The European Union is tightening regulations on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). With Regulation (EU) 2024/2462, adopted in September 2024, the EU has issued binding requirements that will gradually come into force from 2026 and prohibit the use of certain PFAS in numerous products.
Everyday products are particularly affected, including textiles, paper and cardboard food packaging, cosmetics, and firefighting foams. The regulation represents another important step in dealing with this group of substances, which has been the subject of political and social controversy for years due to its high environmental persistence.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals characterized by high chemical stability and water-, grease-, and dirt-repellent properties. These properties have made them indispensable in many industrial and commercial applications for decades. At the same time, there are health concerns about numerous PFAS because they can accumulate permanently in the environment and organisms. The EU is therefore pursuing the goal of gradually reducing risks and limiting their use to truly necessary applications.
No PFAS in consumer products from October 2026
The regulation stipulates that the first bans will apply from April 2026, particularly for firefighting foams used for training, testing, or public firefighting purposes. From October 2026, the PFAS specified in the regulation may no longer be used in many consumer products.
Further restrictions will be introduced in the following years. Certain areas, such as medical technology, personal protective equipment, and construction, will remain exempt for the time being. Products that were already on the market before the respective deadlines are not affected.
The new regulation is part of a long-term European strategy. Individual PFAS such as PFOA have already been banned in recent years. At the same time, a more far-reaching regulatory process is underway at the EU level: a proposal for a near-total ban on PFAS has been submitted under the REACH chemicals regulation. This proposal was subject to public consultation and received an exceptionally high level of response from industry, science, associations, and civil society—an indication of the significance of the project.
Discussion about a general ban continues
This year, the EU is focusing its efforts on evaluating the consultation and coordinating policy. A decision on a comprehensive ban on PFAS is still pending. Experts do not expect such a general ban to come into force before 2027. However, the direction of European chemicals policy is clear: regulatory pressure on PFAS applications will continue to increase.
This development has far-reaching consequences for industry. Initially, the new bans mainly affect consumer goods, but technical applications are increasingly coming into focus. This affects, for example, the sealing industry, where fluoropolymers containing PFAS, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, play a central role due to their chemical resistance, temperature resistance, and durability. Even though these applications remain largely unaffected by the current regulation, manufacturers are following the discussion about a possible general ban with great attention.
