China Plans to Revise GHS Labelling Standard GB 15258-2009

By Lily Hou, PhD, CHMM, senior regulatory specialist, Supply Chain team, UL Solutions 

On Sept. 22, 2022, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published its plan to revise seven mandatory national standards, including the General Rules for Preparation of Precautionary Label for Chemicals (GB 15258-2009), and requested public comments on this standard revision project. GB 15258-2009 is based on the second revision (2007) of the GHS and hasn't been revised since it was released in 2009. 

China has been working actively on improving GHS labelling rules for hazardous chemicals since last year. In June 2021, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) launched the pilot of "one enterprise, one product, one code" application in Guangdong province. Hazardous chemicals must have a QR code displayed on the label, or they are not allowed to leave the factory or the warehouse in Guangdong. On Dec. 14, 2021, the MEM drafted the Administrative Rules for Safety Information Code for Hazardous Chemicals to expand the QR Code requirement nationwide. The Administrative Rules has not been finalized yet, but more local governments at the provincial and city level started to mandate the QR code on labels, including Suzhou city and Shandong Province, both requiring the QR code by Oct. 30, 2022. For more information regarding China's Administrative Rules for Hazardous Chemicals, please see this previously published article. 

The updated version of GB 15258 will be drafted jointly by Chemical Registration Center of the Ministry of Emergency Management, Sinopec Qingdao Safety Engineering Research Institute, and China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. The QR code as a new label element might be included in the revised standard. The project duration of the standard revision is set for a timeframe of 16 months. Any comments on the project can be sent to KJBZ@miit.gov.cn by Oct. 29, 2022. 

References

Notice of public solicitation of comments: revision plan for 7 mandatory national standards including the General Rules for Preparation of Precautionary Label for Chemicals - in Chinese only

News on Guangdong Province launching "one enterprise, one product, one code" application - in Chinese only