Japan published a ministerial ordinance on April 17 that specifies chemical substances regulated as Perfluoro(hexane-1-sulfonic acid) (PFHxS)-related substances under the Chemical Substances Control Law. The ordinance, issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of the Environment, will take effect on June 17.
The move is part of Japan’s efforts to align its chemical control regulations with international standards following the addition of PFHxS and related substances to elimination lists at the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in June 2022. The newly published ordinance identifies 117 individual chemicals, salts, derivatives, reaction products, and certain polymers as subject to regulation.
According to Yuko Howell of UL Solutions’ Supply Chain Team, “The ordinance was issued jointly by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), pursuant to Article 1, Paragraph 1, Item 37 of the CSCL Enforcement Order. It establishes the specific chemical substances that fall within the scope of PFHxS related substances defined at the cabinet order level.” Howell also said that these regulations are intended not only for PFHxS itself but also for compounds that could transform into PFHxS through natural processes.
Under Article 2 of CSCL rules for Class I Specified Chemical Substances—those considered persistent or toxic—the manufacture, importation or use of these listed PFHxS-related chemicals will be prohibited in principle from June 17 onward. Products containing any listed substance will face additional restrictions including import bans for specified articles.
Companies operating in Japan or supplying products there may need to review their supply chains since some alternatives previously used in place of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid may now fall within this new regulatory scope. Howell said businesses should update formulation reviews and inventories ahead of enforcement: “Supply chain communication, formulation reviews, and substance inventories should be updated ahead of the June 17 effective date to ensure compliance.”
