Australia - Home

On 14 October 2025, the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) announced a major update to its Rolling Action Plan (RAP), initiating a national evaluation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) listed on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (AIIC).

Conducted under section 74 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, the evaluation will determine whether these PFAS are currently being imported or manufactured in Australia, and if so, for what purposes and in what quantities. This initiative aims to strengthen oversight of PFAS use and identify substances that may require further regulatory scrutiny.

A full list of the 522 PFAS currently subject to evaluation can be found in the RAP here.

Information Required from Industry

To support the evaluation, the AICIS will issue notices under section 76 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 to all registrants whose registration period spans 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2025. These registrants will be legally required to provide data for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 registration years, including:

• Whether they have imported or manufactured any of the 522 listed PFAS in Australia.
• For each such substance, the CAS number and chemical name; how it was introduced (import or manufacture); the total quantity; and its intended end use.
• If certain information cannot be provided, the reason(s) must be given.

Registrants must submit the required information within 40 working days of receiving the notice, using the unique online form provided by AICIS. They are also encouraged to voluntarily report data from earlier years to assist the evaluation.

Strengthening PFAS Oversight

This initiative is part of the AICIS’s broader strategy to enhance the transparency of, and management of PFAS, a group of highly persistent chemicals that are linked to long-term environmental and health risks. The information collected will help inform future risk management and regulatory actions within Australia.

The Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) has announced that all organisations which imported or manufactured industrial chemicals for commercial purposes between 1 September 2024 and 31 August 2025 are required to submit their annual declaration by 30 November 2025.

Who needs to declare

Any “introducer” under the AICIS—meaning anyone who manufactures or imports industrial chemicals—is obligated to make an annual declaration if they carried out introductions during that period. The declaration affirms that all chemical introductions comply with the requirements under the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019.

What the declaration involves

Introducers will need to specify which of the six introduction categories applies to each chemical they manufactured or imported:

• Listed introductions – chemicals that are on the Inventory and introduced according to their terms of listing
• Exempted introductions – very low-risk chemicals or other narrowly defined categories (like polymers of low concern, research & development chemicals, etc.)
• Reported introductions – low risk chemicals where a pre-introduction report was submitted
• Assessed introductions – those covered by an assessment certificate during the year
• Commercial evaluation introductions – where a commercial evaluation authorisation was in force
• Exceptional circumstance introductions – where an authorisation under exceptional circumstances was granted by the Minister

Some exempted introduction types will also require a post-introduction declaration.

Resources and guidance

AICIS has released a new video to guide introducers through the declaration process, which can be accessed here. There is also a categorisation guide to help determine which introduction category applies.

Why this matters

Submissions of annual declarations are essential for AICIS to ensure that industrial chemical introductions remain compliant with Australia’s regulatory framework, intended to protect health, safety, and the environment. Introducers declaring under the correct categories help maintain transparency and regulatory oversight.