During the production of grease, excessive amounts of chlorinated paraffins were added in violation of regulations; market supervision authorities carried out special enforcement actions

Thread Content

Recently, the **State Administration for Market Regulation issued the \"Notice on Carrying Out Law Enforcement Actions Regarding Industrial Products Such as Greases and Chlorinated Paraffins\" (hereinafter referred to as the \"Notice\"). The regulatory and inspection agencies of the market supervision bureaus (commissions) in 12 provinces, municipalities, and regions including Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Henan are required to take strict action to crack down on the chaos in the lubricant and chlorinated paraffin industries. 　　The Notice states that the General Administration has recently received important leads indicating that a small number of unscrupulous businesses are adding excessive amounts of chlorinated paraffins during the production of lubricants, thereby disrupting industry order and posing threats to the ecological environment and human health. 　　The Notice states that as of January 1, 2024, China will officially implement Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which completely prohibits the production, sale, use, and import of short-chain chlorinated paraffins; however, some manufacturers of chlorinated paraffins continue to produce them illegally for profit. Due to the low cost of chlorinated paraffins, a few grease manufacturers illegally add them in order to reduce costs, thereby using this price advantage to gain market share. All regions should focus on manufacturers of grease and chlorinated paraffins, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, and enforce the law to crack down on illegal activities such as the production of short-chain chlorinated paraffins, the illegal addition of such substances to grease, exceeding allowed limits in their use, counterfeiting other brands or factory names, passing off inferior products as high-quality ones, and using substandard products to disguise them as qualified ones. 　　The Notice requires that local authorities organize the market supervision departments in their jurisdictions to conduct inspections of grease and chlorinated paraffin manufacturing enterprises within their areas, to fully understand the production and sales activities of these enterprises, and to take strict legal action against any illegal or irregular activities identified. Strengthen coordinated law enforcement within the system; promptly share and transfer information regarding illegal activities that occur across different regions, and organize joint law enforcement efforts across regions when necessary, in order to address such illegal activities throughout the entire chain. Strengthen communication and coordination with relevant departments such as those responsible for environmental protection, provide support in terms of policies, systems, standards, and technologies, and carry out law enforcement efforts in a collaborative manner. Strengthen coordination in the enforcement of penalties; for cases suspected of constituting crimes, they shall be transferred to the public security authorities in accordance with the law for criminal prosecution. The Notice also calls for increased publicity efforts, with typical cases being made public to serve as a strong deterrent. 　　Relevant officials from companies that produce medium-chain chlorinated paraffins believe that once this measure is truly implemented, it will help to curb the disruptive activities of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in the market, ensure strict compliance with the regulations regarding short-chain chlorinated paraffins, fulfill the important obligations under the Stockholm Convention, and protect both the ecological environment and public health. It will also contribute to the survival and development of domestic companies that produce environmentally friendly medium-chain chlorinated paraffins.