An interview with Helen HuangFu

Senior Manager, Product Safety and Compliance, Asia, Lubrizol

1. With over 20 years in product compliance and stewardship, what do you see as the greatest challenges currently facing regulatory professionals in the chemical industry?  

With more than two decades of experience in this field, I believe the top challenges facing regulatory professionals in the chemical industry are as follows:    

1️⃣The Speed and Complexity of Regulatory Changes with Regional Variations:    The pace of regulatory updates—globally and particularly in APAC—is faster than ever. Different regions are developing regulations with varying requirements and timelines. This poses a significant challenge, making it essential for regulatory professionals to have agile and proactive compliance systems. These systems must not only respond to changes but also anticipate and effectively manage complexities, including potential conflicts between regional regulations that impact cross-border product flows. 

2️⃣Expanding Scope Toward Product Full Lifecycle Stewardship:   Regulations are increasingly shifting from traditional hazard-based management to encompassing full product lifecycle stewardship and extended producer responsibility. Compliance today means more than completing registrations—it involves data management along product lifecycle to validate product safety and environmental impact. This requires deep collaboration with R&D, supply chain, and commercial teams to integrate regulatory requirements into business processes and systems. 

3️⃣“Data management and Digitalization Demands: There is growing pressure from regulators and customers for faster, easier, and more transparent access to data. The challenges is how to manage and communicate those vast, cross-Bus, cross-functions product full lifecycle safety and compliance data efficiently. Leveraging digital tools is no longer optional, but essential to improve data management efficiency and avoid being overwhelmed.     

2. How do you see the regulatory landscape evolving in China over the next five years, particularly in relation to hazardous chemicals and the New Pollutant Action Plan?  

Over the next five years, hazardous chemical management and environmental protection will remain a key priority for the Chinese government, aligned with national strategies such as the “Dual Carbon” goals and the “Beautiful China” initiative. We expect a continued shift from hazard-based to risk-based management, with greater emphasis on exposure assessments, environmental monitoring, and stricter controls based on substances’ hazard profiles and environmental behavior. The “One Product, One Code” system and the digitalization of product safety information throughout the supply chain are likely to become more advanced. With rapid developments in digitization and AI technology in China, the Chinese government will gain unprecedented capabilities to monitor and trace chemicals in real time across the supply chain. This will significantly improve transparency, traceability, and the overall efficiency of hazardous chemical management, enabling more targeted and data-driven enforcement.  

3. What key messages do you hope attendees will take away from your presentation at Regulatory Summit Asia 2025?   

The key messages I hope attendees will gain from my presentation are: 
 
- A high-level understanding of China’s hazardous chemical management framework, its current requirements, and future trends. 
- Insights into key compliance challenges related to hazardous chemicals in China, along with shared industry best practice 

4. What are you most looking forward to hearing about and discussing with your peers at the conference? 

Beyond the topics already listed in the agenda, I am particularly interested in: 
 
- Regulatory harmonization efforts and status across Southeast Asia. 
- The role of digitalization in compliance—especially practical examples and shared experiences regarding implementation and benefits.