CAS 107-21-1 · AICIS · Australia

Monoethylene glycol under AICIS

C2H6O2 · 乙二醇

Status: Listed. Monoethylene glycol is on the AICIS (Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme; replaced NICNAS on 1 July 2020 under the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019, verify against https://www.industrialchemicals.gov.au/about-us/who-we-are-and-what-we-do) Inventory of Industrial Chemicals as a Listed Industrial Chemical. Australia adopted the GHS classification matching REACH (Acute Tox. 4 oral, STOT RE 2 kidney). SUSMP scheduling applies to retail antifreeze and coolant mixtures containing more than 50% MEG by weight (Schedule 6 Poison; warning label and child-resistant closure required). Australia has retail packaging requirements similar to the EU R60 bittering-agent standard.

AICIS treats MEG as a routine listed industrial chemical and the operational compliance work is light (annual AICIS registration, WHS-compliant SDS, ChAFTA Form CO). SUSMP Schedule 6 retail-packaging rules apply at the antifreeze / coolant formulator step, not at the bulk MEG import step. ChAFTA preferential zero-duty makes the China-Australia MEG lane structurally competitive vs Saudi Arabia and Singapore alternatives. Australian end-use demand is dominated by PET resin (Visy, Pact bottle resin) and antifreeze / coolant (Penrite, Castrol, Nulon). The structural trend is increasing buyer-side preference for gas-route Chinese MEG (Shenghong, Hengli, Sinopec) over coal-route CTMEG (Yulin, Tongliao GEM) where corporate Scope 3 emissions reporting is in scope.

Listing and threshold

Substance Monoethylene glycol (CAS 107-21-1), C2H6O2
Regime Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS), administered by the Department of Health
Jurisdiction Australia
Status Listed
Tonnage threshold AICIS introducer registration required for any business introducing >100 kg/year of any industrial chemical

Classifications under this regime

  • Listed Industrial Chemical on AICIS Inventory
  • Australian GHS classification: Acute Tox. 4 oral (H302), STOT RE 2 (H373, kidney damage on prolonged exposure)
  • Signal word: WARNING. GHS pictograms: GHS07, GHS08
  • SUSMP Schedule 6 Poison for retail mixtures containing >50% MEG (antifreeze, coolant)
  • Safe Work Australia workplace exposure standard: 80 mg/m³ TWA (8-hour time-weighted average)
  • NOT classified as carcinogen, mutagen, or reproductive toxicant
  • Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG 7.7): MEG is non-DG (not classified as a dangerous good for transport)

Restrictions and conditions of use

  • No AICIS-specific use restrictions for industrial MEG
  • SUSMP Schedule 6 retail packaging: child-resistant closure and warning label required for retail antifreeze / coolant containing >50% MEG
  • Bittering agent (Denatonium benzoate) retail-packaging convention adopted from EU R60 standard for antifreeze and coolant; not legally mandatory but industry-standard convention
  • No Australian active AD/CVD case on Chinese-origin MEG currently
  • WHS Regulation 2011 hazardous-chemicals handling requirements apply at workplaces handling MEG above declared thresholds
  • ChAFTA preferential zero-duty applies to Chinese-origin MEG (HS 29053100)

Importer obligations

The Australian importer of record must be registered with AICIS (online registration is straightforward and annual). For Listed Industrial Chemicals like MEG no individual chemical assessment is required. SUSMP Schedule 6 retail-packaging compliance applies at the antifreeze / coolant formulator step (downstream of the bulk MEG sale), not at the bulk-import step. ChAFTA preferential zero-duty and SBP (Single Window) trade-facilitation make the China-Australia MEG lane competitive vs alternative supply origins (Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Korea).

Required documents

  • AICIS introducer registration certificate (annual)
  • WHS-compliant Safety Data Sheet (Safe Work Australia model code format) reflecting H302 + H373 classification
  • Customs entry (ICS / ABF) with HS code 29053100
  • ChAFTA Form CO certificate of origin for preferential treatment
  • SUSMP Schedule 6 compliance documentation (downstream formulator obligation for retail antifreeze / coolant)

Common compliance traps

The pitfalls that have bitten importers on this lane in the past. None of these is theoretical.

  • AICIS registration must be CURRENT at customs clearance; lapsed registrations trigger holds
  • SUSMP Schedule 6 retail-packaging rules apply to MIXTURES at the formulator step, not pure bulk MEG; the regulatory burden falls on the antifreeze / coolant formulator
  • STOT RE 2 (kidney) classification drives workplace handling guidance; WHS hazardous-chemicals register entry required at handling facilities
  • No Australian active AD/CVD case currently; periodic petitions are filed by domestic-or-international producers (Australia has limited domestic MEG capacity)
  • Australian end-use demand: PET resin (Visy, Pact bottle resin), polyester fibre (limited domestic), antifreeze and coolant (Penrite, Castrol, Nulon), unsaturated polyester resin for fibreglass and composites
  • ChAFTA preferential zero-duty makes Chinese-origin MEG competitive vs Saudi Arabia (SABIC, Sipchem) and Singapore (Shell, ExxonMobil) supply origins
  • Coal-route Chinese MEG (CTMEG) carries 3-4x higher embedded CO2 vs gas-route; some Australian PET-resin buyers and corporate sustainability programs preference gas-route Chinese MEG over CTMEG

Where to read next

For substance-level identifiers (formula, molecular weight, SMILES, InChIKey), GHS hazard profile, IMDG transport class, and full sourcing reference for monoethylene glycol, see the CAS 107-21-1 sourcing reference.

For grade-by-grade buying notes, freight maths, supplier-tier pricing, and a worked landed-cost example, the monoethylene glycol cornerstone hub covers the full sourcing chain.

For the structure and history of AICIS, see the AICIS glossary entry.

Need cross-jurisdiction compliance support on this substance? Run it through the REACH / TSCA / IECSC / AICIS / K-REACH checker, or send us the substance and the destination and we will quote FOB China and CIF / DDP landed including the regulatory work on the destination side.

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Cross-jurisdiction profile and sourcing references

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