EU Chemical Compliance Priorities

ECHA enforcement projects find significant non-compliance The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Enforcement Forum coordinates various projects in Europe to harmonize enforcement in each Member State and check the current level of compliance regarding obligations under European Union (EU) hazardous products regulations. A significant proportion of non-compliance was found during recent enforcement projects BPR-EN-FORCE-2 (BEF-2) and […]

Global regulatory report

We are seeing plenty of regulatory changes around the world, with a growing focus on reducing pollution and ensuring a healthy environment. There are several important regulatory initiatives that are happening in key jurisdictions. “Zero draft” of global plastic pollution treaty  On Sept. 4, 2023, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution released a draft […]

Global hazardous materials update

There is a lot to report on in the sphere of hazardous materials regulations these days and this seemed like an excellent opportunity to do a worldwide update to keep SPRAY readers informed of changes happening in some key global jurisdictions. Brazil adopts GHS 7th Revised Edition On July 3, the Brazilian National Standards Organization […]

EU Regulatory Update

Europe, as usual, is on the forefront of chemical regulatory developments. There are a lot of upcoming changes to be aware of if you sell products into the European Union (EU). Even if you do not currently deal with European compliance issues, it is good to be aware of what is happening there. Regulatory initiatives […]

WHMIS Update

Government of Canada publishes WHMIS 2022, amending Hazardous Products Regulations (GHS, Seventh Revised Edition) Back in 2021, I wrote an article for SPRAY concerning Canada’s proposed amendments to the the Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) and Schedule 2 of the Hazardous Products Act (HPA), which sets out the requirements for the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System […]

Canada commits to cleaner air

ECCC finally adopts VOC concentration limits of Certain Products Regulations In early 2022, Environment & Climate Change Canada (ECCC) published the Volatile Organic Compound Concentration Limits for Certain Products Regulations in the Canada Gazette1. The goal of the Certain Products Regulations is to limit volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from specific products manufactured or imported […]

Update on Canada’s hazardous chemicals regulatory initiatives

CEPA one step closer to becoming Canadian law On June 9, the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment & Natural Resources completed its review of Bill S-5 and voted to strengthen it before returning it to the full Senate. Bill S-5 modernizes the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), which aims to prevent pollution and […]

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

A global regulatory review Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic organofluorine chemicals that have been getting a lot of attention lately. My colleague Mae Hrycak barely scratched the surface of this topic in the April 2022 Regulatory Landscape edition of SPRAY. This column will expand on the topic and provide a […]

Global GHS update

The Globally Harmonized System of Classification & Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) was developed by the United Nations (UN) to address classification of chemicals by hazard type and propose harmonized hazard communication elements, including labels and safety data sheets (SDS). Despite its name, the GHS is neither completely “global” nor “harmonized” due to the varying implementation […]

Chemical management in Asia: 2021 update

The global regulatory landscape is constantly evolving to meet the needs of different groups, such as industry, workers and consumers. The needs of different groups, such as industry, workers and consumers. As new health and safety information becomes available, countries must adapt to ensure that product users and producers alike are given the tools and […]