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Specific information requirement (SIR) form guidance: chemical assessed as a polymer of low concern (PLC)

Use this guide if you have worked out that you must submit an SIR form for a 'chemical assessed as a polymer of low concern (PLC)'.

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What you must know before you start the SIR form

  • You must know one of the following:
    • The file number/assessment identifier number for the NICNAS report (example PLC/123) and the title of the assessment report.
    • The chemical’s CAS number, CAS name, IUPAC name, AICIS-approved chemical name (AACN) or an eligible INCI plant extract name.
    • The name and contact details of the person or business who you believe on reasonable grounds would give us information that identifies the chemical if we asked for it, such as the CAS number (if assigned), CAS name or IUPAC name. Contact details include person’s contact email address (preferred), phone or business address.  

 The form includes these sections:

  • Chemical identity/assessment details: information that will let us know which chemical you are submitting the form about.
  • Reason for submission: question on each PLC criterion and a question on whether any other obligations apply.
  • Flag information you provide as being confidential (optional) and declaration.

Where to find the SIR form

  1. Log in to AICIS Business Services with your username and password – new users can sign up for free.
  2. Navigate to the SIR dashboard using the SIR quick link in the top navigation banner or click the link in the ‘Information Provision’ tile on your dashboard.
  3. Create a new ‘Specific Information Requirement’ for the form called ‘chemical assessed as a polymer of low concern (PLC)’.

Participants

Business contact: select the business contact from the drop-down menu.

Submission contact: the submission contact is the person you nominate for AICIS to contact regarding this SIR record. This could be someone from your business or an agent. Select From my business (select from drop down menu) or Nominating an agent (if you are nominating an agent, you can search for them using their NIC ID). 

Type of specific information requirement (SIR) submission: select Chemical assessed as a PLC from the drop-down menu.

Questions on chemical identity

What is the name of the industrial chemical that will be manufactured or imported (introduced) into Australia?

Enter the name of your chemical in the free text box, for example:

  • The name that you use when you refer to the chemical.
  • The chemical name given to you by your supplier or manufacturer.

Do you know the assessment identifier that relates to the chemical? 

For example, PLC/123, SAPLC/123.

Tip: Look for identifier on the cover page of the assessment report, in the top right corner or footer. It may display as a 'File no.’

Select Yes if you know the assessment identifier that relates to the polymer that you are providing information about. 

You’ll be prompted to provide the assessment identifier (prefix and number) and the title of the assessment report.

  1. Select either assessment identifier 'prefix': PLC or SAPLC.
    For example, if the assessment identifier is PLC/123, select ‘PLC’.
  2. Enter the assessment identifier number in the free text box.
    For example, if the assessment identifier is PLC/123, enter '123’.
  3. Enter the title of the assessment that corresponds to the assessment identifier you provided. For example, if the assessment identifier is PLC/123, provide the title of this assessment report.  The assessment title can be found on the cover page of the assessment report and may be a chemical name, trade name or other identifier (e.g. polymer A in product XYZ).

Enter these details and click ‘save’. A message will appear: “Participants created successfully”.  

Next: Skip to Reason for submission

Select No if you don’t know the assessment identifier for the polymer that you are providing information about. 

You’ll be prompted to answer these questions about the chemical identity.

You must provide one of the following:

  • the chemical’s CAS number (if one is assigned).
  • the chemical’s CAS name, IUPAC name, AICIS-approved chemical name (AACN) or eligible INCI plant extract name.
  • The name and contact details of the person or business who you believe on reasonable grounds would give us information that identifies the chemical, such as the CAS number (if assigned), CAS name or IUPAC name. Contact details include person’s contact email address (preferred), phone or business address.

Do you know the chemical identity details?

Important! Eligible INCI plant extract name

The INCI name for an industrial chemical is an eligible INCI plant extract name if:

  • the industrial chemical is a plant extract that has not intentionally undergone any chemical processes, or treatments, to change its chemical structure and
  •  the INCI name is based on a botanical name for the relevant plant.

Examples of plant extracts 

Extracts of flowers, seeds or leaves of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, ferns and mosses.  

