The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
published on August 20, 2025, a revised version of its proposal for the
restriction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the context of the
of the REACH regulation of the European Union. This update of the proposed
The restriction has been elaborated together with authorities in Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, which submitted the initial proposal in January
2023.
These five authorities, after conducting the evaluation
of more than 5,600 scientific and technical comments received during the
consultation conducted in 2023, have identified and carried out assessments for
eight sectors that were not specifically reflected in the initial proposal,
which evaluated 14 sectors. These new sectors added are:
- Printing applications
- Sealing applications
- Machinery applications
- Other medical applications,
as immediate packaging and excipients for pharmaceutical products - Military applications
- Explosives
- Technical textiles
- Most common industrial uses
as solvents and catalysts, as well as the use of
They have also considered restriction options
alternatives, beyond a complete prohibition or a prohibition with a
time-limited derogation for certain applications. Some of
these options allow for continuous production, always taking into account
the use of these substances where the risks can be controlled. These
options have also been taken into account in the following cases:
- PFAS manufacturing
- Transportation
- Electronics and
semiconductors - Energy
- Sealing applications
- Machinery applications
- Technical textiles
Currently, the scientific committee for Risk Assessment of the
ECHA (RAC) and the Socio-Economic Analysis Committee of ECHA (SEAC) continue to
evaluating the proposal.
ECHA has the firm objective of delivering the opinions
The final RAC and SEAC will be submitted to the European Commission in 2026. RAC and SEAC
plan to finalize their discussions on the 14 sectors covered by the
original restriction proposal, in addition to the manufacturing of PFAS and
horizontal issues by the end of 2025. This will allow ECHA to finalize
the RAC opinion and the draft opinion of SEAC, as well as to carry out
consultation on the draft SEAC opinion in the first half of 2026.
This approach will ensure that more than 90% of the PFAS emissions and volumes
covered by the opinions, which will be sent to the Commission.
European decision making. The evaluation of the 8 new sectors
included within the newly proposed proposal will extend beyond 2026.
For more information about the update of this proposal click on the following link link.
From ANMOPYC we will continue to inform about the
updates on this proposed restriction.
