Chemical products – Australia

The Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS) has been developed by all Australian governments to efficiently and effectively manage the risks of industrial chemicals to the environment, while providing consistent requirements for businesses across Australia. The IChEMS Register records standards for the environmental management of chemicals, including risk management measures for specific industrial uses. In turn, the Australian federal government and each state and territory government will enact legislation to implement the standards in their jurisdictions. The proposed standards will assign the following chemicals, and mixtures and articles containing the chemicals, to Schedule 6 of the IChEMS Register. This will prohibit their import, manufacture, use and export in Australia, with exceptions for some essential uses, unintentional trace contamination, research, environmentally sound disposal, and articles in use prior to the standards' date of entry into force. • Long chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC PFCAs) • Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) The essential uses in the proposed standards broadly align with the exceptions in the Stockholm Convention (for LC PFCAs) and the Montreal Protocol (for HFCs). Australia has opted to not include the Montreal Protocol exception for car air conditioning in the essential uses for HFCs, based on the global trend toward not allowing this exception.