REGULATION & COMPLIANCE
The 2025 updated draft regulation outlines the system ' s planned architecture but has no binding legal effect, serving only as an indication of what is likely. According to these drafts, Peru plans to establish RENASQ and phase in registration obligations over several years using an‘ anticipated hazard classification list’ of more than 4,000 substances, with differentiated timelines depending on whether substances are on that list and companies’ classifications match it, gradually expanding until all hazardous chemicals are covered.
The indicative schedule foresees that hazardous substances on the list and aligned with anticipated classification would start reporting from 2029, those on the list but classified differently from 2030, hazardous substances not on the list from 2031 and finally, all hazardous chemicals from 2032.
The draft regulation also proposes mechanisms to manage confidential business information, including the option for foreign suppliers to appoint an exclusive representative to submit data on their behalf. However, until the implementing decree is officially issued and RENASQ is technically deployed, companies cannot proceed with registrations. Practical compliance work is currently limited to monitoring the process, preparing internal inventories and classifications, and preparing for when the system becomes fully enforceable.
Other countries
Most other Latin American countries currently regulate chemical substances through a combination of sector‐specific environmental, occupational safety, transport and product‐specific rules, supported by GHS‐based classification, labelling and SDS requirements in varying stages of adoption, rather than via a single integrated life‐cycle system covering all industrial substances.
In some countries, more comprehensive frameworks and national inventories are under discussion or in development, but implementation remains incomplete and control is still spread across multiple authorities and legal instruments, with particular focus on listed dangerous substances and import / export controls. This pattern is broadly mirrored in Central America and the Caribbean, where institutional capacity and legal frameworks are often less developed.
This fragmented model increases the risk of uneven oversight between sectors, regulatory gaps for certain chemicals or uses and limited visibility of which substances are being produced, imported and used, in what volumes and combinations. This, in turn, can delay the identification and management of emerging risks and make coordinated risk‐reduction measures across a substance ' s life cycle more difficult to design and enforce.
Current & future challenges
Companies can benefit from building a structured, forward‐looking compliance approach instead of reacting market by market. It is often helpful to maintain a central substance inventory( identity, CAS, uses, volumes, GHS classification, SDS), so that when Latin American rules change, it is easier to identify which may be affected.
They may also follow official gazettes, authority websites and specialised newsletters or webinars. Many companies choose to rely on external regulatory monitoring or consulting services to filter what is truly relevant for their portfolios.
Before entering a new country, it is usually wise to conduct a high‐level regulatory scan for it( import vs. manufacture, hazardous
classifications, whether the product falls under industrial, agrochemical, or consumer rules) and check language and format requirements for labels and SDS under the local GHS implementation. Engaging consultants with local or regional expertise can be very useful here, for example, to interpret grey areas, confirm local practice with authorities or act as a local contact point.
Internally, companies might consider setting up simple Latin American compliance procedures, assigning a regional regulatory contact and pre‐gathering basic information that could be needed later( uses, exposure conditions, initial risk information), so they are ready if inventories or notification systems go live. External regulatory affairs consultancies can support by building this preparedness plan, mapping likely future obligations, and helping to prioritise substances and markets according to business risk. ●
J j
Cristina Garcia
REGULATORY AFFAIRS MANAGER
KNOELL IBERIA, S. L. cgarcia @ knoell. com https:// www. knoell. com / en
40 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981