The Government has approved the Technical Regulation on Hazard Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemical Products. With this document, Ukraine implements the provisions of the relevant European CLP Regulation, which introduces the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) established by the UN.

Thus, the Technical Regulation introduces in Ukraine:

• European rules and criteria for classifying chemicals and products into 33 hazard classes,
• requirements for labelling and packaging of chemical products.

At the same time, the responsibility of market participants is being increased. Before placing chemical products on the market, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and other operators must collect all available information on their hazardous properties, assess the validity of such information and classify the hazard of the chemical substance across all classes, differentiations and categories defined by the Technical Regulation.

In addition, business entities will have to ensure that:

• the chemical products they manufacture, import or make available on the Ukrainian market have been classified in accordance with the criteria of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS);
• such chemical products are properly packaged and have appropriate hazard labelling.

This will help protect the environment from pollution and reduce diseases associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals. At the same time, businesses will receive clear rules for working in accordance with international standards and, accordingly, access to foreign markets, and citizens will have free access to information on the hazard level of substances and chemical products.

As a reminder, in December 2022, Ukraine adopted the Law on chemical safety and management of chemical products, which will come into force on 29 June 2024. This is a European integration framework document that will allow Ukraine to fulfil part of its European integration commitments and protect Ukrainians and the environment.

According to Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, the Law is the basis for building a national chemicals management system based on the European model. It creates the basis for further steps in this area – the implementation of EU technical regulations such as CLP and REACH. As for the implementation of the latter, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources has already developed the Technical Regulation on the Safety of Chemical Products, which will be submitted to the Government in the near future. The document provides for mandatory registration of all chemicals.