Australia Opens Public Consultation on Proposal to Add 10 Substances to IChEMS

On September 21, 2026, the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) opened a public consultation on a proposal to amend the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Instrument 2022 to add 10 new substances to the Schedule of the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS). The consultation period closes on October 23, 2026. Of the 10 targeted chemicals, Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs) and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are proposed to be added as new entries to "Schedule 6: Relevant industrial chemicals that are likely to cause serious or irreversible harm to the environment with essential uses."