The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published an updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the EU’s REACH regulation. The revision follows an evaluation of more than 5,600 comments submitted during a public consultation in 2023.
Authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, who jointly prepared the original proposal in January 2023, reviewed the feedback and updated their supporting documentation, known as the Background Document. This forms the basis for opinions by ECHA’s committees on risk assessment and socio-economic analysis. The document may undergo further updates as the committees continue their review.
PFAS, often called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in the environment, are widely used across industrial and consumer applications. The proposed restriction has been described as one of the EU’s most ambitious efforts to reduce emissions and limit human and environmental exposure.
A key change in the updated version is the inclusion of additional sectors not previously covered. These sectors include printing, sealing and machinery applications, certain medical uses, military applications, explosives, technical textiles, and broader industrial uses such as solvents and catalysts.
The updated proposal also considers alternative regulatory options beyond a complete ban or bans with time-limited exemptions. These include allowing continued use of PFAS in certain areas where risks can be controlled, such as manufacturing, transport, electronics, semiconductors, energy, and technical textiles.
ECHA’s committees are now assessing the scientific and socio-economic aspects of the proposal. Once their work is complete, the European Commission, in consultation with EU Member States, will decide on whether and how the restriction will be implemented.
