New HS 2022 codes includes specific provisions for its classification to assist countries in their work under the Basel Convention.
The World Customs Organisation (WCO) has amended and revised HS 2022, the seventh edition of the Harmonised System (HS) nomenclature that came into force on 1 January 2022.
The new HS2022 edition makes some major changes to the Harmonised System with a total of 351 sets of amendments covering a wide range of goods moving across borders.
Increased visibility of a number of high profile product streams feature in the 2022 Edition, recognising the changing trade patterns. Electrical and electronic waste, commonly referred to as e-waste, is one example of a product class which presents significant policy concerns as well as a high value of trade, hence HS 2022 includes specific provisions for its classification to assist countries in their work under the Basel Convention.
Other changes include new provisions for novel tobacco and nicotine based products, specific provisions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, and smartphones will gain their own subheading.
Major reconfigurations have been undertaken for the subheadings of heading 70.19 for glass fibres and articles thereof and for heading 84.62 for metal forming machinery. These changes recognise that the current subheadings do not adequately represent the technological advances in these sectors, leaving a lack of trade statistics important to the industries and potential classification difficulties.
Protection of society and the fight against terrorism are increasingly important roles for Customs and goods specifically controlled under various Conventions have also been updated. The HS 2022 Edition introduces new subheadings for for certain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) controlled under the Stockholm Convention, specific chemicals controlled under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and for certain hazardous chemicals controlled under the Rotterdam Convention.
The WCO, established in 1952, is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations and represents 183 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade.
