News Brief
Recently, six Gulf countries (the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Yemen) jointly submitted a notification to the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), proposing the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) among member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council Standardization Organization (GSO), excluding Saudi Arabia.
The drafted regulation (Draft GSO 2654:2025) aims to ensure the safety of dangerous goods during production, transportation, handling, use, and disposal, fully aligning with the UN GHS Rev. 10 (2023) and referencing the EU CLP Regulation.
Background
With the continuous growth of global chemical trade, establishing a unified standard for chemical hazard classification and information transmission is crucial for protecting human health and the environment. The joint launch of this technical regulation (Draft GSO 2654:2025) by the six Gulf countries marks a significant step forward in chemical safety management in the region. The regulation mainly specifies classification standards for chemical substances and mixtures, as well as requirements for disclosing hazard information through Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and labels. It applies to all substances and mixtures supplied, used, and/or manufactured within the aforementioned GSO member states.
Scope of Application and Exemptions under Proposed GHS Regulation for GSO Member States
Draft GSO 2654:2025 applies broadly to industrial chemicals but explicitly exempts radioactive substances, non-isolated intermediates, substances used for scientific research, as well as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, detergents, and food packaged as consumer products. Notably, Saudi Arabia is temporarily exempt from this technical regulation due to conflicts with its domestic laws and regulations.
According to the draft regulation, enterprises must fulfill strict compliance obligations before placing products on the market, focusing on the following aspects.
Mandatory Requirements for Safety Data Sheets (SDS) under Draft GSO 2654:2025
Comprehensive Coverage: SDS is mandatory for all substances or mixtures that meet hazard classification criteria, as well as non-hazardous mixtures containing substances with specific concentrations of carcinogenicity (0.1%), reproductive toxicity (0.1%), or specific target organ toxicity (1.0%). Additionally, SDS is required if a mixture does not meet hazard classification standards but contains substances with workplace exposure limits established by recognized regulatory authorities or suppliers themselves, as well as articles containing Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC).
Format Specifications: SDS must include 16 standard sections, covering comprehensive content from product identification and hazard identification to transportation and regulatory information.
Language and Versions: SDS must be prepared in English; if an Arabic version is provided, the content of both versions must be fully consistent.
Dynamic Updates: SDS must be updated immediately when there are significant changes to product information. In the absence of new information, suppliers shall also review and update SDS at least every 3 years.
Labeling Compliance Requirements
Bilingual Requirement
Labeling contents must be presented in both Arabic and English.
Core Content
Contents Must clearly indicate supplier information, product identifier, hazard pictograms, signal words, hazard statements, and precautionary statements (usually no more than 6).
Special Cases
For small packages with a capacity not exceeding 125 milliliters, some label elements may be reduced or replaced with barcodes.
Classification Methods
Substances
Self-classification: Determine hazard properties by comparing available toxicological, ecotoxicological, and physicochemical data with classification criteria.
Harmonized classification: Specific hazard classifications decided by official authorities (referable to Annex VI of the EU CLP Regulation).
Mixtures
Mixtures must always be self-classified. Priority shall be given to test data of the mixture as a whole; in the absence of such data, bridging principles (e.g., dilution, batch evaluation) or concentration-based calculation methods for ingredients may be used.
Impact Analysis and Compliance Recommendations
The introduction of this unified GHS regulation draft by the six Gulf countries will have a profound impact on chemical and trade enterprises exporting to the region. Enterprises need to re-evaluate the classification of their products and fully update existing SDS and labels to avoid customs clearance delays or return risks due to non-compliant information.
Compliance Recommendations are as follows:
Verify Product Lists One by One: Enterprises shall cross-reference the exemption clauses of the regulation, sort out product lists exported to Gulf countries (excluding Saudi Arabia), and confirm whether they are subject to the new regulation.
Plan SDS and Label Updates in Advance: Understand the requirements of the 10th edition of the UN GHS and the draft regulation, review and plan to update existing English and Arabic SDS and labels, ensure the accuracy of all 16 sections, especially the standardized use of hazard pictograms and precautionary statements.
Establish and Standardize Dynamic Review Mechanisms: Set up internal SDS review processes to ensure timely updates when new hazard data is obtained, and meet the mandatory requirement of "review at least every three years."
Conclusion
The joint promotion of the unified chemical GHS regulation by the six Gulf countries is a key milestone in aligning chemical regulation in the region with international standards. The public comment period for the draft regulation ended on February 15, 2026. Although the specific date of adoption and entry into force has not yet been determined, the trend of stricter regulation is clear.
REACH24H recommends that relevant export enterprises closely monitor the final release of the regulation, initiate product hazard assessment and updates to compliance documents in advance, and ensure the smooth operation and regulatory compliance of the supply chain.
For more information and inquiries, please feel free to contact us at customer@reach24h.com.
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