The International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) is keen to promote the Substitute It Now (SIN) list among Chinese companies and policy makers. To achieve this goal, the ChemSec has worked closely with Greenpeace East Asia on the Chinese version of the SIN documents. So far, some website sections of the SIN list have been presented in Chinese by the ChemSec. The current bi-lingual sections including:
About SIN
Methodology
Use the SIN list
SIN Database – How to search
At the current stage, the actual content in the SIN list database such as name, classification and Risk phrases etc. are still only presented in English. However, the database allows search with CAS numbers, which has combated the language barriers to a certain extent. The complete translation of the database content is expected recently as the NGOs wants to provide the SIN List as a reference to the establishment of the list of Hazardous Chemicals of Priority Environmental Concern (HCPECs) in China (ChemLinked news released on 6 Nov 2012 ).
Despite the effort made by the NGOs, China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has also worked on generating a list of Substitutes to Toxic and Hazardous Substances (STHS). The public consultation of this matter is closed on 27 Nov 2012 and the actual list has just been released two days before (ChemLinked news released on 15 Jan 2013). It is not clear either at this stage whether this list will serve as a reference to influence the inclusion of certain chemicals in to the anticipated HCPECs list.
It is noteworthy that both the STHS and HCPECs lists are more concerned of the domestic situations in China. Nevertheless, the SIN list serves as a key indicator of the progression of REACH’s SVHC management carried out by ECHA. In this sense, the SIN list may aid China in prioritizing the most hazardous chemicals from a global perspective, and hopefully this may contribute to the establishment of a more efficient and transparent chemical management system in the country.
