Since 18 November 2011, China's MEP has Stopped Processing IECSC Applications; simplified or regular notifications compulsory now for "old" substances
In cases where IECSC applications have been submitted before 18 November, environment protection authorities at provincal level must submit all required documentation, including opinions of preliminary examination and the notifier’s application materials, to the MEP by 31 December 2011.
Prior to this notice, companies could apply for IECSC inclusion without supplying any test data if there was proof that the substance has been produced or used in China before 15 October 2003.
As of 18 November 2011, companies have had to submit simplified notifications or regular notifications for chemical substances not listed on IECSC in accordance with the 2010 Measures on Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances (China MEP Order No. 7), irrespective of whether the substance has been produced or used prior to 2003.
About IECSC Search and IECSC Supplementation
IECSC is the Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances in China, which are manufactured/processed/sold/used in China or imported from overseas for commercial purposes.
The latest IECSC list issued in 2010 includes 45,602 substances, among which 3,166 substances are marked as "confidential" and 42,436 substances are available on public. There are 37,424 substances on the IECSC with CAS numbers, whilst 8,175 substances have no CAS number and are coded with serial numbers for identification purposes. Also, 32,793 substances on the list have identified chemical structural formulae, with 12,809 substances having no structures.
IECSC Search (Enquiry): Chemicals that are not listed on IECSC are identified as new chemical substances subject to China new chemical substance notification. Therefore, confirmation of whether the substance in your product falls under IECSC is essential before your entering the Chinese market. Non-confidential substances can be queried through the CRC-MEP website by inputting the substance CAS number or full English name. For example, input 'Formaldehyde' or '50-00-1'.
IECSC 2010 Software: IECSC 2010 has two versions: web-based search tool and standalone. The standalone version allows a search with the CAS No., chemical name and the structural formula; it also displays more detailed results than the web-based search tool. However, it is not free, and is priced at RMB 8500 on the CRC website. Notifiers that have already purchased the 2008 or 2009 version can download the 2010 version for free. Non-Chinese notifiers subscribing to the software need to pay RMB 500 more for EMS postage charge. REACH24H now offer free consulting for "non-confidential" substance search and enquiry.
According to the Nov-18 MEP notice, IECSC Supplementation has been cancelled since 18 November 2011!
IECSC Supplementation: If your substance was placed on the Chinese market before 15 October 2003 and it is currently not listed on the IECSC, you can apply for the IECSC supplementation and submit the corresponding enquiry documentation to CRC-MEP so that your substance could be added to the IECSC list. However, IECSC supplementation should not be considered as a type of notification.
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