Colombia Regulatory News

From May 31, 2022, manufacturers and importers in Colombia have three years to register chemical substances for industrial use in the new digital application.   Colombia released a registration p...

From May 31, 2022, manufacturers and importers in Colombia have three years to register chemical substances for industrial use in the new digital application.  

Colombia released a registration platform for companies to submit information on the use of chemicals in their industrial activities. The deadline is May 30, 2025.  

Decree 1630 of November 30, 2021, aims to regulate the comprehensive management, including risk management of chemical substances for industrial use that are classified as hazardous within the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) created by the United Nations.  

The Colombian Ministry of Commerce enacted Circular 018/2022 of May 31, 2022, which initiated three years to register chemical substances for industrial use as it is stated in Decree 1630. This is an obligation to register chemicals in Colombia's new National Registry of Industrial Chemical Substances. It is mandated to manufacturers and importers whose chemical substance volumes exceed 100 kg and voluntary to those below 100 kg.   

Information required:  

• annual production and import amount 

• substance identification, including CAS number 

• risk assessment and classification according to the GHS 

• identified substance uses 

Additional compliance steps include:  

• follow SDS and label standards 

• submit information to the national inventory 

• design, implement and make public risk reduction and management actions programs 

Circular 018/2022 establishes the digital application and its filing instructions to register the information requested by the National Inventory of Chemical Substances for Industrial Use, as pointed out in Decree 1630. From the date of its enactment manufacturers and importers have a three-year period to comply with the new registration duties.  

For more information please visit: https://www.mincit.gov.co/getattachment/7ad4c91f-afe6-4c7d-8366-cd2837acf081/Circular-018-del-31-de-mayo-de-2022.aspx  

Colombia has updated its registration process and requirements for the registration of “chemical pesticides for agricultural use” (PQUA) in line with changes to Andean Community (CAN) legislation....

Colombia has updated its registration process and requirements for the registration of “chemical pesticides for agricultural use” (PQUA) in line with changes to Andean Community (CAN) legislation. 

On August 1, 2022, Resolution 1580 of 2022 of the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) entered into force. The Resolution adapts the notification process to changes to recent changes to CAN law, which sets out the regulatory framework for PQUA.

PQUA were first regulated at a regional level in the Andean Community in 1998, when Decision 436 introduced common registration, control and labelling obligations for all Member States (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru). It was accompanied by Resolution 630 (from 2002), which established a detailed technical manual completing the framework. Under the system, both economic operators involved in the PQUA value chain and the pesticides themselves must undergo registration, with the objectives of protecting human health and the environment, promoting good agricultural practices, and ensuring the effectiveness of agricultural products. 

While the overall structure is maintained, recent updates in CAN law have brought in new versions of both the general framework (now established in CAN Decision 804, adopted in 2015) and the Technical Manual (currently Resolution 2075, established in 2019). 

The recent ICA Resolution 1580 of 2022, adopted in February, incorporated these changes to Colombian legislation and updated the registration process in the country. For operators and products registered under the former framework, it contains a three-month transitional period during which registrations can be transferred without fees. Given that the Resolution entered into force on August 1, 2022, the transitional period will last until November 1, 2022. Afterwards, any applications will be considered to be new registrations and be subject to the new framework. 

On July 1, 2022, the Colombian Congress had the last and most important discussion about plastics among products – and reached a consensus on an official prohibition of single-use plastics. The verd...

On July 1, 2022, the Colombian Congress had the last and most important discussion about plastics among products – and reached a consensus on an official prohibition of single-use plastics. The verdict is a combination of two bills present in Congress, Bill number 10 and 274, both introduced in 2020.

According to the new legislation, products containing single-use plastics are prohibited from being manufactured, imported, exported, marketed, and distributed within Colombia. In addition, the legislation mandates a usage reduction and progressive replacement of single-use plastics.

In summary, the legislation has expressively forbidden 13 single-use plastics which are:

• Bags and bag rolls used to pack, load, or transport packages, goods, newspapers, magazines, clothes, food, etc.
• Stretch film for bulk food packaging and foils or bubble films used as wrapping to protect objects.
• Plates, trays, knives, forks, spoons, glasses, and gloves for eating, including mixers and straws.
• Packing and containers to contain or carry food for immediate consumption.
• Sheets or tablecloths to serve, pack, wrap or separate food for immediate consumption.
• Plastic holders for cotton buds or flexible swabs with cotton tips.
• Plastics used in the construction sector to protect glass, doors, tiles, and bathroom accessories.

The legislation has different enforcement dates determined by the product category, use, and type. For example, the ban of plastic bags and cutlery will be in force from January 2025  while for plastic holders and swabs, January 2026.