Examples of changes to the chemical structure: definition not met 

Where the chemical has been intentionally:

  • hydrolysed
  • acetylated  
  • hydrogenated. 

If you know the chemical identity details

Select Yes, I know the chemical identity details if you know the CAS number, CAS name, IUPAC name, AACN or eligible INCI plant extract name for the chemical that you are providing information about.

Click ‘save’. A message will appear: “Participants created successfully”.

Next: Chemical identity

You can use the chemical lookup field for the CAS number, or manually enter the CAS name, IUPAC name, AACN or eligible INCI plant extract name.

Enter these details and click ‘save’. A message will appear: “SIR form saved successfully”.

Next: Skip to Reason for submission

If you don’t know the chemical identity details

Select No if you don’t know the chemical identity, but somebody else can provide the information. 

You’ll be prompted to enter the name and contact details of the person or business that you believe, on reasonable grounds, would provide the chemical identity, if we ask for it. 

Enter these details and click ‘save’. A message will appear: “Participants created successfully”.

Reason for submission

Questions on polymer of low concern (PLC) criteria

You will need to answer 8 questions on the PLC criteria, plus another question on whether the chemical that you’re introducing has other information requirements. We have listed these questions below.

Need help answering the PLC criteria questions?

Not sure if you need to submit the SIR form?

You can either read the PLC criteria or use our interactive PLC online tool.

It will guide you through each question with clear explanations and examples. It’ll also tell you whether you need to complete the SIR form based on your answers.

Which of the following applies to your polymer?

Choose which one of these applies to your polymer:

  1. The polymer has a NAMW greater than or equal to 1,000 g/mol AND meets the low molecular weight species and reactive functional group requirements of the PLC criteria.
  2. The polymer is a polyester manufactured from prescribed reactants.
  3. Neither A. nor B.
  4. I’m unsure if this criterion is met.

For the following 6 questions, you have 3 choices: Yes, No or I’m not sure.

  • Does the polymer have a low cationic density?

  • Does the polymer contain only approved elements?

  • Does the polymer contain any difluoromethylene or trifluoromethylene groups?

  • Is the polymer stable under the conditions in which it is used?

  • Is the polymer a high molecular weight (greater than or equal to 10,000 g/mol) water-absorbing polymer?

  • Does the polymer have any known hazard classification?   

  • Do you have any comments in relation to the above criteria?

If you have comments about any of the above criteria about your chemical, select Yes and enter these in the free text box.

For example, if your polymer has any known hazard classifications, you may include them here.

Select No if you don’t have any comments about the above criteria.

Apart from not meeting the PLC criteria, are there other circumstances where there is a specific requirement to provide information in relation to the chemical introduction?

To answer this question, you need to view or have a copy of either:

  • the Inventory record for your chemical: check the specific information requirement field under the terms of listing and see if it describes additional circumstances when the introducer must give information to us, or
  • the original NICNAS report of the chemical: look under the secondary notification heading and look for any obligations under section 64(1).

Select Yes if there are additional circumstances when an introducer must give AICIS information, AND the specific circumstances apply to your introduction. You’ll be prompted to provide details in the free text box.

Select No if there are no other obligations or the specific circumstances do not apply to your introduction. 

Select I’m not sure if you have not seen the Inventory chemical record or the NICNAS report.

Enter these details and click ‘save’. A message will appear: “SIR form saved successfully”.

Declaration

Finally, you need to tell us whether any of the information that you’re giving us in the form should be treated as confidential or commercially sensitive.

Are you flagging any information as confidential?

Select Yes if you are flagging any information as confidential. You’ll need to specify the information that you are flagging for protection in the free text box.  

If we need to publish your flagged information, we’ll send you a section 113 (Industrial Chemicals Act 2019) notice. This gives you the opportunity to formally apply to protect the information as CBI.

Select No if you are not flagging any information about your introduction as confidential.

You cannot ask us to treat your information as confidential after submitting the SIR form. Learn more about flagging information as confidential and section 113 notices.

Complete the declaration by selecting the box next to ‘I declare that the information I have given is true, correct and complete. Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence.’

Submit

Click ‘Submit SIR’ or save as a draft and return later to submit.

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