The authorities of five EU/EEA Member States (NL, DE, SE, DK and NO) are currently preparing a joint REACH restriction proposal on the manufacture and use of a wide range of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This restriction proposal, expected to be submitted to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) on 15 July 2022, aims to enter into force in 2025.
EuPC participated in the second industry consultation (July-October 2021) by providing feedback on some uses in food contact materials and packaging, construction products, medical devices and transportation. Missing data and information in the use of pharmaceutical packaging, building and construction sector have been notified to CEFIC. Most of the uses of PFAS in the plastics sector were reported for fluoropolymers and PFAS used as polymer processing aids.
Due to the extended variety of uses of PFAS and the limited information collected on the occasion of the second call for evidence, it was not possible to clearly assess the socio-economic impact of this restriction: as a consequence, there is the need to gather additional information on chemical identity of the PFAS in use and their related applications.
EuPC and Polymer Comply Europe (PCE) are currently working on the potential project to set up a consortium involving PFAS users and aiming to support companies during the ECHA opinion development phase. This consortium will be possibly divided in subgroups depending on PFAS applications and two phases foreseen:
For more information, please contact Marco Perfetti (marco.perfetti@eupc.org).