JCII and JHOSPA, Japan’s polymers additives and PL

JHOSPA (Japan Hygienic Olefin and Styrene Plastics Association) will shutdown on March 31, 2021. The Food Contact Materials Safety Center within JCII will assume JHOSPA’s polymer and additive certification business from April 1, 2021. This is important news in Japan’s food packaging industry and follows the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s introduction of the national positive list in June 2020.

A few days ago, JHOSPA and JCII held a conference call to formally announce the future of polymer and additive certification in Japan. The following is a summary of the call:

1. Subsequent to the amendment of the Food Sanitation Act (specifically the introduction of the national positive list), the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced a 5-year transition period during which voluntary certification of polymers and additives for food packaging use will still be needed.
2. To simplify administration during the transition period, the three hygiene councils (one of which is JHOSPA) related to the food-packaging industry, established the Food Contact Materials Safety Center within JCII in June 2020.
3. Further to the creation of the Food Contact Materials Safety Center within JCII, JHOSPA will dissolve on March 31, 2021.
4. JCII will assume all polymer and additive certification duties from JHOSPA as of April 1, 2021.
5. JHOSPA is now offering a relatively simple certificate reissuing process to all members with existing certified polymers and additives.
6. A reissued certificate confirms the certified product complies not only with JHOSPA’s certification process but also with the national PL.
7. A reissued certificate will be valid throughout the 5-year transition period.
8. A certificate that is not reissued before March 31, 2021 will lapse, in which case the full certification process (including sample testing) must be completed before a new certificate is issued.
9. JCII is now accepting membership applications, but JHOSPA members who are current can request to be seamlessly migrated to JCII membership.
10. Provided membership dues are current as of March 31, 2021, there should be no change of membership renewal fee until 2022.
11. It is advisable to update matters such as any change of company name, authorized representative (CEO) name, etc. before the transition, as JCII is likely to impose stricter membership approval procedures.
12. JCII will simplify membership categories, so polymer manufacturers and additive manufacturers will each be categorized as “Regular Member”.
13. JCII will implement a revised, substantially more expensive, initial membership and annual renewal fee structure based on the applicant company’s prior year’s turnover, meaning larger companies will pay higher fees than smaller companies.
14. Foreign companies will be welcomed as JCII members, but as with JHOSPA, must have a representative (“window company”) in Japan to manage communication with JCII.

Venture Japan has offered JHOSPA representative services to non-resident polymer and additive manufacturers for several years. We are now offering JCII representative (aka window company) services and will support both existing and new polymer and additive clients in Japan throughout the 5-year transition period.