WCO: 2026 WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition kicks off in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The 2026 WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition was officially opened on 28th January in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with participants gathering across three days to put the spotlight on smart solutions and technological innovations, foster dialogue and cooperation. A key objective is to enhance Customs’ agility to deliver practical, scalable solutions that will have a real and positive impact on Customs operations and lead to more resilient and secure supply chains. The Conference was officially opened by WCO Secretary General, Ian Saunders, who highlighted the importance of agility, trusted partnerships and modern standards in safeguarding Customs’ capacity to secure borders, facilitating legitimate trade and protecting society. Keynote speeches from His Excellency Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi – Chairman of the Federal Authority of Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, United Arab Emirates and His Excellency Ahmed Abdullah bin Lahij Al Falasi, Director General of Customs and Port Security were heard by a packed audience. Source: WCO
WCO: HS 2028 amends classification of dietary supplements to reduce litigation risks and facilitate controls
Dietary supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients (or other substances) with a nutritional or physiological effect. Such supplements can be put up in measured dose, such as capsules, pills, tablets, ampoules and cachets, or in packings for retail sale. As they are used to maintain general health or well-being, they are usually subjected to a strict control (for example, from health and/or consumer protection authorities). The HS 2022 and its Explanatory Notes do not include a comprehensive definition of dietary supplements, and such goods are spread among various headings based on their composition, with heading 21.06 – as a residual heading – covering only products that cannot be classified elsewhere in the HS Nomenclature. As a result, the classification of dietary supplements has been subjected to many inquiries and court rulings, leading to divergence in their classification among HS Contracting Parties. The collection and evaluation of their trade data are also very difficult. At the request of Member administrations, the matter was initiated and subsequently examined in depth over two HS review cycles, from March 2017 to September 2024. This process involved comprehensive technical discussions, with input from the WCO Scientific Sub-Committee and the participation of international organizations, including the FAO and WHO. As dietary supplements are products which are commonly recognized as such by industry and by trade, particularly in terms of the purpose for which they are used, it was decided to create a new heading 21.07 for dietary supplements. This new heading includes two subheadings:
Dietary supplements put up in measured doses - capsules, pills, tablets, ampoules and cachets intended for taking as single doses.”, whether or not in packings for retail sale (2107.10). Dietary supplement preparations in packings for retail sale, but not in measured doses (2107.90). HS 2028 also defines in new Notes 4 and 5 to Chapter 21 the concepts of “dietary supplements” and “measured doses” for the purposes of heading 21.07, which will make it possible to distinguish between the products of heading 21.07 and those of other headings, and assess the product transfers arising out of the amendment. Source: WCO
WCO: HS 2028 introduces new sub-headings for plastic products to enhance capacities to fight plastic pollution
Individual goods are placed into different classes in the HS, so that governments can decide what to do about these goods as a group, namely apply a simplified procedure, charge a particular rate of duty, require an import permit, apply quarantine checks, or take whatever measures are considered appropriate. Such groupings also enable governments to collect a range of data on trade in these groups of goods, which can then be turned into highly useful information. Recognizing the role played by the WCO’s Harmonized System (HS) as the backbone of international trade statistics and in the implementation of trade regulations, the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade submitted several proposals during the last review cycle of the instrument to enhance the visibility of materials and products that contribute to plastic pollution. The WCO Secretariat added further proposals based on previous discussions with other intergovernmental organizations.
As a result, the 2028 edition of the HS introduces new subheadings giving greater visibility:
- for certain polymers, in primary forms, of environmental interest (PBS[1], PBT[2], PBAT[3], PEF[4]) (subheadings 3907.92 to 3907.95) and PHBV[5] (subheading 3913.21).
- for certain articles of expanded (cellular) polystyrene and poly(vinyl chloride) (subheadings 3923.11, 3924.21 and 3924.22).
- certain vegetable textile fibres specified as “raw or processed but not spun”, or “tow, noils and waste” (subheadings 5305.10 and 5305.90).
- cotton buds with sticks of plastic (subheading 5601.23).
- made up fishing nets, other made-up nets and knotted netting of twine, cordage or rope, of artificial and of synthetic fibres (heading 56.08).
- ballons (subheading 9503.10).
- fish landing nets, butterfly nets and similar articles, of man-made and of other textile materials (subheadings 9507.41 and 9507.49).
The term “single-use”, defined as referring “to goods of a kind normally disposed of or recycled after a single use and that are not for repeated or prolonged use”, was also introduced for some products of Chapter 39 “Plastics and articles thereof” and Chapter 65 “Headgear and parts thereof”:
- single-use drinking straws (subheadings 3917.24 and 3917.34);
- single-use boxes, cases, crates and similar articles (subheadings 3923.11 and 3923.12);
- single-use sacks and bags (subheadings 3923.22 and 2923.23);
- single-use carboys, bottles, flasks and similar articles (subheading 3923.31);
- single-use stoppers, lids, caps and other closures (subheading 3923.51);
- single-use “other articles for the conveyance or packing of goods, of plastics” (subheading 3923.91);
- single-use tableware and kitchenware (subheadings 3924.21 to 29);
- single-use gloves, mittens and mitts (subheading 3926.21).
- single-use headgear of plastics (subheading 6506.93).
These changes will facilitate the collection of data by Customs for these products, enhancing the understanding of global trade in plastics, including flows of plastics embedded in internationally traded goods or associated with them (such as plastic packaging).
