Decree for the implementation of a national chemicals framework issued in Peru

On 28 May 2023 the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment (MINAM) issued Legislative Decree No. 1570. The decree establishes the legal framework for the comprehensive management of chemical substances in Peru. By issuing the Decree Peru has bypassed the parliamentary process and have thereby achieved a faster implementation of the legislation. Peru hereby becomes the third country in Latin America, after Chile and Colombia, to adopt REACH-inspired regulations. In Brazil similar legislation was recently approved in the Chamber of Deputies and is now in consideration in the Senate.

Decree No. 1570 sets the framework for Peru’s chemicals management system including the following:

• Creation of a national inventory for hazardous substances: the National Registry of Chemical Substances (RENASQ).

• Implementation of the UN’s Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for classification and labelling of chemicals

• Implementation of a process for risk evaluation of priority substances

Many details regarding elements of the framework will be included in a future regulation which is expected to be issued within a year. These include:

• A classification list for hazardous chemical substances

• The scope, implementation and operation of RENASQ including the technical conditions under which certain activities are exempted from RENASQ

• The procedure for approval of risk assessments 

• The course of action for risk management