Chemicals | Monthly bulletin | July 2026

Europe

EU Commission Accelerates the Transition Away from Animal Testing in Chemical Safety Assessments

On the 1^st of June 2026 , the European Commission has unveiled a new roadmap aimed at phasing out animal testing in chemical safety assessments, marking a significant milestone in the EU's commitment to animal welfare, scientific innovation, and safer chemical regulation. The initiative establishes a clear framework for replacing animal-based testing methods with modern, non-animal alternatives while maintaining high standards of protection for human health and the environment.

The roadmap introduces 22 actions grouped under three strategic pillars designed to gradually replace animal testing across 15 regulatory areas, including industrial chemicals, consumer products, pesticides, biocides, pharmaceuticals, and food and feed additives. The plan forms part of the EU Chemicals Action Plan adopted in July 2025 and supports the objectives of the REACH chemicals legislation.

The European Commission will begin implementing the roadmap immediately in collaboration with Member States, EU agencies, and stakeholders. Progress will be monitored using established indicators, and a high-level conference is planned for 2029 to evaluate achievements, assess the adoption of non-animal methods across EU legislation, and determine future priorities.

EU Adopts Targeted Amendments to Microplastics Restriction Under REACH

On the 2^nd of June 2026, the European Union has adopted Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/1168, introducing targeted amendments to the REACH restriction on synthetic polymer microparticles (microplastics). The new regulation modifies certain provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 to clarify exemptions and address practical implementation issues identified since the original restriction entered into force in October 2023.

Regulation (EU) 2026/1168 does not fundamentally alter the EU's ambitious microplastics restriction. Instead, it fine-tunes the legislation by clarifying exemptions for medicinal products and research activities and strengthening conditions intended to prevent environmental releases. These changes are expected to improve regulatory consistency while supporting innovation, research, and effective implementation of the REACH microplastics restrictions.

ECHA Launches EU-Wide Enforcement Project on Hazardous Substances in Products

On the 3rd of June 2026, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced a new EU-wide enforcement initiative that will focus on verifying compliance with restrictions on hazardous substances in products placed on the European market.

The forthcoming enforcement project, REF-16, will involve inspectors across the EU and EEA checking products for compliance with restrictions under regulations such as REACH. Authorities will verify that hazardous substances subject to restrictions do not exceed the legally established concentration limits as inspectors frequently found non-compliance with these requirements in the past, especially among imported products or those that were sold online.

A key objective of the project is to improve the targeting of enforcement activities so that non-compliant products can be identified more effectively. In addition to traditional market surveillance activities, inspectors will specifically examine products offered through online sales channels, reflecting the growing importance of e-commerce in the European market.

Recent publications on REACH Regulation

The following table provides a non-exhaustive summary of some recent updates regarding REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006:

Interesting resources on REACH Regulation on the ECHA’s website 

• Registry of restriction intentions until outcome - ECHA (europa.eu)
• Registry of SVHC intentions until outcome - ECHA (europa.eu)
• Substance evaluation - CoRAP - ECHA (europa.eu)
• Adopted opinions and previous consultations on applications for authorisation - ECHA (europa.eu)
• Applications for authorisation - current consultations - ECHA (europa.eu)
• Current calls for comments and evidence - ECHA (europa.eu)
• Authorisation List - ECHA (europa.eu)
• ECHA's completed activities on restriction
• Submitted restrictions under consideration
• Assessment of regulatory needs list

EU Council and Parliament Reach Agreement to Simplify Chemical Product Requirements

On the 17^th of  June 2026, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the Omnibus VI package, aimed at simplifying EU rules for chemicals, cosmetics and fertilising products while maintaining high levels of consumer and environmental protection.

A key element of the agreement is the further postponement of certain requirements under the revised CLP Regulation, extending the application date from 1 January 2028 to 1 January 2030 to align with the Cosmetics and Fertilising Products Regulations.

