G/TBT/N/AUS/160  
30 August 2023  
(23-5815) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  AUSTRALIA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:   
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indi cated if different from above:   
Australian WTO TBT Enquiry Point  
Office of Global Trade Negotiations  
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade  
Canberra ACT 0221  
tbt.enquiry@dfat.gov.au  
+61 2 6261 1111  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], 3.2 [  ], 7.2 [  ], 
other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  The 
following chemicals, and products (finished goods) containing the following chemicals, 
when used for an industrial purpose (excluding agricultural, veterinary or therapeutic 
purposes):  
• Perfluorooctanoic acid (PF OA) and related substances  
• Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and related substances  
• Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and related substances  
• Pentachlorabenzene (PeCB).  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Proposed 
chemical management standards for four persistent organic pollutants; (20 page(s), in 
English)  
6. Description of content:  The Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard 
(IChEMS) has been developed by all Australian governments to effi ciently and effectively 
manage the risks of industrial chemicals to the environment, while providing consistent 
requirements for businesses across Australia. The IChEMS Register records standards for 
the environmental management of chemicals, including ris k management measures for 
specific industrial uses. In turn, the Australian federal government and each state and 
territory government will enact legislation to implement the standards in their 
jurisdictions.  G/TBT/N/AUS/160  
 
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  The proposed decisions will assign the followin g chemicals, and products containing the 
chemicals, to Schedule 7 of the Register. This will prohibit their import, manufacture, use 
and export in Australia, with limited exceptions for unintentional trace contamination, 
research, disposal, and for article s (products) in use prior to the date of effect of the 
decision.  
• Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), including any of its branched isomers, its salts and 
any related compound that contains a linear or branched perfluoroheptyl 
(C7H15C) group and which can degrade to linear or branched PFOA;  
• Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS ), including any of its branched isomers, its 
salts, perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride, and any substance containing a linear or 
branched perfluorooctane sulfonyl moiety and capable of degrading to PFOS 
(linear or branched);  
• Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid ( PFHxS), including its linear and branched isomers, 
their salts and any substance containing a linear or branched 
perfluorohexylsulfonyl moiety that can degrade to PFHxS;  
• Pentachlorabenzene (PeCB).  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent  problems where 
applicable:  The proposed scheduling decisions aim to:  
• Enact standards for Stockholm Convention listed persistent organic pollutants 
(POPs) that have industrial uses and which Australia has not yet ratified.  
• Facilitate ratification of the St ockholm Convention listings of the chemicals, 
allowing Australia to fulfil its obligations under the Convention.  
• Achieve better protection of the environment through improved management of 
the environmental risks posed by industrial chemicals.  
• Provide a nationally consistent, transparent, predictable and streamlined 
approach to environmental risk management of industrial chemicals for 
governments, industry and the community.  
8. Relevant documents:   
• Decision for consultation – PFOA [DOCX 2.69MB]  [PDF 781KB]  
• Decision for consultation – PFOS [DOCX 2.68MB]  [PDF 778KB]  
• Decision for consultation – PFHxS [DOCX 2.67MB]  [PDF 782KB]  
• Decision for consultation – PeCB [DOCX 2.67MB]  [PDF 846KB]  
Further supporting documents are available at: Consultation hub | Public comments on 
IChEMS proposed decisions - Climate Change (dcceew.gov.au)  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  31 December 2023  
Proposed date of entry into force:  1 July 2024 (PeCB) or 1 July 2025 (PFOS, PFOA 
and PFHxS).  
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from notification  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/ichems -s17-proposed -decisions  
Further information on IChEMS is available at: 
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/chemicals -management/national -
standard