A recent ECHA report signals openness to alternatives to a comprehensive ban, the VDMA reports.
 

The report by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) shows a first openness to regulatory options other than a complete ban with a few exceptions, particularly with regard to the critical importance of fluoropolymers for industrial high-tech applications, according to a press release from the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the German industry association for optics, photonics, analytical and medical technology, Spectaris. For industries in Europe that rely on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), this is said to be a cautious signal in the right direction. However, there was considerable uncertainty among the companies concerned, which was preventing investment and damaging the industrial base as a whole. ‘The possible alternatives mentioned in the report are an important milestone, but they do not yet guarantee a sustainable solution. It is now up to politicians, and not just the authorities, to design the regulatory framework for PFAS in such a way that environmental and competitiveness goals can be reconciled,’ says Dr Sarah Brückner, Head of Environment and Sustainability at VDMA. The ECHA progress report emphasises that alternative regulatory options were now also being examined to minimise PFAS emissions over the entire life cycle. Fluoropolymers, which, according to the VDMA, are indispensable and difficult to replace in numerous key technologies due to their properties, are explicitly highlighted in the report. The subgroup of fluoropolymers is considered harmless and essential as a high-performance material for numerous high-tech applications, explains Jörg Mayer, managing director of Spectaris. The ECHA progress report recognised the importance of fluoropolymers for key industrial technologies. The industry associations are calling for a pragmatic and risk-based regulatory approach that takes into account their concerns, for example, regarding quality assurance in production and in the end product. According to the associations, a comprehensive PFAS restriction would set back industry and thus all customers, especially in many high-tech areas, by decades.
 
On 20 November 2024, the ECHA published a status report including an outlook on the further course of the procedure. According to the German Environment Agency (UBA), a German translation of this report is now also available from the German Federal Office for Chemicals (BfC), which is reportedly coordinating the restriction procedure for Germany. In January 2023, the authorities of five European countries, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, submitted a dossier to the ECHA proposing a restriction on all PFAS. The ECHA's independent committees are currently evaluating the dossier scientifically.
 
Sources:

• Press release VDMA, Spectaris (4.12.2024)
• UBA aktuell 6/2024 (4.12.2024)
• Photo: © VDMA