Australia Proposes to Add Five Chemicals to the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS)

Since April 15, 2024, the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has been soliciting public comments on a draft decision to add five types of chemicals, Dechlorane Plus®, UV-328, melamine, boric acid and its precursors, and beta-alanine, to the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS). The deadline for submitting comments is May 13, 2024.

Australia notified the WTO/TBT of the proposed decision on these substances on 19 April 2024 (G/TBT/N/AUS/168), as the Conference of the Parties had resolved to list the above-mentioned Dechlorane Plus ® and UV-328 in “Annex A Abolition” of the “Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants”, which prohibits their manufacture/use except for “individual exemptions”. The deadline for submission of comments on this report is June 18, 2024, and the effective date is July 1, 2026.