If your substance is a single component chemical you may wish to look at step 7 before proceeding further (unless your substance is a pharmaceutical, pesticide or veterinary medicine active ingredient).

If your substance is a formulated product you may proceed through the other steps.

If your substance is a formulated product, your next step is to check whether there is a category of group standard under which it may possibly fit. To do this, you must check that the intended ‘use’ of the product fits with that allowed under the group standard. The names of the group standards give some indication but there is more information within the scope of the group standards. Note that if you intend to use the product for biocidal purposes (killing something) then it will not fit under a group standard. Not all group standards specify a use, some specify a property of the product, such as class 4 substances.

Broadly speaking, most hazardous substances will fit in a group standard, unless any of the following apply:

• If you intend to use the product for biocidal purposes (killing something). These include pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides etc), vertebrate toxic agents, fumigants, antifouling paints and timber treatments.
• If the substance is a fuel. These include petrol and LPG.
• If the substance is high hazard it will not fit in a group standard.
• If the substance has an individual approval, these are commonly single chemicals.

If your substance falls within one of these categories, you may need to check whether there is an individual approval that is a better fit.

You can chose to self-classify your product, or ask for help to do this from either a consultant or someone at the EPA. To classify your product, you will require information on the hazards. It could be either from hazard data (such as toxicity data) on the product or the components, or information from the SDS or either the product or the components of the product. If you find that the product does not trigger any hazard classifications, it does not need to be regulated under the HSNO Act and you can stop.

Caution: The classification of a product is a very technical process, and you should ensure you fully understand what is involved before you decide to self-classify. We have resources that can step you through this (found in the related content links), but if you are at all uncertain, we strongly advise that you seek independent technical advice, or contact us.

 Our database, the CCID, may provide useful information. Learn more about it here.

For your product to be assigned a group standard approval, it must meet the scope of the group standard. You will need to know the intended use of the product (step 3) and the hazards of the product (step 4).

The hazard classification of the product must fit with the classifications set out in the scope of the group standard. Certain hazard classifications of a group standard will be mandatory (that is, for a product to be assigned to the group standard, it must have those hazards), whereas other hazard classifications will be optional.

If there is no appropriate group standard available for your product or the hazard classification, you may be able to assign your product to an existing individual approval. If no existing approval for your product exists, you will need to make an application to the EPA.

Some group standards place restrictions on products containing components that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive (CMR) toxicants.

If your product has any one or more of the following hazard classifications, you must check that every component that gives rise to those classifications is listed on the New Zealand Inventory of Chemicals (NZIoC):

• 6.6A, 6.6B (mutagenic component is present in the product)
• 6.7A, 6.7B (carcinogenic component is present in the product)
• 6.8A, 6.8B, 6.8C (a reproductive or developmental toxicant is present in the product).

If the component is not listed on the NZIoC, then, generally, the product cannot be assigned to the group standard. An exception to this is when an existing product approved under the group standard is being reformulated, and a CMR component is being replaced with another CMR of a lower hazard classification. In this situation, contact us for further advice.

Any product that is imported into, or manufactured in, New Zealand for the first time must be checked to see whether it contains a chemical that is not listed on the NZIoC. A chemical not listed on the inventory is considered to be a chemical that is ‘new’ to New Zealand. Looking up using the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) number is advisable.

Single chemical

No single component chemical can be assigned to a group standard approval unless that chemical is on the NZIoC. If your substance is a single component chemical, you must check to see that it is listed for use as a chemical in its own right on the NZIoC. If your chemical is listed on the NZIoC for use as a chemical in its own right you can use a group standard approval. If your chemical is not on the NZIoC, or is listed but for use as a component in a substance approved under a group standard only, you must contact us for further advice.

Mixture

If the product does not contain a ‘new’ chemical, then it can be assigned to the group standard. A record of that assignment must be kept.

If your product contains a ‘new’ chemical, then, you must notify us before you can assign it to the group standard, using the notification form.

Application for Notification of New Chemical Components approved under Group Standards (docx 579KB)

Once we've been notified, the product can be assigned to the group standard and it becomes a HSNO approved substance under that group standard. You do not need to wait for the EPA to respond to you

Most, but not all, group standards contain this notification requirement for new chemicals. See the group standard to find out if it contains the notification condition.

More information on the NZIoC

Search the NZIoC