The Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS) is a national approach to managing chemical use, storage, handling and disposal. It delivers more consistent environmental regulation across Australian jurisdictions and makes it easier for industry to choose less harmful chemicals.
Chemicals are categorised and scheduled on the IChEMS Register based on their level of concern to the environment. This helps government, industry, and the community make informed choices about chemicals.
The Tasmanian government has signed a national agreement to adopt the IChEMS Register into the Tasmanian regulatory framework thereby ensuring a nationally consistent approach to the environmental management of industrial chemicals.
Australia's states and territories are working to adopt and implement IChEMS into their own regulatory frameworks.
In Tasmania, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania is developing state legislation to incorporate IChEMS into the state’s regulatory framework, for parliament’s consideration, with the EPA to be the regulator. In the meantime, the EPA will continue to support, monitor and enforce compliance with existing requirements for management of industrial chemicals according to risk.
Users of industrial chemicals can review the IChEMS Schedules to understand what complying with their general environmental duty (to take such steps as are practicable or reasonable to prevent or minimise environmental harm or environmental nuisance) may include.
The IChEMS minimum standards are a useful starting point for considering environmental risk management for chemicals used by any business.
Visit the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website for more information about IChEMS.
Public consultation processes are notified through their consultation hub at Public comments on IChEMS proposed standards - Climate (dcceew.gov.au).