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Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) issued a circular on February 17 of 2023, announcing the adoption of the proposed control of 26 chemicals as hazardous substances (HS) under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) and its supporting regulation - EPM (HS) Regs. From August 21, 2023, enterprises involving the target chemicals shall comply with the followings:
For the import, export, manufacture, offer for sale, transport, storage and/or use of HS, an HS license should be obtained.
For the transport of HS, in addition to the HS license, an HS transportation approval should be obtained as well, which depends on the type of HS and its transport quantity each time.
For the purchase, storage and/or use of HS, an HS permit should be obtained.
These 26 chemicals are controlled by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). In Singapore, they are currently regulated by Singapore Customs under the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act (CWPA) and subject to licensing control for activities such as import, export, production, processing, consumption, storage and/or local sales or distribution. Given that many of them have wide industrial usage and some possess inherent toxic properties or can be used to manufacture chemicals with toxic properties, in June 2022, the NEA proposed to amend the EPMA and EPM (HS) Regs to regulate these 26 chemicals as HS. The authority also notified WTO of the amendments in November 2022 (see Notification G/TBT/N/SGP/66). After extensively listening to the suggestions and recommendations from stakeholders, the NEA adopted the proposed regulatory changes to address the domestic security and safety risks posed by these chemicals.
To avoid any incompliance or potential disruption to business operations, enterprises handling target chemicals are suggested to apply for or modify their licenses/permits or transport approvals under the EPMA and the EPM (HS) Regs from March 2023 onwards. Applications can be submitted via GoBusiness.
Further reading
As per Annex A to the circular, a total of 47 CWC chemicals (including the abovementioned 26 chemicals) are listed with corresponding information, i.e., chemical name, the respective competent authority, exemption criteria for license/permit application and requirements for road transportation. The NEA and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will jointly regulate these listed chemicals with Singapore Customs from August 21, 2023. It should be noted that there is no change to Singapore Customs's existing licensing regime for these chemicals.
Among the 47 listed CWC chemicals:
9 chemicals have already been regulated by the NEA as HS.
26 chemicals will be regulated by the NEA as HS from August 21, 2023.
12 chemicals will be regulated by the SDCF as flammable materials from August 21, 2023. *See the previous ChemLinked article: Singapore to Regulate 12 Chemicals and Precursors as Flammable Materials Requiring P&FM Licence
For the details of the 47 listed CWC chemicals and relevant requirements, please check here.
