Update on potential EU PFAS ban looks into socio-economic impacts
Based on the potential for disproportionate socio-economic effects, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published an update on a restriction dossier process for PFAS in the EU. The agency indicates it is putting more consideration into PFAS restriction options other than a total ban.
The initial Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) dossier aimed to ban or limit PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” due to their inability to degrade in the environment. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to adverse human health impacts such as increased cancer risk, developmental delays in children, reduced immune system and decreased fertility. These synthetic chemicals are found in a variety of consumer goods and everyday products, such as cosmetics, textiles and packaging, making it difficult for people to avoid exposure.
To curb this continued exposure and minimize PFAS release into the environment, authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden submitted a REACH dossier to the ECHA in January 2023. Since then, the ECHA has been evaluating the proposal and assessing the impacts it would have on public health, businesses and industry.
The recent update comes as the ECHA’s scientific committees assess thousands of comments collected during last year’s six-month consultation phase. As a result of these comments, the ECHA has indicated further consideration of alternative restrictions rather than a total ban on PFAS.
“This assessment is particularly relevant for those uses and sectors for which information was provided to demonstrate that the socio-economic impacts of a ban are likely to be disproportionate. It also helps to improve the practicality of the restriction proposal for specific applications,” says the ECHA.
The update indicates that the restriction dossier is still focused on manufacturers substituting and replacing PFAS wherever feasible but is open to flexibility in circumstances where “no suitable alternative substances or technologies are available.”
Other restriction options include allowing manufacturers who currently have no alternatives to make PFAS substitutions as they become available with new methods and technology.
Next steps for PFAS restriction
The PFAS restriction dossier is still under evaluation in the ECHA’s Risk Assessment (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) committees. The RAC focuses on assessing the risks substances may cause to human health and the environment and how the proposed restriction is appropriate in reducing the risk. The SEAC evaluates the feasibility of the PFAS alternatives available if the restrictions are put in place, assessing the socio-economic impact of the manufacturing restrictions of PFAS.
The RAC and SEAC currently have some provisional conclusions on five sectors: cosmetics, consumer mixtures, ski wax, metal plating and petroleum and mining. The RAC also has a provisional conclusion on the hazards assessment of PFAS, says the ECHA. However, these conclusions will remain provisional until all sectors are discussed. At that point, a final consolidated opinion will be sent to the European Commission.
Chemicals manufacturer Evonik previously told Personal Care Insights that it supported the “pragmatic approach” to PFAS regulation when it hosted German Chancellor Olag Scholz at its facility, where he discussed the REACH restriction dossier.
The European Union recently introduced regulation targeting a particular set of PFAS called undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA). The new regulation sets concentration limits of 25 parts per billion for PFHXA, applicable to any cosmetic product placed on the market after the transition period from October 10, 2026. Meanwhile, France and Denmark are making headway in national action to limit PFAS contamination.
“The basis for the proposed restriction is the fact that PFAS and their degradation products may persist in the environment for a very long period, longer than any other man-made chemical,” says the ECHA. “The EU-wide risk arises from the continued emissions of PFAS into the environment during manufacture, the use phase and the waste stage.”
