By: Cheryl Wong
Here are a few noteworthy global EHS regulatory changes in July 2025. We cover EHS legislation and standards for over 30 countries and 400 jurisdictions. If you would like to track legislative changes for specific regions, countries, or jurisdictions, we are happy to help. Please send us a request for more information here, and we will contact you shortly. Note that descriptions with an asterisk (*) were generated with artificial intelligence.
- Canada – Federal
- Canada – British Columbia
- Canada – Ontario
- Canada – P.E.I
- Canada – Quebec
- United States – Federal
- United States – Connecticut
- United States – Maine
- United States – Vermont
- Costa Rica
- Russia
- United Kingdom
Canada – Federal
New Principal Document – Interim Order No. 3 Respecting the Discharge of Sewage and the Release of Greywater by Cruise Ships in Canadian Waters
First Effective Date: 10 June 2025
Industry Sector: Water Transportation
This document applies to cruise ships and their authorized representatives operating in Canadian waters. It prohibits the discharge of sewage and release of greywater within three nautical miles of shore. Beyond three nautical miles, discharges are permitted only if they meet specific treatment and water quality standards. Ships must maintain detailed records, conduct effluent testing when required, and hold appropriate certificates.*
Canada – British Columbia
Amended Document – Controlled Alien Species Regulation
Amending Document – Controlled Alien Species Regulation 2025-06-24 Amendments
First Effective Date: 20 June 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
The changes notably—
- update various definitions;
- introduce a requirement for controlling aquatic invasive species by requiring the opening of drainage holes, valves, and other devices during the transport of boats, water-related equipment, and aircrafts designed to land on water;
- remove the exception that previously exempted educational institutions and certified research institutions from certain obligations concerning dead mussels;
- add an obligation requiring the compliance with prevention measures;
- specify that any person issued a mussel prevention order must ensure that the vehicle, aircraft designed to land on water, boat, or water-related equipment named in the order does not come into contact with BC waters until the order has been complied with;
- specify that a person who engages in procedures to remove mussels or suspected mussels must ensure that the water used in those procedures does not come into contact with BC water;
- update the list of mussels by adding the Limnoperna fortunei [golden mussel] of the family Mytilidae; and
- update the contaminated provinces and states list.
Amended Document – Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting Regulation
Amending Document – Greenhouse Gas Emission Reporting Regulation 2025-07-01 Amendments
First Effective Date: 30 June 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
The change:
- introduces new requirements for attributing emissions and mandates that, for the 2025 compliance period, emissions from opted-out regulated operations must be calculated using the updated method specified in the regulation;
- changes the application process for opting in or out, requiring that such applications be submitted within the calendar year rather than by a specific deadline;
- requires that opt-out applications include the effective date for revocation, if the revocation is intended to occur after the 2025 compliance period; and
- updates the formula used to calculate the emissions limit.
Canada – Ontario
Amended Document – Construction Projects
Amending Document – Amending O. Reg. 213/91 (Construction Projects)
First Effective Date: 1 January 2026
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
The change requires constructors at projects with twenty or more regularly employed workers to install and maintain a Health Canada-licensed defibrillator, along with specified supplies, signage, inspections, trained personnel, and related requirements, unless the project is expected to last less than three months.
Canada – P.E.I
Amended Document – Materials Stewardship and Recycling Regulations
Amending Document – Materials Stewardship and Recycling Regulations Amendment
First Effective Date: 19 July 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management and Maintenance
According to the Government, the changes notably—
- provide “that no beverage container producer or retailer is permitted to sell, offer for sale or distribute a beverage container in or into the province unless an agent operates a beverage container stewardship program in respect of it”;
- authorize “a beverage container producer to designate a person as agent to operate a beverage container stewardship program”;
- establish “an application and approval process for the establishment of the stewardship program”;
- establish “the annual fee for the stewardship program”; and
- require “a retailer to prominently display education and awareness information about the stewardship program as specified”.
Canada – Quebec
New Principal Document – Regulation respecting regulatory measures for activities under the responsibility of municipalities carried out in bodies of water and on flood protection works
First Effective Date: 1 March 2026
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
This document applies to municipalities and persons carrying out activities in bodies of water and flood protection works in Quebec. It establishes regulatory measures for activities in wetlands, bodies of water, and flood zones. It requires municipal permits for various construction and development activities, prohibits certain activities in high-risk flood areas, and sets standards for flood protection. Municipalities must enforce these regulations and maintain permit registers.*
It replaces the Regulation respecting the temporary implementation of the amendments made by chapter 7 of the Statutes of 2021 in connection with the management of flood risks. According to the Government, the new document—
- “lists certain activities that are prohibited depending on the type of environment in which they are carried out”;
- “lists the activities that require a municipal permit before they may be carried out, as well as the requirements that apply to the issue of such an authorization”;
- “prescribes the conditions for carrying out the activities that require a municipal permit”; and
- provides the “sanctions applicable for non-compliance with the Regulation”.
