The final version of the 2012 List of Substitutes to Toxic and Hazardous Substances has been published by the China MIIT on 14 Jan 2013 since its draft publication ended in November last year. The list includes in total 81 categories of toxic and hazardous substances combined with their safe alternatives that are widely used in sectors of textiles, daily chemicals, printing and package, plastics and rubber, mining, agrochemicals, and electric and electronics, etc.
China has been actively encouraging industry to use free-tox/hazard or low-tox/hazard materials in the process of production in an attempt to eliminate pollution, protect the environment and human health, and boost industrial upgrading. Early in May 2012, the MIIT has launched a state-orchestrated program of safe alternatives notification for industrial tox and hazard materials. A draft list of substitutes to 79 to-be-phased-out substances was later issued on the MIIT website for public consultation on 13 Nov 2012.
The official 2012 list is classified into three ranges in terms of the degree of product promotion; namely, “the developing scope”, “the applied scope”, and “the promoted scope”. Each scope is subsequently grouped by four types of substitutes if available, i.e. 1) for heavy metals; 2) for organic pollutants; 3) for pesticides; and 4) for other tox/haz substances.
The “developing scope”: safe alternatives in urgent need of development;
The “applied scope”: safe alternatives that have been developed but yet to be commercialized;
The “promoted scope”: safe alternatives of mature promotion and which need greater distribution and utility in the future.
According to the MIIT, more toxic and hazardous raw materials, including heavy metals, POPs, PTS, and existing hyper toxics, corrosives, irritants and radioactives (nuclear facilities and military facilities are exempt) which are listed in GB 12268 (List of Dangerous Goods), the Chinese C&L inventory, the “List of Highly Toxic Chemicals” and the “National hazardous Waste Inventory”, need be reported their safe alternatives from the industry and might be incorporated in the list in succession.
