling-related businesses.