Engaging Dialogues are Informative

Progress in discussions regarding the restriction of PFAS within the European Union.

, and Administrator

2025 September 19 . 11:49 PM

2 min read

Engaging Dialogues are Informative

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is working on a proposal to restrict all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including fluoropolymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, trade name Teflon). This move follows a dossier submitted by Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

The proposal, once submitted to the EU Commission in 2026 at the earliest, will be followed by an 18-month transition period. The Commission is preparing a comprehensive regulation to restrict all PFAS substances, aiming to limit their use where no suitable alternatives exist or where socio-economic benefits outweigh the environmental and health risks.

The ECHA's Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) is examining whether the proposed restriction is appropriate to reduce risks to health and the environment, while the Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) looks at the social impacts. For some use sectors, preliminary opinions from the ECHA committees have already been issued.

Amanda Rensmo from Stockholm University is now representing the European Chemical Society in the ECHA committees, taking over from Juliane Glüge who recently resigned due to a new job at the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. Juliane Glüge, who conducted research on PFASs at ETH Zurich until the end of May, will move to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment in September.

Industry associations are calling for fluoropolymers to be excluded from the planned restriction, but this does not influence the committees' work. A third restriction option is currently being evaluated for some sectors, focusing on preventing emissions instead of banning PFASs completely in certain uses. This option is not directly aimed at fluoropolymers such as PTFE, but emissions during the production of fluoropolymers are a concern.

The committees meet four times a year and hold sector-specific discussions. It is expected that the two committees will conclude their discussions and present their opinions to the public by the end of the year. The restriction proposal and the opinions will then go to the EU Commission for a decision, with a potential 18-month transition phase beginning in 2027 at the earliest.

Bans on PFASs are not expected to take effect before 2028. The production, import, and placing on the market of PFASs and products containing PFASs for which no derogations apply will be banned in the EU once the transition phase begins.

The EU is initiating a process to regulate the entire PFAS class, aiming to reduce risks to health and the environment while maintaining European competitiveness.