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Cabinet Paper - Sustainable Biofuels Obligation: Final policy design: The Sustainable Biofuels Obligation will require importers and domestic producers of liquid transport fuels to reduce the emissions intensity of their fuel supply by a set percentage each year through the deployment of biofuels. Biofuels used to meet the Obligation will be assessed using a lifecycle emissions analysis methodology to determine their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity. The obligation will apply to all transport fuels, excluding domestic aviation fuel. An aviation-based obligation will be developed over a longer timeframe. (...) Only biofuels that are determined to be sustainable will be eligible under the Obligation. Methodologies to determine the sustainability of biofuels will be set out in supporting regulations. This could include the use of existing sustainability certifications schemes such as the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus Standard. Regulations may also place limits or restrictions on the extent to which an obligated party may meet their obligation by means of a particular type of biofuel, particularly with respect to feedstocks, to address issues of indirect land use change. (...)

Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (Inhibitor Substances) Order 2022: This is an interim Order in Council that declares 46 inhibitor substances as 'agricultural compounds' and enables these substances to be registered under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 (ACVM Act). The Order in Council also provides a definition for what an inhibitor is. In early 2022, the 46 listed inhibitor substances were identified with help from agrichemical companies as being used under this definition. The ACVM Act does not currently provide a pathway for inhibitors to be registered under the Act, because they are considered 'out of scope'. This interim measure responds to requests by agrichemical companies that inhibitors are able to be registered under the ACVM Act. (...) Proposed legislation to amend the scope of the ACVM Act to include inhibitors is expected to be introduced to Parliament in late 2022. (...)

Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill: The New Zealand Government is seeking to establish a new regulatory system to provide legal harvest assurance for the forestry and wood-processing sector. It is expected to operate in a manner that will:
· assist in the prevention of international trade in illegally harvested timber; and (...)
· reduce the risk that timber imported into New Zealand is sourced from illegally harvested timber. (...)
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is working on developing legislation that would:
· establish a definition of "legally harvested"
· require operators (log traders, primary processors and importers/exporters of timber products) in the timber products supply chain to be registered and conduct due diligence and risk mitigation; (...)
· oblige forest owners or people who have the right to harvest to provide information on the harvest to others in the supply chain;
· provide for exemptions, a compliance and enforcement regime, and other elements needed for a legal harvest assurance system.
New Part 6: Log traders
The proposed legal harvest system in new Part 5 will have operational overlaps with the registration of log traders in Part 2A of the Act (...)

An application (APP203974) for a reassessment under section 63 and 63A of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HNSO) Act: Hydrogen cyanamide is a plant-growth regulator (...) New information on the effects of hydrogen cyanamide led to reassessment grounds being established under section 62 of the HSNO Act in September 2019. The new information included the human health and environmental risk assessments undertaken by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The EFSA review, other assessments published by regulatory authorities in the United States (US) and the Europe Union (EU), and risk assessments provided by stakeholders, have been used to inform the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) current assessment of risks and benefits of hydrogen cyanamide use in New Zealand. Based on its preliminary assessment, the EPA is recommending that current approvals for hydrogen cyanamide be declined, and the substance no longer be approved. The EPA is proposing that hydrogen cyanamide be phased out over five years, with tighter controls taking immediate effect after the final decision on the reassessment.

Transforming Recycling (Part 1: Container Return Scheme): The attached consultation document outlines New Zealand's proposal to transform recycling, of which Part 1 includes the establishment of a beverage container return scheme. The container return scheme is a resource recovery scheme that encourages people to return beverage containers for recycling or refilling in exchange for a refundable deposit. The proposed regulations will set out the eligible beverage containers that can be sold on the New Zealand market under the Container Return Scheme. The Container Return Scheme is proposed to include labelling requirements for eligible containers, and a 20 cent refundable deposit (and scheme fee of 3 to 5 cents per container + GST) being applied on eligible containers when they enter the market. The scope of the scheme is proposed to cover single use beverage containers made from glass, plastic (PET, HDPE and PP only, and recyclable bio-based HDPE and PET), metal (e.g. aluminum, steel, tinplate and bimetals), and liquid paperboard. Beverage containers eligible for return would have specific conditions of acceptance, which may include a scheme label or identifying mark, a barcode, a QR code or other form of unique identification. If the scheme is to proceed, details of specific labelling requirements will be worked through during the development of the regulations in 2024. It is proposed that fresh milk would be exempt in all packaging types. (...) It is also not frequently consumed while 'out and about' and thus presents a lesser litter issue. (...)

Law of Ukraine No 2246 "On amendments to some laws of Ukraine on uninterrupted production and supply of agricultural products during martial law" of 12 May 2022.
The Law provides for:
(...) 3) possibility for Ukrainian producers of organic products, which are produced according to EU standards, to move to Ukrainian production standards without additional transitional period (if it happens within one certification body);

The proposed regulations will support product stewardship schemes for tyres and large batteries. Regulations would give manufacturers, importers, sellers, and users more responsibility for ensuring used tyres and large batteries do not end up in landfills or the environment. The scheme includes proposals to:
1. Prohibit the sale of a priority product except in accordance with an accredited scheme; and
2. Set a quality standard to ensure that best practice is followed for management of large batteries, and for tyre-derived products, to prevent adverse environmental and human health outcomes.

The notified regulation lays down provisions and technical specifications aimed at protecting the environment through the prevention and reduction of environmental impacts in the generation and management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). It applies to generators and managers of WEEE. (...)

Nicaraguan Mandatory Technical Standard (NTON)/Central American Technical Regulation (RTCA) No. 97.01.81:22: Electrical products. Household refrigerators and freezers. Energy efficiency specifications: The notified Regulation establishes the maximum energy consumption levels, test method, conformity assessment procedure and labelling for household refrigerators and freezers operated using hermetic motor-driven compressors, which are manufactured or marketed in, or imported into, the States Parties. (...)

All wastepaper and metal scrap intended to be imported into Malaysia are subject to inspection process and issuance of Certificate of Approval as per the Customs (Prohibition of Imports) (Amendment) (No.X) Order 2021. The requirements on all incoming importation of wastepaper and metal scrap into Malaysia are specified in the Guidelines for Importation and Inspection of Waste Paper and the Guidelines for Importation and Inspection of Metal Scrap. (...) Interim measure have been enforced pending the implementation of the Guidelines for Importation and Inspection of Metal Scrap.