Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 of the European Parliament and of the Council has been published in the EU Official Journal. The new Regulation amends Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (commonly known as “CLP”). The EU’s lawmakers deemed it necessary to amend the CLP (which dates from 2008), in order to keep pace with globalisation, technological developments and new means of sales, such as online sales.

Regulation (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council entered into force on12 February 2025. The new Regulation updates packaging rules at EU level and seeks to promote the circular economy while reducing packaging waste. Hong Kong sellers of all types of goods using packaging should be aware that the measures cover the full lifecycle of packaging. Many of the regulation’s provisions will apply from August 2026.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on imported polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from China and Indonesia. Announced in a preliminary determination issued on 7 January 2025, the duties range from 6.33% to 37.44%. Effective immediately, they will remain in force for up to 120 days pending the MITI’s final determination, to be announced on 6 May 2025. The measure comes after local producer, Recron (M) Sdn Bhd, petitioned claiming that PET imports from China and Indonesia were being sold at prices lower than their domestic market value, causing material injury to Malaysia's domestic industry.

Hong Kong manufacturers produce a wide range of packaging materials, including paper containers, polyethylene (PE) packages and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) packages, with mainland China being Hong Kong's largest market.

The European Union (EU) has issued new rules for packaging and packaging waste as part of its transition to a circular economy. The new law will enter into force on February 11, 2025.

Thailand updates standard ensuring safety and quality in cosmetics by specifying the container’s physical characteristics and supporting documents.

Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 introducing a ban on the use of Bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact materials has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This ban follows an assessment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which found that BPA has potentially harmful effects on the immune system. While the Regulation entered into force on 20 January 2025, the BPA ban has an 18 month phase out period for most of the products covered by the prohibition.

Regulation (EU) 2024/3234 of the European Parliament and of the Council has been published in the Official Journal of the EU, delaying by one year the application of the EU’s Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (the EUDR). Hong Kong traders may recall that pursuant to urgent pleas made by some of the EU’s trading partners, most notably the U.S., as well as some Member States, that industry was simply not ready to comply with the EUDR, the EU institutions agreed to delay its onset by one year.

It was reported on 17 December 2024 that the Danish Environmental Protection Agency has issued warning letters to approximately 1,000 Chinese companies citing probable non-compliance with producer responsibility obligations. These warnings mark the initial step in an enforcement process that could culminate in injunctions, fines or other legal action.

On 18 November, the General Administration of Customs announced that it will carry out random inspections of some import and export commodities not listed in the catalogue of commodities subject to statutory inspection. The objective is to protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and safeguard health and safety. Import commodities that will be subject to inspections include stationery for students, baby products and electronic products. Export commodities include children’s toys.