Hangzhou,China: Government officials and professional experts shared the regulatory updates and exchanged opinions on chemicals management at the Summit Forum for the Environmental Safety and Health Development.

The Conference Center at Hangzhou Haichuang Science Town

Are environmental safety, sustainable development and economic development paradoxical? On Mar 24^th 2017, the Environmental Safety and Sustainable Development Summit Forum was held by REACH24H Consulting Group in Hangzhou. This forum approached the topic of “environmental safety” and “sustainable development” from four perspectives: first, it introduced and interpreted the government regulatory measures for the audience; second, the roundtable discussion session provided an opportunity for the attendees from government authorities, the industry and the academic community to communicate and exchange their views on the environmental protection and chemicals management in China; third, our own Rick Chen from the Internet Affairs Department presented RSCC Supply Chain Management System for CNPC, this innovative platform is considered a reference for other industry.

This forum began with the host, the General Manager of REACH24H – Nathan Chen introducing the first guest speaker, Jim Wei, for opening remarks. As a member of the board and the founder of a NGO called Daddy’s Lab, Jim has made remarkable contribution to promoting a safe and toxic-free environment.

Jim Wei, the founder of Daddy’s Lab

Before this forum, REACH24H collected questions from the attendees and presented these questions regarding the legislative agenda to the speakers who represented the government authority. During the roundtable discussion session, representatives of different areas distributed their opinions to the discussion of development vs. environment. During the forum, our experts from the government and research institutes interpreted state-polices related to environmental protection and chemical regulation in China’s 13^th 5-year development plan (2016-2020).

Our Distinguished Guest Speakers

AN INTERPRETATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES

Dr. Jiwen Chang, the vice director of the Development Research Center (DRC) under the State Council , commented and criticized about the lack of ambition of the environmental protection law on the forum. “The Law of Environmental Protection Tax” was passed by the National People’s Congress in the end of 2016 and will take effect on Jan 1^st 2018. The Law didn’t include the tax on the emission of greenhouse gases, the trade of carbon emission quota, the natural resources protection or ecological protection into its scope.

Dr. Chang introduced that the current version of the Environmental Protection Law is just the pollutants emission fee regulation with another name. Although it can be argued that the reason for the narrow scope of the Law was that the legislator had to compromise for the economic development and couldn’t impose too much burden on the industry, Dr. Chang insisted that the Law should cover more areas than just pollutants emission, because it would be a waste of the Law’s strong enforcement power not to do so. Dr. Chang expected the Law to function as a comprehensive and systematic guideline in all aspects of environmental protection instead of a specific and practical instruction only in the aspect of charging on pollutants emission.

Dr. Chang also talked about the three main tasks related to chemicals management in China’s 13^th 5-year development plan (2016-2020). First, the existing chemical substances will be evaluated for their risk levels and environmental exposure. A priority control list of chemicals will be issued no later than the end of 2017. Second, the chemicals controlled by the Stockholm Convention such as lindane and endosulfan will be phased out by 2020. Third, the pollution caused by the environmental hormone chemicals will be controlled strictly. The investigation and evaluation of the usage of environmental hormone chemicals across the whole country will be finished by the end of 2017.

Dr. Jiwen Chang, the vice director of the Development Research Center (DRC)

Mr. Jun Lin is the director of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Solid Waste and Chemical Management Technology Center. In Mr. Lin’s keynote speech, he discussed three topics: the environmental impacts and risk of chemicals, the environmental management of chemicals, and the reflections on environmental managements of chemicals. Mr. Lin shared his opinion on the challenge and opportunities of the chemical industry – although the chemical industry consumes a large amount of energy and emits a large amount of pollution, it is an industry where technological innovations are happening. Therefore, comprehensive chemical managements contribute sustainable and healthy developments of the chemical industry in China.

Mr. Jun Lin , the director of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Solid Waste and Chemical Management Technology Center.

As the Secretary-General and Vice Chairman of the China Chemical Safety Association, Mr. Nianming Lu interpreted the “Comprehensive Safety Management Plan for Dangerous Chemicals” issued by the State Council on November 29, 2916 and he explained regulatory institutions’ working strategies per the management of dangerous chemicals for the audience.

