Undergoing Brazilian reform on chemicals regulation

On 5 September 2022, the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association (Abiquim) signed , in the Brazilian capital, Brasília, a protocol of intent with the Ministry of the Environment. This document intends to collaborate, among other issues, in the elaboration of the National Climate Change Mitigation Plan and chemical management.  

This happens in the context of draft bill 6.120/2019 which was approved on 6 December 2021 by the Environment Committee of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. The intent of this is to set inventories, risk assessments, and authorization requirements for chemicals to protect human health and reduce environmental damage. This entails the production, importation, and use of chemicals in the Brazilian territory. If the protocol is approved in the parliament,  a database would be established in the country with all the industrial chemicals used in Brazil with a quantity of more than one tonne per year. 

In this context, Abiquim and the Ministry of Environment are advancing in the Brazilian management of chemical substances.  This is already in progress through Bill 6.120/2019 whose enactment was paused under Bolsonaro’s government. However, a representative of Abiquim expects that this bill will be approved and believes that its effects will be positive for the chemical industry in Brazil.  

The United Nations has funded a project with the cooperation of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, to monitor hazardous chemical substances in order to establish and create a national chemical inventory. It is estimated that this project will start in early 2023. Currently, the Bill is waiting to be approved by all committees of the Brazil National Congress, and after the final approval, it will be sent to the Brazilian senate.