Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme Calls for 2024-25 Annual Declarations

The Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) has announced that all organisations which imported or manufactured industrial chemicals for commercial purposes between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025 are required to submit their annual declaration by 30 November 2025.

Who needs to declare

Any “introducer” under the AICIS—meaning anyone who manufactures or imports industrial chemicals—is obligated to make an annual declaration if they carried out introductions during that period. The declaration affirms that all chemical introductions comply with the requirements under the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019.

What the declaration involves

Introducers will need to specify which of the six introduction categories applies to each chemical they manufactured or imported:

• Listed introductions – chemicals that are on the Inventory and introduced according to their terms of listing
• Exempted introductions – very low-risk chemicals or other narrowly defined categories (like polymers of low concern, research & development chemicals, etc.)
• Reported introductions – low risk chemicals where a pre-introduction report was submitted
• Assessed introductions – those covered by an assessment certificate during the year
• Commercial evaluation introductions – where a commercial evaluation authorisation was in force
• Exceptional circumstance introductions – where an authorisation under exceptional circumstances was granted by the Minister

Some exempted introduction types will also require a post-introduction declaration.

Resources and guidance

AICIS has released a new video to guide introducers through the declaration process, which can be accessed here. There is also a categorisation guide to help determine which introduction category applies.

Why this matters

Submissions of annual declarations are essential for AICIS to ensure that industrial chemical introductions remain compliant with Australia’s regulatory framework, intended to protect health, safety, and the environment. Introducers declaring under the correct categories help maintain transparency and regulatory oversight.