To control and reduce the environmental pollution caused by waste electrical and electronic products, to promote cleaner production and comprehensive resource utilization in the industry, to encourage green consumption and to protect the environment and human health, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and seven other departments issued the Measures for the Administration of the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products, which sets detailed and strict rules on the types of toxic and hazardous substances that may be used in such products.

Electrical and electronic products sold in China must comply with the relevant standard, GB/T 26572-2011. To meet the industrial need to control new types of restricted hazardous substances and to keep Chinese RoHS requirements aligned with international practice, four phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP and DIBP) are added in the form of an amendment.

On 19 May 2023, the Subcommittee on Hazardous Substance Test Methods of the National Technical Committee on Environmental Standardization of Electrical and Electronic Products and Systems (SAC/TC297/SC3) organized in Beijing a technical review meeting on Amendment No.1 (draft for approval) to the national standard GB/T 26572-2011, Limit Requirements for Restricted Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products. The review experts unanimously agreed to approve the amendment, which means it will be formally issued and implemented very soon.
The main changes made by the amendment are:
(1) The scope has been revised.
(2) The referenced test methods have been updated, from GB/T 26125-2011, Determination of Six Restricted Substances (Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, Hexavalent Chromium, Polybrominated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers) in Electrical and Electronic Products (IEC 62321:2008, IDT) to GB/T 39560 (all parts), Determination of Certain Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products (IEC 62321, IDT).
(3) Limit requirements for four phthalates have been added.

The amendment is part of the overall plan of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for deepening the control of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products. It provides standards support for including the four phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP and DIBP) in the list of hazardous substances under the Measures for the Administration of the Restriction of the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products, keeps Chinese testing and control work in line with the rest of the world, and supports the go-global strategy of the Chinese electronics manufacturing industry.