Amended Document – Regulation respecting the regulatory scheme applying to activities on the basis of their environmental impact
Amending Document – Regulation to amend the Regulation respecting the regulatory scheme applying to activities on the basis of their environmental impact
First Effective Date: 1 March 2026
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
According to the Government, the changes “review or provide requirements that apply to the activities requiring authorization undersection 22 of the Environment Quality Act, the activities eligible for a declaration of compliance under section 31.0.6 of the Act and the activities that are exempted from authorization under section 31.0.11 of the Act when those activities are carried out in wetlands or bodies of water or on a flood protection works, or relate to such a works”.
New Principal Document – Regulation respecting activities in wetlands, bodies of water and sensitive areas and amending the Fertilizing Residual Materials Management Code
First Effective Date: 1 March 2026
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
This document applies to any person carrying out activities in wetlands, bodies of water, and sensitive areas in Quebec. It establishes environmental protection standards for activities in these areas. Key requirements include implementing erosion and sediment control measures, restoring sites after work completion, prohibiting certain activities like excavation and backfilling, restricting vehicle operations, and requiring specific conditions for construction, infrastructure development, and vegetation management to protect these sensitive environments.*
It replaces the Regulation respecting activities in wetlands, bodies of water and sensitive areas. According to the Government, the new document “prohibits certain activities depending on the type of environment in which they are carried out. It also prescribes the conditions for carrying out certain activities, as well as the sanctions that apply for non-compliance with its provisions.” Furthermore, “[i]t applies to activities carried out in wetlands, bodies of water and sensitive areas not covered by the […] Regulation respecting regulatory measures for activities under the responsibility of municipalities carried out in bodies of water and on flood protection works.”
United States – Federal
Amended Document – 40 CFR 80 Subpart M Renewable Fuel Standard
Amending Document – Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program: Partial Waiver of the 2024 Cellulosic Biofuel Volume Requirement
First Effective Date: 5 September 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
According to the government, the change notably “partially waiv[es] the 2024 cellulosic biofuel volume requirement and revis[es] the associated percentage standard under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program”.
United States – Connecticut
Amended Document – CS Chapter 22a-446z Miscellaneous Provisions
Amending Document – An Act Concerning Programming at the Department of Agriculture and Other Farming and Agriculture Related Provisions.
First Effective Date: 1 July 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
According to the government, the change notably “bans using, selling, or offering for sale any fertilizer intended to be applied to land or soil amendment that contains biosolids or wastewater sludge containing [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)]”. The change also provides that “the [fertilizer’s or soil amendment’s] manufacturer or supplier must keep [a] certificate of compliance on file and may make it available on its website or through its authorized representative”.
United States – Maine
Amended Document – MRS Chapter 38-16 Sale Of Consumer Products Affecting The Environment
Amending Document – An Act to Expand Appliance Energy and Water Standards
First Effective Date: 19 June 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management and Maintenance
According to the government, the change notably “adds to the list of new appliances and products in current law that a person may not sell or offer for sale in the State in accordance with rules adopted by the Department of Environmental Protection. The [change] adds the following appliances and products that are manufactured on or after January 1, 2027: commercial battery chargers; commercial dishwashers; commercial food steamers; commercial fryers; commercial ovens; computer server power supplies; [and] residential ventilating fans”.
Amended Document – MRS Chapter 33-10 Unit Ownership
Amending Document – An Act to Allow Electric Vehicle Charging Stations by Condominium and Residential Associations
First Effective Date: 19 June 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
According to the government, the change notably “prohibits a condominium association or other association of owners of residential real estate from limiting a unit owner’s ability to install or use an electric vehicle charging station within the owner’s unit or parking space.”
Amended Document – MRS Chapter 38-24 Solid Waste Management And Recycling
Amending Document – An Act Regarding the Reduction and Recycling of Food Waste
First Effective Date: 19 June 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management and Maintenance
According to the government, the change notably:
- “provides that […] a designated food waste generator may not dispose of its generated food waste at an incineration facility or solid waste landfill and must to the maximum extent practicable reduce the volume of food waste it generates, separate and arrange for the donation of excess edible food and manage the remaining food waste it generates through agricultural use, composting or anaerobic digestion at the point of generation, at a different location or by transferring the food waste to an organics recycler for management”;
- “specifies that whether a person is considered a designated food waste generator is based on the average amount of food waste generated weekly by the person”; and
- “makes changes to the State’s food recovery hierarchy and clarifies the state waste disposal reduction goal”.
United States – Vermont
Amended Document – VSA Subchapter 10-113-6 Birds
Amending Document – An act relating to technical corrections to fish and wildlife statutes.
First Effective Date: 25 June 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
According to the government, the change notably “amends the existing ban on the willful destruction of nests or birds’ eggs except when necessary to protect a building to clarify a person cannot remove a nest to protect a building when eggs or chicks are in the nest”.
