China Repeals 176 Regulatory Documents Ahead of Eco-Environmental Code Implementation

On July 31, 2026, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) issued an official announcement repealing 176 normative regulatory documents, including the Announcement on the Promulgation of the Administrative Measures on the Use of China Environmental Labeling (SEPA Announcement No. 48 [2008]), among others. The primary objective of this review is to align existing regulatory frameworks with the new Ecological and Environmental Code (hereinafter referred to as the “Code”), which comes into force on August 15, 2026. The repeal takes effect simultaneously with the Code, meaning all 176 regulatory documents will be officially invalidated as of August 15, 2026. Furthermore, the announcement explicitly states that if any other normative documents promulgated by the MEE conflict with the principles, spirit, or requirements of the Code, the relevant provisions of the Code shall prevail.

In addition to central ministry actions, local governments—including Shandong, Guangdong, Shanghai, and Tianjin—are actively revising or repealing provincial and municipal environmental regulations to harmonize with the Code.

Scope of the 176 Repealed Regulatory Documents

The 176 regulatory documents selected for repeal primarily fall into the following categories:

• Provisions that conflict with relevant terms of the Code.
• Documents whose higher-level enabling laws have been amended or repealed.
• Rules whose primary contents have been incorporated into or replaced by new laws and regulations.
• Orders whose designated administrative tasks have already been completed.

Key Regulatory Documents Being Repealed Include:

• Announcement on the Promulgation of the Administrative Measures on the Use of China Environmental Labeling
• Announcement on the Promulgation of the Administrative Measures for the Operation and Management of Automatic Pollution Source Monitoring and Control Facilities
• Notice on the Promulgation of the Interim Administrative Measures for Emergency Plans for Sudden Environmental Incidents
• Official Response to Questions Concerning the Definitions of Hazardous Waste and Products
• Notice on the Promulgation of the Administrative Measures for Environmental Quality Monitoring Stations
• Opinions on Strengthening the Prevention and Control of Electronic Waste Pollution
• Work Notice on Promoting Informationization in Hazardous Waste Environmental Management, among other regulatory measures.

Local Government Actions and Regulatory Updates

To ensure strict implementation of the Code, provincial and municipal governments across China have recently reviewed and updated their respective local regulations. All local regulatory revisions and repeals listed below will take effect simultaneously with the Code on August 15, 2026.

EnviX’s Comment

As indicated during the training seminar organized by the Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Technology Center of the MEE in May 2026, the implementation of the Ecological and Environmental Code was expected to trigger a massive wave of revisions and repeals across existing regulations, measures, and local rules.

On the Code’s effective date of August 15, 2026, a substantial volume of regulatory amendments and invalidations will simultaneously come into effect, as detailed in this report. Further legislative overhauls and cleanups are anticipated to continue through the end of 2026, making ongoing regulatory tracking essential.

A critical compliance task for companies during this transition involves auditing internal environmental management systems, operational manuals, and legal contracts to update outdated citations of repealed or amended laws and align corporate protocols with the new Code.

Reference Document

The original Chinese text of the MEE announcement is available at:
https://www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk01/202608/t20260806_1163630.html?sessionid=