Update on EU PFAS ban: Plastic Industry Warns of Blanket PFAS Ban

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has received more than 5,600 comments on the proposal, which aims to reduce PFAS emissions into the environment and make products and processes safer for people.

Plastics Europe Germany, a trade association representing the plastics industry in Germany, has asserted that fluoropolymers, which play an essential role in industrial processes, energy, heat and mobility transition and digitalization, and according to OECD criteria, are not considered products of low concern and are therefore harmless.

The association is calling for a derogation for fluoropolymers in the proposal, and says that although PFAS-producing companies are investigating options to move away from PFAS polymerization aids, it will be necessary to continue using them for now.

The restriction proposal was prepared by authorities in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, and was submitted to ECHA in January 2023. The six-month consultation ran from March 22 to September 25.

It is now up to ECHA's scientific committees to evaluate the proposal and formulate an opinion, which will then be considered by the European Commission and EU Member States.