Amended Document – VSA Chapter 10-4-123 Protection of Endangered Species
Amending Document – An act relating to technical corrections to fish and wildlife statutes.
First Effective Date: 25 June 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
According to the government, the change notably “clarifies the requirements for a person to obtain a permit from the Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife in order to import, transport into, transport within, or possess wild animals in the State”.
Amended Document – VSA Subchapter 9-63-12a PFAS in Consumer Products
Amending Document – An act relating to the phaseout of consumer products containing added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
First Effective Date: 1 July 2025
Industry Sector: Chemical Industry, Healthcare Industry, Food Industry, Hardware Manufacturing
According to the government, the change notably:
- introduces “three additional types of consumer products of which the sale or distribution of the product would be banned if the product contained intentionally added [perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)]. The additional products are cleaning products, dental floss, and fluorine treated containers”;
- “extends the effective date of the prohibition on the sale and distribution of cookware containing intentionally added PFAS to July 1, 2028”; and
- “restructures the statute for the regulation of PFAS in consumer products and incorporates requirements from previous acts”.
Amended Document – VSA Subchapter 9-63-12b PFAS in Firefighting Agents and Equipment
Amending Document – An act relating to the phaseout of consumer products containing added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
First Effective Date: 1 July 2025
Industry Sector: Chemical Industry, Public Administration and Institutions
According to the government, the change notably:
- “bans the sale or distribution of firefighting personal protective equipment (PPE) containing intentionally added [perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)]”;
- “bans the sale of respirators and respirator equipment containing intentionally added PFAS”; and
- “requires that the manufacturer of firefighting station wear provide notice of intentionally added PFAS to buyers”.
Amended Document – VSA Chapter 10-2-47 Water Pollution Control
Amending Document – An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects.
First Effective Date: 1 July 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
According to the government, the change notably “amends the statutes regulating agricultural water quality, including the regulation of point source discharges of waste or pollutants from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)”.
Costa Rica
Amended Document – Regulations for the quality of drinking water
Amending Document – Reform of the Regulation for the quality of Drinking Water
First Effective Date: 24 June 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management and Maintenance
The changes notably:
- introduce new definitions for risk management and the risk-adjusted admissible value concerning pesticides in drinking water;
- require the conduct of specific risk assessments to define the maximum admissible risk-adjusted value for the identified pesticide;
- expand the scope to cover specific chlorothalonil metabolites in drinking water and prescribe the maximum admissible values; and
- establish a comprehensive protocol for dealing with pesticide levels in drinking water that are equal to or exceed the alert level, such as by requiring immediate response to pesticide alerts, requiring a formal risk assessment, implementing a monitoring plan, and specifying the relevant communication and transparency requirements.
Russia
New Principal Document – Technical regulations on the safety of inland water transport facilities
First Effective Date: 20 June 2025
Industry Sector: Water Transportation, Hardware Manufacturing, Other
This document applies to legal entities and individual entrepreneurs involved in designing, manufacturing, constructing, operating, repairing, and disposing of inland waterway transport vessels and infrastructure, as well as state control authorities.
The document establishes mandatory safety requirements for inland waterway transport objects including vessels, equipment, materials, and port infrastructure. Key requirements include technical specifications for vessel construction, fire and explosion safety measures, environmental protection standards, electrical safety protocols, navigation equipment standards, and operational safety procedures. Businesses must ensure compliance with classification requirements, conduct regular inspections, maintain proper documentation, and implement safety management systems throughout the lifecycle of transport objects.*
United Kingdom
New Principal Document – The New Heavy-Duty Vehicles (Carbon Dioxide Emission Performance Standards) (Vocational Vehicles) Regulations 2025
First Effective Date: 29 July 2025
Industry Sector: Hardware Manufacturing
This document applies to manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles and type-approval authorities. It establishes CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles. It creates procedures to identify vehicles incorrectly classified as vocational vehicles (which are exempt from emission calculations) and correct manufacturers’ average CO2 emissions accordingly. Manufacturers must ensure their CO2 emission values correspond to real-world performance and cooperate with correction procedures when misreported vehicles are identified.
The document also requires monitoring of real-world emissions data and verification that recorded emission values match actual vehicle performance, with authorities empowered to correct certificates when discrepancies are found.*
Amended Document – The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013
Amending Document – The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment, etc.) Regulations 2025
First Effective Date: 12 August 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
The changes, according to the Government of the United Kingdom, notably:
- create “a new category of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) for devices intended to be used for the consumption of tobacco, nicotine, vaping and other similar substances, such as ecigarettes, vapes and heated tobacco products”; and
- shift “the obligation to finance the costs of dealing with the waste from EEE (‘WEEE’) supplied by overseas sellers via online marketplaces (‘OMPs’) to private households in the UK from those sellers to the OMP operators”.
Past months’ top changes are available here: June 2025, May 2025, April 2025, March 2025, February 2025, January 2025
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