Mr. Nianming Lu , the Secretary-General and Vice Chairman of the China Chemical Safety Association

Mr. Chunxiao Ren from the road transport research institute of the Ministry of Transport (MOT) shared at the forum the future trends of the management on road transport of dangerous goods. MOT has been trimming and researching on the current regulations and national standards of road transport of dangerous goods from Sep 2015. 18 regulations and 124 standards were involved, including the Decree 591, the Law of Production Safety, the Law of Road Transport Safety and its implementation rules, etc. Some prominent problems were discovered in the management of consignments, the safety measures on tank trucks, the transport of small package goods, etc. To address the problems, MOT referred to the United Nation’s Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG) and the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) and drew up the Management Measures of Road Transport Safety of Dangerous Goods. The Measures specified the scope of dangerous goods and the requirements of classification. Transport system of limited quantities and excepted quantities dangerous goods will be implemented. The Measures are now being consulted with different ministries and departments and are expected to go into force by mid-2017.

Mr. Chunxiao Ren , the researcher from the road transport research institute of the Ministry of Transport (MOT)

THE SAFETY OF INGREDIENTS AND THE HEALTH OF CONSUMER: FROM MACRO TO MICRO

How to make “Made in China” more trustworthy is a challenging task for many people. Mr. Jian Wang from Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Ms. Yan Chen from the National Center for Quality Supervision and Inspection of Fine Chemicals and Mr. Hao Zhen from the Development-Planning Department at the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau related state policies on food and fine chemicals to people’s daily living. To make Chinese companies more competitive in the global market, Ms. Chen introduced an alternative: elevating the standards for manufacturers. Mr. Zhen also encouraged companies to be more involved in activities related to trade alerts and regulatory reviews.

Mr. Jian Wang from Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau

Ms. Yan Chen from the National Center for Quality Supervision and Inspection of Fine Chemicals

Mr. Hao Zhen from the Development-Planning Department at the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau

INFORMATIONALIZED TOOLS FOR REGULATORY PURPOSES

With the coming of digital age, informationalized tools are applied into regulate various industries. As to the waterway transport of dangerous goods, Ms. Luo Wei from Dalian Dangerous Goods Transport Research Center introduced an online database of information on dangerous goods. The database included the most common maritime dangerous goods that are listed in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code, the Inventory of Hazardous Substances, the Catalog of Dangerous Goods (GB 12268), etc. The detailed information of the dangerous goods can be searched and shown, including the toxicology information, the environmental hazards, the emergency treatment measures and so on. To ensure the accuracy of the information, the database adopted data from reliable resources such as the Chemical Controls Watch, the Chemical Hazard Information Library, the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS). The database will be maintained and updated dynamically and provide convenient service for the industry to clearly understand their safety compliance duties related to the waterway transport of dangerous goods.

Director Ms. Luo Wei from the Dalian Dangerous Goods Transport Research Centerof Liaoning Maritime Bureau

Mr. Yu Wang is the Deputy Secretary General of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export Textile and Apparel. REACH24H and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export Textile and Apparel jointly created the ZFR Textile Regulation/RSL Data Searching System, which enhances users’ understanding of regulations and requirements in the industry, thereby companies in the textile industry more competitive.

Mr. Yu Wang, the Deputy Secretary General of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export Textile and Apparel

As the General Manager of Internet Affair Department at REACH24H Consulting Group. Mr. Yimeng Chen is the chief developer of these platforms and database systems created by REACH24H. As the last speaker at the forum, he shared his experience working with different government supervising institutions to modernize and digitalize the management of different industries.

Mr. Yimeng Chen, the General Manager of Internet Affair Department at REACH24H Consulting Group.

This forum provided attendees with “loaded information” – interpretations of the most up-to-date regulatory and policy. It was a venue created by REACH24H to channel the voice from the industry to the government, as well as a great platform for government authorities to hear the voice and concerns from the market. In the future, REACH24H Consulting Group will continue our mission to provide our clients with the most updated interpretation of government policies, promote more opportunities and platforms for communications between the government and the industry, and help our clients REACH a successful future in Chinese markets and global markets.