Taiwan Revises GHS Standards for General Rules and Environmental Hazards

On April 25, 2025, Taiwan's Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced the publication of three revised standards for Taiwan GHS. The updated standards are:

• CNS 15030:2025 Classification and labelling of chemicals − General rules

• CNS 15030-27:2025 Classification and labelling of chemicals − Hazardous to the aquatic environment

• CNS 15030-28:2025 Classification and labelling of chemicals − Hazardous to the ozone layer

These revised standards adopted UN GHS Rev.8 and took effect immediately upon publication.

Key Changes:

• CNS 15030:2025 replaces the 2015 version and introduces a new hazard class for desensitized explosives;

• CNS 15030-27:2025 supersedes the 2008 version, revising the classification criteria for chronic toxicity to the aquatic environment;

• CNS 15030-28:2025 replaces the 2015 version, revising the classification criteria for materials and mixtures hazardous to the ozone layer by excluding hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) listed in the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

Background Information:

The CNS 15030 series was initially established in 2006 to provide rules for the classification and labeling of chemicals in Taiwan. Some of these standards were updated in 2015 to align with UN GHS Revision 4.

In the move to adopt UN GHS Rev. 8, several standards have been updated recently:

• Ten standards for physical hazards (CNS 15030-1 to CNS 15030-5, CNS 15030-7, CNS 15030-12, CNS 15030-14, and CNS 15030-15) were amended and published on October 24, 2024 (ChemLinked news);

• Ten standards for health hazards (CNS 15030-17 to CNS 15030-26) were amended and published on February 24, 2025 (ChemLinked news);

• Desensitized explosives (CNS 15030-29) was introduced as the 17th physical hazard class on February 24, 2025.

With these latest updates, there remain six standards in the CNS 15030 series that have yet to be revised.