From This Year, Registration Required for Substances Over 1000t... Ministry of Environment Expands Full-Process Support

'2021 Chemical Substance Registration Support Project'

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Environment announced on the 14th that it will promote the '2021 Chemical Substance Registration Support Project' to facilitate smooth chemical substance registration compliance for small and medium-sized enterprises and other industries.

According to the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals, businesses intending to manufacture or import existing chemical substances in quantities of 1 ton or more annually must form a consortium according to their manufacturing/import volume and progressively register the handled chemical substances jointly by 2030.

In particular, businesses planning to manufacture or import substances handled in quantities of 1,000 tons or more and carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reproductive toxic substances (CMR) of 1 ton or more, which pose high risks to public health, must secure hazard information and register by the end of this year.

The Ministry of Environment has been operating the 'Chemical Safety Industry Support Group' since April 2014 to provide tailored support to small and medium-sized enterprises that express difficulties in complying with the system.

This year, considering that it is the first year for substances handled in quantities of 1,000 tons or more to be registered, the Ministry plans to further expand support to ensure that chemical substances applied for by companies are registered without delay.

First, the government will directly produce and provide necessary test data to small and medium-sized enterprises, and from this year, support will be extended to cases where companies produce the data themselves by subsidizing part of the required costs.

However, to prevent indiscriminate animal testing, existing domestic and international hazard data will be investigated and provided first, and even when testing is inevitably required, the support ratio for companies will be increased when vertebrate alternative test methods are applied.

Even for substances handled in small quantities, if early acquisition of hazard information is necessary, such as for use in consumer products, a 'Pre-registration Full Process Support Project' will be promoted in collaboration with industry associations to comprehensively support test data production and registration document preparation.

In addition to existing consultation and education, '1:1 customized consultation' will be provided for small and medium-sized enterprises struggling with compliance with the Chemical Substance Control Act, and industry-specific specialized education will be offered based on applications by industry.

Lee Young-seok, Director of the Chemical Substance Policy Division at the Ministry of Environment, said, "Through the Chemical Safety Industry Support Group, we will provide comprehensive support focusing on small and micro enterprises. This support project will alleviate the burden on our industries and promptly secure hazard information on chemical substances distributed domestically, contributing to the enhancement of chemical safety for the public and businesses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.