A lot has happened since authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden submitted a restriction proposal for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in January 2023. The current status of the procedure has now been published.
The more than 5,600 scientific and technical comments received from interested third parties during the six-month consultation phase have been and are being evaluated. The committees involved are the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and the Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC), which intend to draw up an opinion in the course of 2025. This will be followed by another consultation phase.

In addition to a general risk assessment of PFAS, various sectors with their respective specifics and the different types of uses, risks and respective restriction options are considered. The aim of the restriction dossier is to replace PFAS where this is already possible today or will be possible in the foreseeable future. However, a ban must also take into account possible disproportionate socio-economic impacts. Therefore, in addition to the two options that were originally called for (complete ban or ban with temporary exemptions), further restriction options are being examined. The latter applies, for example, to the use of PFAS in certain industrial applications such as batteries, fuel cells and electrolysers. The European Commission will ultimately decide on the final regulatory provision in consultation with the EU Member States.

You can find the ECHA notification here.

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