The proposal recently published by ECHA is for a ban on the production, use and placing on the market (including import) of at least 10,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The proposed ban was drafted under the EU's REACH chemicals regulation by authorities from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. From Germany, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) were involved in the drafting process. The aim of the ban is to drastically reduce the release of PFASs into the environment. According to the proposed restriction, there are transition periods of one and a half to thirteen and a half years for companies to find alternatives, depending on the application.
A scientific evaluation by ECHA's Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and Socioeconomic Analysis Committee (SEAC) is now underway. During the subsequent six-month consultation period, interested parties can submit additional information to justify, for example, the inclusion of further exemptions in the restriction proposal. ECHA's Scientific Committees will consider and evaluate this information when preparing their opinion. It is anticipated that a decision by the European Commission on this proposal can be expected in 2025. If the PFAS restriction proposal is adopted, it would be one of the most comprehensive bans on chemical substances since the REACH Regulation came into force in 2007.