On June 2, 2025, the European Commission officially adopted Regulation (EU) 2025/1090, imposing new restrictions on the use of N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) and 1-ethylpyrrolidin-2-one (NEP).

On April 29, 2025 , the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) unveiled a proposal to restrict the use of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) substances across the EU. The measure aims to safeguard human health and the environment from the cancer risks associated with these chemicals.

To assist enterprises, member state regulatory authorities, and the public in understanding the new rules, the European Commission released the Implementation Guide for the REACH Microplastics Restriction (Annex XVII Entry 78) in April 2025. Developed by ECHA in collaboration with member states, the guide is non-binding but provides detailed instructions for implementing the regulation.

On 1 April 2025, Regulation (EU) 2025/660 was published by the European Commission, amending Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (EU REACH). The revision specifically addresses polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in clay targets used for shooting.

On May 8, 2024, authorized by the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) expanded its REACH XV restriction proposal to include at least 12 Chromium (VI) compounds, supplementing the initial measures for Chromium trioxide and Chromic acid introduced in September 2023.

On 18 January 2024, ECHA published a screening report to assess whether the use of these four benzotriazoles in articles, including UV-328, UV 327, UV-350, and UV-320, should be restricted in accordance with REACH Article 69(2). Based on the available evidence, ECHA is considering restricting or prohibiting the use (or presence) of three out of the four substances, including UV-320, UV-350, and UV-327 in articles and preparing an Annex XV dossier for restriction. In terms of UV-328, ECHA is of the view that at present there is no need to prepare an Annex XV dossier for restriction as the substance is expected to be addressed by the EU POPs regulation.

In January 2024, the Mexican Congress proposed to amend its General Health Law to prohibit the extraction, production, import, export, sale, or distribution of asbestos and its products in the Mexican market, to safeguard public health and environmental safety. Under the NOM-010-STPS-2014, the 'Exposure Limit Value' (VLE) for any asbestos is set at 0.1 f/cm³(fibers per cubic centimeter). However, the American research believes that this VLE is insufficient to safeguard the public health. Therefore, Mexico is now moving forward with a proposal to ban asbestos products entirely, driven by heightened concerns about public health and safety.

The United States Congress has proposed to amend a bill, adding substances including PFAS, ortho-phthalates, bisphenols, styrene, and antimony trioxide as unsafe for use in food contact materials. As an increasing number of states have enacted their own regulations on food safety, the House of Representatives has proposed to introduce an Act cited as the “No Toxic in Food Packaging Act of 2023” on October 26. The Act aims to federally prohibit the use of certain compounds in Food Contact Materials(FCMs). Notably, there is an overlap with restrictions outlined in the previously introduced U.S. Plastic Act. After several rounds of intense debate, the Congress ultimately decided to designate the following substances deemed unsafe for use as food contact substances in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act which comes into effect two years after the date of enactment of this Act.

On September 27, 2023, ECHA was mandated to prepare an Annex XV report for possible restriction of chromium substances (CrVI). ECHA should submit a restriction proposal by October 4, 2024. This restriction proposal intends to improve the effectiveness and management of chromium (VI) substances in the European Union.

On October 20, 2023, China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued an announcement regarding the temporary export control measures on graphite materials. Some materials will be subject to export control, and three highly sensitive graphite materials including spherical graphite, which were previously subject to temporary control, will be included in the list of dual-use items for export control. Moreover, temporary control measures on five low-sensitivity graphite materials primarily used in industries such as steel, metallurgy, and chemicals, including carbon electrodes of a kind used for furnaces, will be removed. The control measures take effect on December 1, 2023.