More granular HS codes will also help governments design and implement policies designed to:
- Control (restrict or ban) trade in materials and products that contribute to plastic pollution;
- Monitor and regulate trade in primary plastics and by plastic polymer type;
- Improve transparency of the material composition of plastic products that cross international borders;
- Promote trade in goods and services that can help reduce plastic pollution (non-plastic substitutes, recycled/recyclable products, environmentally sound management of goods and services);
- Implement effective circular economy policies, including related to plastic recycling and use of recycled content; and standards and labelling requirements for imports and exports. Source: WCO
WCO: HS 2028 introduces new subheadings to facilitate the monitoring of plastic waste movements and tackle one of the most urgent global pollution challenges the world is facing
Plastic pollution is a growing global concern. One source of this pollution is the illegal dumping of plastic waste, including of hazardous nature, in countries not wishing to receive such waste or lacking the capabilities for environmentally sound waste management. To fight this phenomenon, in 2019, the 186 Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (the Basel Convention) adopted the Plastic Wastes Amendments, thereby bringing additional types of plastic waste under the Convention’s control procedures. The 2028 edition of the HS creates new subheadings for these types of waste, facilitating the work of enforcement agencies and businesses alike in implementing the new Basel Convention requirements.
In the HS 2022, only waste of polymers of ethylene (3915.10), styrene (3915.20) and vinyl chloride (3915.30) is specifically identified under heading 39.15 “Waste, parings and scrap, of plastics”. Waste of all other plastics, including mixtures of polymers, is classified in the residual subheading 3915.90 “Of other plastics”. To identify specifically other types of plastic wastes not distinguished at the HS 6-digit level, countries or regions may establish dedicated national or regional subheadings beyond these 6-digit level for such plastic wastes.
The HS 2028 introduces a restructuring of heading 39.15 to better reflect the categories of plastic waste established under the Basel Convention and to support its effective implementation by Customs administrations and facilitate trade operators’ compliance.
- A new subheading, 3915.40, is introduced to identify hazardous plastic waste (and mixtures of such waste), based on criteria aligned with the Basel Convention. This subheading applies to plastic waste containing specified substances and exhibiting hazardous characteristics, as set out in the new Subheading Note 2 to Chapter 39, reflecting Annexes I, III and VIII to the Basel Convention. It provides a tariff framework for plastic waste that are subject to the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure, corresponding to waste covered by Basel entry A3210, where the relevant conditions are met.
- Plastic waste presumed not to be hazardous, corresponding to Basel entry B3011, may be classified under specific HS subheadings, provided that the applicable purity and composition are fulfilled. In particular:
- Subheadings 3915.51 to 3915.59 cover waste, parings and scrap of plastics consisting of one non-halogenated polymer only, almost free from contamination and other types of waste.
- Subheading 3915.62 covers manufacturing waste consisting of only one of the fluorinated polymers listed in Basel entry B3011, where the waste meets the required purity conditions. Other plastic waste containing halogenated polymers falls outside the scope of B3011.
- Subheading 3915.91 covers mixtures consisting only of polyethylene, polypropylene and/or poly(ethylene terephthalate), almost free from contamination and other types of waste.
- Waste requiring special consideration corresponds to Basel entry Y48 and is subject to the PIC procedure. This is classified as follows:
- in subheading 3915.61 when consisting only of polymers of vinyl chloride,
- in subheading 3915.69, whether it is a mixture of waste or not, and
- in residual subheading 3915.99 (only mixtures of waste are classified here). Source: WCO
WTO: Members consider request for panel to examine Indian measures on batteries, e-vehicles
At a meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on 27 January, WTO members considered a request from China for the establishment of a dispute panel to review certain Indian measures in the automotive and renewable energy sectors, which include incentives for the production of advanced chemistry cell batteries, automobile and auto components, and electric vehicles in India. Source: WTO
WTO: Australia launches safeguard investigation on fabricated structural steel
On 23 January 2026, Australia notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 23 January 2026 a safeguard investigation on imports of fabricated structural steel. Source: WTO
WTO helps update customs classification to enable better health emergency response
A major update of the Harmonized System (HS) for the customs classification of traded goods published on 21 January sets out new HS tariff headings for human vaccines and other essential health goods. These changes, carried out by the World Customs Organization (WCO) in close cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO, aim to strengthening global preparedness for future health emergencies and improve the visibility of vaccine flows in international trade. Source: WTO
WTO: Madagascar launches safeguard investigation on dry pastries and breakfast cereals
On 6 January 2026, Madagascar notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 24 December 2025 a safeguard investigation on imports of dry pastries and breakfast cereals. Source: WTO
WTO: Madagascar launches safeguard investigation on plastic pipes and tubes and accessories
On 6 January 2026, Madagascar notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 24 December 2025 a safeguard investigation on imports of plastic pipes and tubes and accessories thereof. Source: WTO
WTO: Türkiye launches safeguard investigation on polyethylene terephthalate resin
On 6 January 2026, Türkiye notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 31 December 2025 a safeguard investigation on imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin. Source: WTO
WTO: Türkiye launches safeguard investigation on terephthalic acid
On 6 January 2026, Türkiye notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 31 December 2025 a safeguard investigation on imports of terephthalic acid. Source: WTO
WTO: Türkiye launches safeguard investigation on “other paper and paperboard”
On 6 January 2026, Türkiye notified the WTO’s Committee on Safeguards that it had initiated on 31 December 2025 a safeguard investigation on imports of other paper and paperboard. Source: WTO