On March 2, 2012, the European Union published Directive 2012/7/EU, revising Part III of Annex II of the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, lowering the cadmium content limit for toys. The EU issued Toy Directive 2009/48/EC in June 2009 to require manufacturers to comply with toy safety regulations and strengthen enforcement. Toys sold in the EU market must comply with these regulations from design to production to avoid adverse effects on human health from chemicals in toys. The EU also updates these regulations from time to time to ensure toy safety. Therefore, the recently published new EU Toy Directive introduces many new safety requirements and restricted substances, including cadmium. The old and new limits for cadmium content in toys are as follows: Material | Old Cadmium Limit | New Cadmium Limit Scratched Materials | 23 mg/kg | 17 mg/kg Dry, fragile, and flexible materials | 1.9 mg/kg | 1.3 mg/kg Liquid and sticky materials | 0.5 mg/kg | 0.3 mg/kg This Directive 2012/7/EU will enter into force on 23 March 2012. Member States must transpose the Directive into national law by 20 January 2013. The Directive will be implemented throughout the EU from 20 July 2013. Source: Official Journal of the European Union (2012-03-02) (PIDC)

Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the results of its implementation of the testing requirements issued in 2010 under the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). The testing requirements stipulate that companies producing or importing any of the following nine chemical substances as inert components in insecticides must provide test data: acetone (CAS: 67-64-1), isophorone (CAS: 78-59-1), di-sec-octyl phthalate (CAS: 117-81-7), toluene (CAS: 108-88-3), methyl ethyl ketone (CAS: 78-93-3), butyl benzyl phthalate (CAS: 85-68-7), dibutyl phthalate (CAS: 84-74-2), diethyl phthalate (CAS: 84-66-2), and dimethyl phthalate (CAS: 131-11-3).

According to the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL) announced by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, starting from April 1, 2011, manufacturers and importers within the country are required to conduct an annual notification. Failure to notify in accordance with the law may result in the inability to manufacture or import smoothly. The main provisions regarding the annual notification are as follows: Substances subject to notification According to the Chemical Substances Control Law, the types of substances that must be notified are general chemical substances or priority assessment chemical substances (PACSs). General chemical substances include the following: (1) Existing chemical substances (2) Newly announced chemical substances (3) Former Class II and Class III Monitor chemical substances before the amendment of the Chemical Substances Control Law (4) Chemical substances for which the designation for PAC has been

In late March 2012, the European Commission (EC) proposed amending the EU's 2006 Battery Directive 2006/66/EC to abolish the exemption for cadmium-containing batteries used in wireless power tools. The Battery Directive prohibits the sale of mercury-cadmium batteries and rechargeable batteries in the EU market. Portable batteries and rechargeable batteries containing more than 0.002% cadmium by weight, including those placed inside electrical appliances, are prohibited. However, the directive includes several exemptions, one of which applies to portable batteries and rechargeable batteries used in wireless power tools. The directive requires the EC to periodically review this exemption to revise the directive based on the latest technical and scientific evidence. Following extensive consultations between 2010 and 2011, the EC stated in its most recent assessment report that, considering environmental and economic costs, the exemption should be removed by 2016. The EC believes that cadmium-free alternatives, such as nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium-ion batteries, have emerged in the market, thus allowing for a more gradual withdrawal of the exemption. The impact assessment found that if the exemption were immediately revoked, the cost of wireless power tools using alternative batteries would increase by €0.80 and €2.10 respectively between 2013 and 2025, depending on whether nickel-metal hydride or lithium-ion batteries are used. The European Commission estimates that the price of wireless power tools would only increase by €0.40 to €0.00 after the exemption is removed.

Norway plans to ban the production, import, export, or sale of consumer products containing lead, pentachlorophenol (PCP), medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCLPs), or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) if the average concentration of these materials in the consumer products exceeds a certain limit. This restriction was passed this spring and will take effect on July 1, 2012. According to Norway's WTO accession notification, this regulation does not apply to food, food packaging, fertilizers, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, transport vehicles, and tires and similar accessories for transport methods.

In the summer of 2011, the European Commission issued a draft report providing information on which products would fall under the purview of the EcoDesign Directive (Directive 2009/125/EC). However, recent reports indicate that the Commission will delay making a final decision on the relevant regulations. Despite this, the authorities have not slowed down the implementation of other provisions of the EcoDesign Directive. Of particular note is that several new product categories are under review to improve their designs and make them more environmentally compliant. The first EcoDesign Directive (Directive 2005/32/EC) only regulated energy-consuming products. The current directive covers energy-related products (such as bathroom accessories like faucets and showerheads, and insulation products like windows and building materials). The current EcoDesign Directive only establishes a regulatory framework for authorities to formulate ecodesign regulations, while the European Commission is responsible for developing detailed implementation rules. The Commission will develop a work plan that includes a list of exemplary products, and these products will be given priority for implementation over the next three years. The draft report, published in August, pre-discusses the European Commission's work plan for 2012-2014. The draft report includes a list of exemplary products, listing faucets, showerheads, detergents, mobile phones, electric kettles, and home audio products. Product rankings are based on factors such as energy consumption and market size, and are determined according to the products' environmental improvement potential. Many of these products are imported from mainland China. Therefore, the final product list is closely related to Hong Kong businesses. Previously, the European Commission expected to...

