The Harmonized System (HS) is updated for each new edition to reflect changes in the Rotterdam Convention (Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade), in accordance with its Article 13. This allows for the monitoring of legitimate trade in the listed hazardous chemicals and the verification of the compliance with relevant prior informed consent (PIC) procedures. 

But these changes wait on a new edition of the HS, the next one being the HS 2028. To identify these chemicals in tariffs before the new HS edition comes into force, updates to national or regional tariffs are required. 

To simplify global monitoring and the tracking of these hazardous chemicals as they enter countries, the Harmonized System Committee creates Recommendations for the necessary national amendments, giving the correct placement and standard wording for global consistency. 

The Council, at its 143rd/144th Sessions in June 2024, amended its Harmonized System-related Recommendation from June 2023 for Rotterdam Convention substances entitled:

Recommendation of the Customs Co-operation Council on the Insertion in National Statistical Nomenclatures of Subheadings to Facilitate the Collection and Comparison of Data under the International Movement on Certain Substances Controlled under the Rotterdam Convention (22 June 2023) (Amended 27 June 2024)

Under the terms of the amendment to the Recommendation, WCO Members and Contracting Parties to the Harmonized System Convention are recommended to insert in their statistical nomenclatures*, as soon as possible, additional subdivisions for “decabromodiphenyl ether” and “perfluorooctanoic acids and their salts”, under HS subheadings 2909.30 and 2915.90 respectively. 

Decabromodiphenyl ether is used as an additive flame retardant in a wide variety of applications. It is highly persistent, has a high potential for bioaccumulation and food-web biomagnification and has long-term toxicity to humans. Decabromodiphenyl ether is also included in Annex A (elimination) to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOA) and their salts are used in a variety of applications. They are substances of very high concern with respect to their health and environmental properties. PFOA is harmful to the reproductive system, is carcinogenic, toxic and harmful to human health through repeated exposure, and is also an irritant. PFOA does not degrade in the environment. PFOA is a bio-accumulating and toxic substance. PFOA, its salts and PFOA-related compounds are also included in Annex A (elimination) to the Stockholm Convention.

Updating national tariffs will facilitate the collection and comparison of data and the monitoring of the international movement of goods covered by the Rotterdam Convention.

* The language of the Recommendations is “national statistical nomenclatures”, which refers to the nomenclatures used to collect data on goods at the border.  For most countries, this is their combined tariff/statistical nomenclature that is used to classify the goods for import or export declaration.