It is worth mentioning that some single-use plastics are exempted from the requirements and prohibitions. This exemption is for plastics that are used in animal, processed and wet foods, medical practices, and health care activities.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Environment is expected to prepare and issue a regulation on the requirements and certification of products with non-plastic material to replace single-use plastic items within 12 months.

On May 31, 2022, the Colombian Ministry of Commerce (MINCIT) officially launched the Online Portal for Chemical Substances for Industrial Use. The Online Portal will be the main instrument for the ind...

On May 31, 2022, the Colombian Ministry of Commerce (MINCIT) officially launched the Online Portal for Chemical Substances for Industrial Use. The Online Portal will be the main instrument for the industry to submit chemical information to the authorities, as foreseen in the recently approved chemical framework (Decree 1630/2021).

Decree 1630 is Colombia's most recent and comprehensive chemical policy, enacted in November 2021. The creation of a National Chemical Inventory is among the future instruments intended to improve chemical management. The Inventory, in turn, will be populated with existing chemicals and their respective characteristics.

Manufacturers and importers dealing with chemicals identified as hazardous by the GHS in amounts over 100 kg per annum will be required to submit data to the Online Portal, referred to as the notification process. Necessary information comprises the manufacturer/importer details, substance name, CAS number, hazard classification, uses, and specific amounts. The deadline for chemical notifications is May 30, 2025.

In this first notification deadline, manufacturers/importers shall submit information related to chemicals and amounts for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024. From 2025, manufacturers/importers will be required to submit information for the previous fiscal year, i.e., chemical amounts produced or imported into Colombia. This means that manufacturers/importers must submit updates every once a year, where the notification for 2026 is related to the amount of produced or imported chemicals in 2025.

Further details about the Online Portal and the notification process are available once the business registers into the notification portal. Unfortunately, the notification portal is currently only accessible for those businesses with tax identification numbers in Colombia.

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 ...

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.

After four years of drafting the framework, Colombia finally promulgated a robust chemical management regulation. Decree 1630, published on November 30, 2021, sets the ground for implementing a na...

After four years of drafting the framework, Colombia finally promulgated a robust chemical management regulation. Decree 1630, published on November 30, 2021, sets the ground for implementing a national chemical inventory. 

Decree 1630/2021 targets hazardous substances for industrial use identified by the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labelling. The production, import, use, marketing, distribution, and transportation activities are requested to comply with the provisions.  However, substances already addressed by existing regulations, unknown/variable composition, complex reaction products/of biological materials (UVCB), impurities, articles, polymers and monomers, intermediaries, and in customs transit are exempted. 

Consequently, manufacturers or importers of chemical substances over 100 kg per annum are required to submit information to the authorities. This information include: 

• 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 

The aforementioned information will be consolidated into the national inventory of chemical substances present in Colombia. This database will be used, among other things, to identify priority substances and chemicals requiring a risk assessment.   

Overall, the new framework for industrial chemical substances is a cooperation between the Ministries of Environment, Health, Labor, and Commerce. These Ministries will work together to implement and make the national inventory operational with a 6-month deadline, additionally providing further instructions on data submission. The submission of information to the national inventory becomes mandatory within three years from the publication of such guidelines. 

See Decree 1630 (in Spanish) 

Last update: 2021-12-17

Colombia incorporated GHS guidelines in 2018 based on the Decreto 1.496/2018. The regulation provides guidance for ministries to implement the standard in each sector. In 2021, the Ministry of L...

Colombia incorporated GHS guidelines in 2018 based on the Decreto 1.496/2018. The regulation provides guidance for ministries to implement the standard in each sector. In 2021, the Ministry of Labor is the first sector to adopt GHS under Resolución 0773/2021. 

Colombia government’s attitude toward GHS implementation has been vague until now. This first adaptation can be seen as a confirmation of the country’s adaptation of GHS at the sector’s level.  

Almost a year after the public consultation, the Ministry of Labor had agreed on the following aspects of GHS implementation:

• GHS 6th version (2015) adoption
• Follow the European CLP for labeling size
• SDS and label mandatory in Spanish
• Organizations shall keep and personal chemical inventory updated
• Chemicals’ labels must have a 27/7 emergency toll-free contact

The adaptation period differs for substances and mixtures. Substances have 24 months transitional period, while mixtures count 36 months.

Other ministries are still waiting to countersign the guidelines including the Ministries of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Transport.

Colombia is one of the latest countries in South America to adopt the GHS standard. Despite its late adoption, Colombia is also advancing its national policy on chemical safety and management. In February 2021, Colombia has carried out a public consultation on the comprehensive management of industrial chemicals. Colombia’s chemical policy is expected to be forwarded by the recent adoption of chemical regulation in Chile, a close neighbor, and OECD member. 

Late Update: 2021-04-30