On December 14, 2011, the European Parliament adopted the European Commission's legislative recommendation to ban phosphates in consumer laundry detergents and restrict the content of other phosphate-containing compounds from June 30, 2013. From January 1, 2017, similar restrictions will be placed on detergents for automatic dishwashers intended for consumer use. EU member states may implement these restrictions earlier if conditions permit, and the European Commission must review the situation by December 31, 2014. The new regulations aim to reduce phosphorus content in wastewater and improve water quality. The regulations do not affect professional detergents because there are currently no technically and economically viable alternatives in the EU. Some member states already have limits on phosphate content in detergents, but these limits vary; others rely on detergent manufacturers to regulate themselves. The new regulations can harmonize measures across the EU. The European Commission will closely monitor the industry's progress in developing phosphate alternatives for automatic dishwasher detergents to determine whether the restrictions can be implemented in time for January 1, 2017. The European Commission proposed the above bill because phosphorus-containing wastewater has led to nutrient overgrowth and algae proliferation in European waters, harming other aquatic life. Some phosphorus substitutes also contain phosphorus, and high concentrations can also cause environmental problems; therefore, the new regulations set a total phosphorus content cap. The European Commission claims that cost-effective alternatives to phosphorus in laundry detergents already exist. Therefore, the new regulations will set a new phosphorus content cap for consumer laundry detergents, limiting it to 0.5 grams of phosphorus per standard laundry detergent volume, calculated based on hard water hardness, as of June 2013.

In 2012, Denmark assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union. Carbon prices within the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) fell to a four-year low, which Denmark considered unsustainable, and vowed to take action to address the issue. Danish Climate and Energy Minister Martin Lidegaard stated in a briefing in Brussels that it was clear to everyone that a carbon emissions trading price of €6 was unsustainable, both economically and environmentally. The ETS price expiring in December 2012 fell by as much as 3.8% to €6.87, compared to €7.38 on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London. Lidegaard stated that how to solve this problem depends on the Energy Efficiency Directive and future energy and climate roadmaps. Addressing this issue now may be premature, but it is something that must be addressed sooner or later. The number of EU permits issued in December 2012 decreased by 50%, fueling market speculation that the Eurozone debt crisis might worsen this year (2011). There were concerns that excessive permit issuance could harm Europe's renewable energy efficiency measures. The European Parliament's Environment Committee will soon vote on whether to approve the European Commission's June proposal to amend energy efficiency. This includes requiring a decision on carbon allowance quotas within six months of the law's implementation. Key priorities, according to Lidegaard, include energy and climate, and energy efficiency, which will be key priorities during Denmark's six-month EU presidency next year. Other priorities include discussions on the political issues raised earlier this year.

Taiwan – 15/02/12 EU Extends Temporary Ban on Dimethyl Fumarate (DMF) No. 01/2012 In January 2012, the European Commission published Directive 2012/48/EU in the Official Journal (OJ), deciding to extend the temporary ban on dimethyl fumarate (DMF). DMF has been used as a preservative in manufacturing until Directive 98/8/EC, but this directive did not restrict the import of DMF-treated goods into the EU. DMF is often contained in small bags inside furniture or added to shoe boxes. DMF evaporates and permeates into products to prevent mold; it can also seep through clothing onto consumers' skin, causing contact dermatitis, itching, irritation, redness, and burns. In some cases, it can even cause breathing difficulties. Therefore, the EU took emergency measures, and European Commission resolution 2009/251/EC prohibited goods containing DMF from entering or being manufactured within the EU. Subsequently, Decision 2009/251/EC was extended to Decisions 2010/153/EU and 2011/135/EU, remaining in effect until March 15, 2012. This Directive will officially enter into force on March 15, 2012, and will remain in effect until March 15, 2013, or until the final revised version of REACH is released, amending the DMF to Annex X7 of the REACH Regulation to become permanent.

On November 20, 2007, the German Federal Committee on Technical Equipment and Consumer Products (AtAV) resolved that, starting April 1, 2008, all GS certification bodies must mandate the inclusion of products certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their PAH testing requirements. At the ZEK meeting in September 2011, the AtAV committee agreed to expand the current PAH list from 16 to 18 items, applying it to the testing of all products. Two new PAHs compounds have been added: Chemical Name CAS NO. Benzo[j]fluoranthen 205-82-3 Benzo[e]pyren 192-97-2 Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs) are commonly found in petrochemical products, rubber, plastics, lubricants, rust inhibitors, and incompletely combusted organic compounds. Some are also residues in products due to their application in manufacturing processes, such as in the manufacture of plastics, dyes, and pesticides. PAHs may be present in plastic and rubber materials in electronic and electrical products, black or dark-colored rigid polymer materials, surface coatings and paints, and preservatives used for brush bristles/leather/fibers and wood. Furthermore, the PAHs listed have been proven to be carcinogenic. GS MARK – PAHs List (in accordance with EU REACH Annex 17 and US EPA regulations on PAHs)