On October 15, 2026, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) held an executive meeting, at which it deliberated on and approved in principle the Measures for the Environmental Management Registration of New Chemical Substances (Revised Draft) (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures") and the Catalogue for the Classified Management of Pollutant Discharge Permits for Stationary Pollution Sources (Revised Draft) (hereinafter referred to as the "Catalogue"). After approval in principle at the meeting, the two documents still need to be further revised and improved in accordance with the comments made at the meeting and signed by the Minister before being formally promulgated in the form of ministerial orders, and the registration compliance requirements for enterprises producing or importing new chemical substances and other relevant enterprises will be adjusted accordingly.
According to the meeting, the revised Measures will regulate the registration of new chemical substances, strengthen prevention and control of new pollutants at the source, and promote substituting toxic and hazardous substances and applying green chemicals. The revision of the Catalogue will deepen reform of the pollutant discharge permit system, implement classified and tiered control, advance "one permit" management of pollutant discharge, strengthen synergy with the environmental impact assessment (EIA) system, and improve regulation of stationary pollution sources.
Review of the Revision Process
As for the Measures, the current Measures for the Environmental Management Registration of New Chemical Substances (Order No. 12 of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment) has been in effect since January 1, 2021. To implement the Ecological Environment Code of the People's Republic of China, which took effect on August 15, 2026, MEE released the Measures (Revised Draft for Public Comment) on June 11, 2026 and solicited public comments until July 12, 2026, proposing overhaul adjustments to the registration subjects, registration types, scope of exemptions, polymer management and supply chain responsibilities, among others.
Subsequently, the General Office of MEE issued the Notice on Matters Concerning the Environmental Management Registration of New Chemical Substances on August 4, 2026, clarifying that record-filing for the environmental management of new chemical substances would cease to be processed from August 15, 2026 and that matters originally handled through record-filing would be transferred to the registration procedures, thereby arranging the transition for the period before the revised Measures is issued.
As for the Catalogue, the current Classification administration list of pollutant discharge permitting for fixed pollution sources (2019) has been in effect for many years; MEE had released the revised draft for public comment on December 5, 2025 and solicited public comments until January 5, 2026.
Approval in Principle Only at This Stage; Full Text of the Draft Not Yet Released
It should be noted that the official wording of this meeting was that the drafts were "deliberated on and approved in principle", which does not mean that the regulations have been formally issued. This is only the stage of approval in principle at the ministry's executive meeting; the full text of the drafts as deliberated at this meeting has not yet been released, and the only texts currently available for review are the drafts for public comment released earlier. Drafts for public comment of both documents had been released previously, and at this executive meeting the revisions were completed on the basis of those drafts by incorporating the feedback received. After approval in principle at the executive meeting, the documents still need to be further revised in accordance with the comments made at the meeting and signed by the Minister, and the draft texts will only be made public after the formal order texts are published. The documents will be formally issued in the form of ministerial orders after the internal revision and the Minister's signature are completed. CIRS will continue to track the policy developments and deliver authoritative updates to you as soon as they become available.
ChemRadar Insights
In view of the progress at this meeting, ChemRadar recommends that enterprises producing or importing new chemical substances and other relevant enterprises pay attention to the following:
- Base compliance judgments on the formally published text: The full text of the drafts as deliberated at this meeting has not been released, and it remains unknown how the formal order texts will adopt or adjust the content of the drafts for public comment. For compliance arrangements such as the choice of registration type and the determination of exemptions, enterprises should treat the formally published texts as the final basis, and avoid anticipating the final requirements directly from the drafts for public comment;
- Assess the impact of the revision in advance: With reference to the adjustment directions in the previous draft for public comment (registration subjects, registration types, scope of exemptions, etc.), enterprises may sort out the list of substances they are involved with, assess the potential impact once the revision is formally implemented, and set aside preparation time for the subsequent transition;
- Check the current record-filing status: Since August 15, 2026, record-filing for the environmental management of new chemical substances has ceased to be processed, and matters originally handled through record-filing have been transferred to the registration procedures. Enterprises concerned should check the status of their substances under the current Measures to ensure compliance continuity during the transition;
- Follow the revision of the Catalogue in parallel: Pollutant-discharging entities may follow the adjustments to industry categories after the revised Catalogue is formally issued, and verify at that time, against the industry to which their enterprise belongs, any changes in the key management, simplified management or registration management categories, completing the procedures for applying for or varying pollutant discharge permits promptly.
Related Reading
CIRS has previously published the following interpretive articles on the revision process of Order No. 12:
- “Breaking News! The Registration System for New Chemical Substances in China Undergoes a Major Overhaul” (June 12, 2026): http://www.cirs-group.com/cn/chemicals/sheng-tai-huan-jing-fa-dian-luo-di-zhi-ji-xin-hua-xue-wu-zhi-deng-ji-zhi-du-ying-lai-zhong-gou-shi-xiu-ding
- “Attention! Four Key Adjustments to Note After New Chemical Substance Record-filing Is Converted to Registration” (August 17, 2026): http://www.cirs-group.com/cn/chemicals/xin-hua-xue-wu-zhi-bei-an-zhuan-wei-deng-ji-hou-xu-guan-zhu-si-xiang-zhong-yao-tiao-zheng
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