For CLP, the agreement introduces several simplification measures, including:

• Simplified readability requirements for business-to-business products;
• Continued minimum font size requirements for consumer products;
• New labelling derogations for small packaging;
• Greater use of digital labels for small inner containers;
• Longer transition periods for updating labels following hazard reclassification.

The extended transition periods are intended to give companies more time to implement relabelling requirements when substances are classified as more hazardous.

The provisional agreement must now be formally approved by both the Council and the European Parliament before final adoption, which is expected in 2026.

Interesting resources on the CLP Regulation on the ECHA’s website

• Registry of CLH intentions until outcome - ECHA (europa.eu)
• Harmonised classification and labelling consultations - ECHA (europa.eu)

Updates EU Rules on the Export and Import of Hazardous Chemicals

On the 9th of June 2026, the European Commission adopted a draft Delegated Regulation updating the lists of chemicals covered by Regulation (EU) No 649/2012 on the export and import of hazardous chemicals (PIC).  It will be amended as follows:

• Annex I is amended in accordance with Annex I to this draft Regulation;
• Annex V is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation. The following entries will be added:
  • UV-328
  • Dechlorane Plus
  • Methoxychlor

Following adoption and publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, the amendments are expected to apply before the end of 2026.

UK

UK REACH Candidate List Expanded with 15 New SVHC Entries

On 15 June 2026, the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), acting as the Agency under UK REACH, added 15 substances and substance groups to the UK REACH Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs).

The additions follow a six-week public consultation during which stakeholders were invited to comment on the identity and hazardous properties of the proposed substances. After reviewing the responses received, HSE confirmed the inclusion of the following substances and substance groups on the Candidate List:

• 2,2',6,6'-Tetrabromo-4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol (TBBPA)
• 2,2-Bis(bromomethyl)propane-1,3-diol (BMP); 2,2-dimethylpropan-1-ol, tribromo derivative/3-bromo-2,2-bis(bromomethyl)-1-propanol (TBNPA); and 2,3-dibromo-1-propanol (2,3-DBPA)
• 2-(4-tert-butylbenzyl)propionaldehyde and its individual stereoisomers (Lysmeral)
• 2-(dimethylamino)-2-[(4-methylphenyl)methyl]-1-[4-(morpholin-4-yl)phenyl]butan-1-one (Omnirad)
• 6,6'-Di-tert-butyl-2,2'-methylenedi-p-cresol (DBMC)
• 6-[(C10-C13)-alkyl-(branched, unsaturated)-2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl]hexanoic acid (Tetra-PSCA)
• Barium diboron tetraoxide
• Bis(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl) ether (Tetraglyme)
• Bis(α,α-dimethylbenzyl) peroxide
• Dioctyltin dilaurate (DOTL) and related dioctyltin fatty acyloxy derivatives
• Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide
• N-(Hydroxymethyl)acrylamide
• Orthoboric acid, sodium salt
• Reactive Brown 51
• Tris(2-methoxyethoxy)vinylsilane

The inclusion of these substances on the UK REACH Candidate List triggers a number of additional legal obligations for suppliers and downstream users. These include requirements to:

• Communicate information on SVHCs present in articles;
• Notify SVHCs in articles where applicable;
• Provide information on SVHCs in mixtures; and
• Communicate information on substances classified as SVHCs throughout the supply chain.

Businesses manufacturing, importing, distributing, or using these substances should review their compliance obligations and ensure that relevant supply chain communications and notifications are updated accordingly.

US

Minnesota Updates PFAS Reporting Rule

Minnesota's Amara's Law (Minn. Stat. § 116.943), enacted in May 2023, established one of the first state-level regimes requiring manufacturers to disclose intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products sold, offered for sale, or distributed within the state. The statute pairs this disclosure mandate with a phased prohibition scheme: eleven product categories have been barred from containing intentionally added PFAS since January 1, 2025, with a comprehensive ban on nonessential PFAS use across all products slated to take effect January 1, 2032.

