Singapore’s New Hazardous Substances Control

On the 10^th of June 2022, Singapore published an addendum proposing the control of chemicals under review by multilateral environmental agreements. The notified measure is expected to enter into force by March 1, 2023.

In February 2022, the National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore had notified WTO about their intention to control five new chemicals as Hazardous Substances (HS) and importers/manufacturers/distributors of the five chemicals and products containing the chemicals will have to apply for a HS licence/permit to import, sell, store, export, and use the chemicals.

These five chemicals are identified by the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions for review. The identification is as follows:   

These five substances are identified for their potential to cause harm to human health and the environment. The step taken by Singapore to control them is aimed at protecting the environment as well as preparing themselves for their obligation to the Stockholm Convention and Rotterdam Convention. The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) while the Rotterdam Convention is a global treaty for the international trade of specific hazardous chemicals.