Colombia Opens Registration Platform for Chemical Substances

by Raissa Havens, regulatory specialist, UL Solutions Supply Chain team 

Last November, Colombia published Decree 1630/2021, establishing different management tools to allow those handling chemical substances for industrial use to identify, manage and reduce possible environmental and health risks. 

One of those tools is the National Inventory of Chemical Substances for Industrial Use, which requires manufacturers and importers handling chemical substances above 100 kg per year, whether mono-constituent, multi-constituent or incorporated into mixtures, to submit information into the software program.  

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism had six months to launch the software and provide instructions on the submission process. Finally, on May 31, 2022, the link to access the software and the instructions on how to register substances were made available via Circular 018. 

Companies are required to have a tax identification number (known as NIT) to register in this platform, which is assigned by the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs. 

According to Decree 1630/2021, the following information is required:

• Identity of the manufacturer/importer.
• Annual production or import quantity of the chemical from the years 2021, 2022 and 2023.
• Identification of the chemical substance, including CAS number (when applicable).
• Substance’s hazard classification according to Decree 1496 of Aug. 6, 2018.
• Identified uses.

The final deadline for providing the information is May 30, 2025. After that, substances that have not been included in the database will be considered new substances.

Substances covered by a specific regulation are exempt from registration according to Decree 1630/2021.

Recommended action items

Review all chemical substances that your company manufactures or imports, in addition to the amount that is being placed on the market in Colombia. If those substances are not covered under any of the exemptions provided in Decree 1630/2021, proceed to register them before the May 30, 2025, deadline.

References

Circular 018 of May 31, 2022 regarding the software program and guidelines for chemical substances registration
Decree 1630 of November 30, 2021 regarding the sound management of chemical substances for industrial use
Chemical Registration Platform Home Page