Support for Material, Parts, and Equipment Management... Documentation Omitted for New Chemical Substances Under 1t

Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Chemical Substances Registration and Evaluation Act Approved at the Cabinet Meeting
Temporary Omission of Some Registration Documents for New Chemical Substances Under 1 Ton Annual Manufacture/Import
Items Requiring Supply Chain Stability Management Due to COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Among new chemical substances with an annual manufacturing or import volume of less than 1 ton, chemical substances that require supply chain stability management due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) will be partially exempted from submitting registration documents until the end of next year.

The Ministry of Environment announced that the partial amendment to the "Enforcement Decree of the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (Chemical Substances Registration and Evaluation Act)" containing this content was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 7th and will be enforced from the 14th.

Currently, under the law, those who intend to manufacture or import new chemical substances with an annual manufacturing or import volume of 100 kg or more must submit documents such as information on the substance, its use, and toxicity test data to the National Institute of Environmental Research under the Ministry of Environment before manufacturing or importing, and register them.

The amendment allows partial omission of some required documents, such as physicochemical properties and toxicity-related data, for new chemical substances with an annual manufacturing or import volume between 100 kg and less than 1 ton that require supply chain stability.

This is the same content as the supply risk response substances measure included in the materials, parts, and equipment competitiveness enhancement plan prepared in August last year, triggered by Japan's export regulations.

With the amendment to the enforcement decree, the number of items exempted from submission during registration has expanded from 159 to 338 items.

Companies wishing to omit data must obtain a confirmation certificate by receiving verification from the Ministry of Environment → Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy through the Materials and Parts Supply Response Support Center and submit it when registering the chemical substances.

The Ministry of Environment plans to strictly verify with related ministries whether the submitted item names, purity/content, uses, etc., correspond to substances requiring supply chain stability management.

The Ministry of Environment has significantly increased the support budget from 15 billion KRW last year to 52.9 billion KRW this year. An additional supplementary budget of 11.6 billion KRW has also been secured.

Through this, the ministry plans to expand projects such as producing toxicity test data and providing it at low cost, and supporting all processes of registration by industry and substance.

Hamina, Director of Environmental Health Policy at the Ministry of Environment, said, "With the amendment to the enforcement decree, companies experiencing significant disruptions in overseas supply chains of chemical substances due to COVID-19 will be able to quickly register alternative substances and stabilize supply." She added, "With the secured supplementary budget, we will actively support industries struggling due to COVID-19 to prepare for chemical substance registration more smoothly."

Director Ha also stated, "For substances exempted from submitting test data during registration, the government will thoroughly manage them by directly producing test data and verifying toxicity information if necessary to ensure public safety."