New Material Industry Policy Early Warning Report | June 10, 2026

1. Monitoring Scope

This monitoring covers 2 core policy sources: EU REACH regulatory system, China mandatory GB standards for new material sector.

2. Major Policy Changes and Risk Levels

1. Revision of EU REACH Regulation Annex XVII (Microplastic Restriction Clause)

Issuance Date: June 2, 2026

Effective Status: Officially entered into force

Core Content: Revised Entry 78 of Annex XVII of REACH regulation on restriction of synthetic polymer microparticles (microplastics), clearly exempting human medicinal products, veterinary medicinal products (including medicinal products for clinical trials and preparatory preclinical safety testing), correcting the previous omission that failed to fully reflect the original intention of exemption.

Risk Level: ⚠️ Medium Risk

Affected Entities: All enterprises producing and exporting new material products containing synthetic polymer microparticles (such as cosmetic raw materials, industrial additives, medical polymer materials).

2. EU REACH Regulation Plans to Add Restriction on Partially Hydrogenated Terphenyl (PHT)

Notification Date: May 8, 2026

Effective Status: Draft stage, public consultation deadline July 7, 2026, planned to be formally adopted in Q4 2026, effective 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Core Content: Plans to add a restriction clause for partially hydrogenated terphenyl (PHT) in Annex XVII of REACH, limit values and control scope to be specified in the draft.

Risk Level: ⚠️ Low Risk

Affected Entities: New material enterprises producing or using partially hydrogenated terphenyl as raw materials or additives (such as special plastics, rubber additives, coating production enterprises).

3. Three China Mandatory GB Standards for New Materials Officially Implemented

Implementation Date: June 1, 2026

Effective Status: Mandatory implementation

Core Content and Affected Entities:

• GB 30981.1-2025 *Limit of Hazardous Substances in Coatings Part 1: Architectural Coatings*: Mandatorily restricts VOC, formaldehyde, heavy metals and other hazardous substances in architectural coatings, all architectural coating new material production enterprises must comply.
• GB 30981.2-2025 *Limit of Hazardous Substances in Coatings Part 2: Industrial Coatings*: Mandatorily restricts hazardous substances in industrial coatings (such as anti-corrosion coatings, automotive coatings, wood coatings), relevant industrial coating production enterprises must comply.
• GB 18580-2025 *Limit of Formaldehyde Emission in Wood-based Panels and Finished Products for Interior Decoration and Refurbishment*: Upgrades the original recommended E0 grade (formaldehyde emission ≤0.050mg/m³) to mandatory requirement, applicable to all wood-based finished products (finished wood-based panels, wood flooring, customized cabinets, etc.), wood-based panel substrates still need to comply with E1 grade (≤0.124mg/m³) requirement.

Risk Level: 🚨 High Risk

3. Action Recommendations

1. For revised EU REACH microplastic restriction: Enterprises producing new materials containing synthetic polymer microparticles shall immediately verify whether their products fall under the medicinal product exemption scope, products not eligible for exemption need to adjust formulas or stop exporting to the EU to avoid violations.
2. For draft EU PHT restriction: Enterprises involved in PHT production and use shall submit public comments via WTO channel before July 7, 2026, and preliminarily evaluate alternative raw material solutions in advance to reduce future compliance risks.
3. For three China mandatory GB standards: Relevant coating and wood-based new material production enterprises shall immediately carry out product testing to ensure compliance with new standards, products still non-compliant after June 1, 2026 shall not be produced or sold in China, exported products also need to comply with corresponding target market standards.
4. General Recommendation: Establish a policy change tracking mechanism, review EU REACH and China GB standard updates monthly, and adjust compliance strategies 3-6 months in advance.

Data Source: Official Journal of the European Union, Standardization Administration of the PRC, Tencent News compliance information