Reference source : Federal Register of Legislation
IChEMS Register Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS) IChEMS Minimum Standards Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standards PFAS Phthalates Bisphenols
On 18 June 2026, Australia registered the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Instrument 2026, introducing a major update to the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (IChEMS) Register. This amendment adds more than 1,450 new entries to the register covering a wide variety of industrial chemicals and chemical groups. The new environmental management requirements will take effect on either 1 January 2027 or 1 July 2027.
New Chemical Entries
The amendment introduces new entries across Schedules 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the IChEMS Register. The table below provides an overview of the main chemical groups added under each schedule and the associated regulatory requirements.
|
Schedule |
New substance(s)/chemical groups |
Regulatory effect |
Commencement |
|
2 |
Glycerides |
Added to the Register with IChEMS Minimum Standards |
1 January 2027 |
|
3 |
1,3-Propanediamine derivative; carbonodithioic acid esters; ethoxylated alcohols (Group B); medium and long chain alkyl sulfates; fatty acids |
Added with IChEMS Minimum Standards |
1 January 2027 |
|
4 |
Ethoxylated alcohols (Group A); parabens; short-chain alkyl- and aryl-phthalates; limonene; PFBA, PFPeA and PFHxA-related substances |
Added with IChEMS Minimum Standards; additional management requirements apply to the PFAS entries |
1 January 2027 / 1 July 2027* |
|
5 |
Dibutylphthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate and diisooctylphthalate; lead salts of medium- and long-chain carboxylic acids; 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamides; PFBS, PFHpA and PFPeS-related substances; TBBPA |
Stricter environmental controls and IChEMS Minimum Standards |
1 January 2027 / 1 July 2027* |
|
7 |
PFHpS; PFNS and PFDS-related substances |
Prohibitions and strict controls on manufacture, import, export, use and waste management |
1 January 2027 |
*The PFAS-related entries in Schedules 4 and 5 commence on 1 July 2027, while the remaining entries commence on 1 January 2027.
Regulatory Impact
The new schedule entries introduce environmental management measures that vary according to the level of concern associated with each substance or chemical group. Depending on the applicable schedule, these include compliance with IChEMS Minimum Standards as well as additional restrictions on manufacture, import, export, use and disposal for higher-risk chemicals, particularly certain PFAS groups. The amendment also updates the existing Schedule 6 entry for UV-328 by revising the permitted essential uses and related exemptions.