On May 26, 2026, Governor Tim Walz signed into law Chapter 127 (S.F. 4612), an omnibus session law whose Article 14, Section 4 amends Minn. Stat. § 116.943, subdivision 2. The amendment narrows the universe of products subject to the reporting requirement by adding a manufacture-date threshold: only products manufactured on or after July 1, 2023, are now subject to reporting. The MPCA's guidance confirms that products manufactured before that date are excluded from the initial reporting obligation. This is a scope change to the disclosure requirement only — it does not alter the statute's 2025 point-of-sale prohibitions on the eleven listed product categories or the 2032 comprehensive-use restriction, both of which continue to apply regardless of manufacture date. The amendment took effect the day following final enactment (i.e., May 27, 2026).

This legislative change follows two separate MPCA extensions of the reporting deadline itself (originally January 1, 2026, then July 1, 2026); the agency's current deadline for initial reports is September 15, 2026, with a single 90-day extension available upon request (to December 14, 2026) for manufacturers unable to meet the September date.

Rhode Island Strengthens Enforcement and Adds Exemption Authority Under Its Consumer PFAS Ban Act

Rhode Island's Consumer PFAS Ban Act of 2024 (R.I. Gen. Laws Ch. 23-18.18) restricts intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) across ten categories of consumer products, including apparel, carpets and rugs, cookware, cosmetics, fabric treatments, juvenile products, menstrual products, ski wax, and textile articles, with firefighting personal protective equipment added to the covered-product list in a 2025 amendment. The core prohibition takes effect January 1, 2027, when covered products containing intentionally added PFAS may no longer be manufactured, sold, offered for sale, or distributed in the state; a narrower set of restrictions on artificial turf and severe-wet-condition outdoor apparel follows on January 1, 2029. The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) administers the law and may compel manufacturers to certify PFAS-free status or notify downstream sellers when it has reason to believe a covered product is out of compliance.

On June 19, 2026, Governor Dan McKee signed H 7734 (companion S 2799) into law, amending §§ 23-18.18-3, -4, -5, and -7 and adding a new § 23-18.18-8. The amendment took effect immediately upon passage. Substantively, it:

• Requires DEM to send compliance notices under § 23-18.18-4(c) and (d) — directing manufacturers to certify PFAS-free status or notify sellers of a noncompliant product — by certified mail.
• Adds a new exemption mechanism at § 23-18.18-4(h), under which the DEM director may exempt a product or product category, with conditions, if the product is beneficial to the environment or protective of public health or safety, no technically feasible non-PFAS alternative exists, and no comparable non-PFAS-added product is available at reasonable cost. Before granting an exemption, the director must consult neighboring states and regional organizations to promote consistency. Exemptions are renewable, with each renewal period capped at five years, contingent on continued eligibility and compliance with the original approval's conditions.
• Establishes a new § 23-18.18-8 authorizing DEM to participate in a multijurisdictional clearinghouse to share information, maintain a database of products containing intentionally added PFAS, and track exemptions or waivers granted across participating states.
• Makes conforming clarifications to the definitions section (§ 23-18.18-3) and to the firefighting-foam and enforcement provisions (§§ 23-18.18-5, -7), without altering the substantive firefighting-foam restrictions or existing civil penalty amounts.

Vietnam

Notified to WTO on multiple mandatory regulation update

On 1 June, 2026, Vietnam Chemicals Agency submitted a notification (G/TBT/N/VNM/411) to WTO on multiple mandatory National Regulation update, “Amendments to National Technical Regulations on limits of lead content in paints, mercury content in fluorescent lamps, formaldehyde and aromatic amines derived from azo dyes in textile products”, the final date for comments: 27 June 2026.

The draft amendments mainly include:

• Amendments and updates to requirements on labeling and transportation based on new Decree.
• Updating conformity declaration and assessment procedures based on amended Law on Product and Goods Quality (78/2025/QH15)

These draft amendments apply to:

1. Organizations and individuals manufacturing, importing, trading in, and using products covered by the three technical regulations;
2. Conformity assessment organizations conducting conformity assessment activities for these products;
3. State management agencies and other relevant organizations and individuals.

Details please reference to following summarizing table: