Colombia Progresses on OECD Chemical Instruments

Colombia officially joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in April 2020 despite not complying with all instruments required by the organization at the time. In this respect, Colombia has been working to develop post-accession mechanisms since then.

In a recent OECD report, the organization complemented Colombia for its progress towards the remaining instruments. Out of 75 required OECD instruments, Colombia joined the organization with 22 lacking/partially covered implementation gaps and 11 involving chemicals. Over these two years since Colombia's ascension, the country advanced 17 environmental commitments already approved by OECD.

Panning to the chemical sector, Colombia has advanced on nine out of 11 compulsory instruments. This involves the recently adopted national framework for chemicals enacted by Decree 1630 in November 2021, becoming the second country in Latin America to present solid guidelines for chemicals.

Decree 1630/2021 targets hazardous substances for industrial use identified by the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labeling. The production, import, use, marketing, distribution, and transportation activities are requested to comply with the provisions. Consequently, manufacturers or importers of chemical substances over 100 kg per annum are required to submit information to the authorities. This information includes:

• Manufacturer or importer information
• Substance amounts manufactured or imported
• Substance identification, including CAS number
• Substance hazard classification in accordance with the GHS
• Identified substance uses

Decree 1630/2021 also establishes the national inventory of chemicals substances, imposes prioritization and risk evaluation on certain substances, requires risk reduction and management programs, and improves environmental and health chemical monitoring.