The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published an updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

According to ECHA, the update was prepared by the authorities in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, which submitted the initial proposal in January 2023. These five authorities have now completed their assessment of more than 5,600 scientific and technical comments from the 2023 consultation and updated their original restriction proposal, the EHCA announced. This report, known as the background document, will form the basis for the opinions of the ECHA committees, which are composed of independent experts from EU Member States. They will now evaluate the current proposal, which may then be updated again, according to the report.

 
Among other things, the five authorities have identified eight sectors and carried out assessments that were not explicitly mentioned in the original proposal. These sectors included printing applications, sealing applications, mechanical engineering applications, specific medical applications such as primary packaging and excipients for medicinal products, technical textiles, and broader industrial applications such as solvents and catalysts. In addition, more flexible regulatory options would have been examined that go beyond a complete ban or a ban with temporary exemptions for certain applications. These involved conditions that allow the continued manufacture, placing on the market or use of PFAS ‘where the risks can be controlled’. According to its own statements, the ECHA aims to submit an opinion to the European Commission in 2026. However, the ECHA states that the inclusion of a further eight sectors in the committees' assessments would require a considerable amount of time. Therefore, a sector-specific assessment of these eight additional sectors is not planned. It is expected that the final opinions of the Scientific Committee on Risk Assessment (RAC) and the Scientific Committee on Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC), together with the European Commission's background document, will provide a basis for deciding how best to address the various areas of application (14 sectors plus the additional eight sectors), PFAS production and horizontal issues. The European Commission will then decide on the restriction in consultation with the EU Member States.

 
Further informationen: External link to the ECHA website, where the background document (in English) is available for download
 
Sources:

• ECHA press releases (20.8.2025, 27.8.2025)
• Photo: © European Chemicals Agency