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Currently, SFA subjects all GEd crops to SFA's pre-market safety assessment and approval for genetically modified (GM) food. Following a review of the regulatory framework, developers can submit information to notify SFA on GEd crops that are equivalent to conventionally bred crops, and be exempted from the GMO pre-market safety assessment.

Resource Sustainability (Amendment) Bill: The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the National Environment Agency will be introducing a beverage container return scheme (otherwise commonly known as a Deposit Refund Scheme, Container Deposit Scheme or Bottle Bill) for Singapore. Under the scheme, a small deposit will be applied to certain beverage containers when consumers buy a pre-packaged beverage. Consumers can then claim a deposit refund by returning their empty beverage container to a designated return point. The beverage producers (i.e., importers, manufacturers) will pay for and/or run the scheme for the collection and recycling of the returned empty beverage containers. To help consumers identify containers covered under the Scheme, beverage containers must be labelled with a deposit mark. Otherwise, refunds could be wrongly claimed on beverage containers where a deposit was not paid in the first place, such as those bought overseas. The deposit mark will also facilitate the return of containers at manual return point locations.

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) is proposing to regulate 26 new chemicals and chemical groups (see Section 4 above) as hazardous substances under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) and the Environmental Protection and Management (Hazardous Substances) Regulations (EPM (HS) Regs). These 26 chemicals and chemical groups have been identified as toxic chemicals and precursors under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and are currently regulated by Singapore Customs, as the National Authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention (NA(CWC)), through the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act (CWPA) and the Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Regulations. Under the CWPA, depending on the CWC Schedule that the chemicals belong to, companies are required to apply for a NA(CWC) licence from Singapore Customs if they are engaged in activities including the import, export, production, processing, consumption and local sale and distribution of these chemicals. From July 2023, NEA will also be regulating these 26 chemicals and chemical groups under the EPMA and EPM (HS) Regs. Once the regulations take effect, companies will be required to apply for a Hazardous Substances (HS) licence/permit from NEA for the import, export, manufacture, sale, transport, storage and/or use of these chemicals and of products containing these chemicals. Accordingly, companies engaged in activities involving any of these chemicals would have to comply with the requirements on the import, export, manufacture, offer for sale, transport, storage and/or use of hazardous substances, that are stipulated in the EPMA and EPM (HS) Regs. These include, inter alia, labelling and other requirements for the containers/tanks and vehicles that are used to store or transport the chemicals, as well as other specific safety and documentational requirements.

National Environment Agency (NEA) is proposing to control 5 new chemicals as Hazardous Substance (HS) under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) and EPM (Hazardous Substances) Regulations. These 5 new chemicals are identified by the Stockholm Convention and Rotterdam Convention for review. The proposed control of the 5 chemicals under the EPMA and EPM (HS) Regulations is planned to be gazetted by Apr 2022. The licensing of the chemicals will take effect in 2023. Importers, manufacturers and distributors of these chemicals and products containing these chemicals will then be required to apply for a HS licence/permit for the import, export, sale, store and use of the chemicals. (...)

6. Hazardous substances and hazardous waste: The Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) regulates the importation of (a) hazardous substances and (b) hazardous waste and other waste defined by the Basel Convention. (...) An application for an import licence is usually granted if it meets NEA's environmental pollution requirements

7. Radioactive materials and irradiating apparatus: The Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) regulates the importation of radioactive materials, ionising radiation irradiating apparatus and non-ionising radiation irradiating apparatus.

15. Plants and plant materials, products of live animals and birds, and ornamental fish: The National Parks Board (NParks) regulates the importation of plants and plant materials; products of live animals and birds; and ornamental fish.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) establishes a free trade area for trade in goods and services within the meaning of GATT 1994 Article XXIV and GATS Article V. The Agreement contains provisions on national treatment and market access for goods, rules of origin and origin procedures, textiles and apparel goods, customs administration and trade facilitation, trade remedies, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, investment, cross-border trade in services, financial services, temporary entry for business persons, telecommunications, electronic commerce, government procurement, competition policy, state-owned enterprises and designated monopolies, intellectual property, labour, environment, cooperation and capacity building, competitiveness and business facilitation, development, small and medium sized enterprises, regulatory coherence, transparency and anti-corruption, administrative and institutional provisions, and dispute settlement. The Agreement establishes a Commission to oversee its implementation.

Environmental Protection and Management (Amendment) Bill: his notification is to inform Members that Singapore/NEA proposes to enact new legislation for refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) equipment (as specified in item 4) that use high Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants, and are supplied or for sale in Singapore. The criterion and specifications (e.g. capacity and usage) of the goods to be regulated will be stipulated in the Subsidiary Legislations. (...)

Rationale: HFCs are greenhouse gases with high GWP and are commonly used as refrigerants in household, commercial and industrial RAC applications. The imposition of maximum GWP levels will facilitate industry's switch to low-GWP refrigerants and reduce reliance on high-GWP refrigerants, thereby lowering emissions of greenhouse gases; Protection of the environment

Environmental Protection and Management Act (Amendment of Second Schedule) Order 2021: NEA is proposing the following enhancements to the control of lead in paints: (...)

Lead is a cumulative toxicant that poses serious risks to the environment and human health. The exposure to lead can be from occupational and environmental sources (i.e. via inhalation of lead particles and/or ingestion of lead-contaminated dust, water and food) . According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), paint producers have increasingly eliminated the use of intentionally-added lead additives in their paints for architectural and industrial applications. Many countries like the United States, Canada, Philippines and India have adopted the 90 ppm total lead concentration limit, in line with the recommendation from UNEP. As part of NEA's efforts to further protect our environment and public health, NEA reviewed the current control of lead in paints considering the technological developments in the paint industry and control measures implemented by other countries, and is proposing to enhance the control of lead in paints.