The latest update on the universal PFAS restriction dossier has been completed. Authorities from five countries (the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden) have used over 5,600 stakeholder responses to further improve the document. All relevant information has been processed into a so-called background document. This document has been shared with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and is now available on the ECHA website (external link).
Background
In January 2023, these five countries jointly submitted a comprehensive dossier to the ECHA European Chemicals Agency (European Chemicals Agency). This is officially called an Annex XV report. Such a report allows a country to propose restrictions on the use, production, and marketing of hazardous substances in the European Union.
The dossier concerns more than 10,000 PFAS Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) substances. PFAS are almost non-degradable in the environment and often have other concerning properties. Nevertheless, products containing PFAS are widely used in society.
After a six-month consultation (external link) that ended in September 2023, the five countries revised the original dossier based on the information received. The final version of the background document was completed on June 24, 2025, and shared with ECHA. This concludes the work of the dossier submitters in this phase of the restriction process.
Key Adjustments
All over 5,600 responses have been assessed for relevant information. The responses covered health and environmental issues, applications, volumes, emissions, alternatives, and economic impact. Available scientific and technical publications have also been reviewed.
Based on this information, the possible regulations for PFAS have been further developed. Consideration is being given to whether exceptions are needed for some applications. This may be temporary or indefinite, but with additional measures to prevent PFAS from entering the environment.
General topics have also been examined, such as: what does the ban mean for second-hand products, recycling, and spare parts? Additionally, eight sectors have been added to the background document that were not or only partially included in the original dossier. These sectors are:
- printing applications
- sealing applications
- machine applications
- other medical applications (topics not included in active substances in medicines and medical devices)
- explosives
- military applications
- technical textile applications
- wider industrial applications (such as solvents and catalysts)
Enormous Dossier
Due to all the new information, the dossier has become much larger. The original dossier was about 1,800 pages long, while the revised background document now exceeds 3,300 pages. The biggest change is in Annex E – with information on alternatives, environmental impact, and economic impact – which has become nearly three times longer. This demonstrates how much new knowledge about PFAS has been gathered through this process.
Next Steps
The Scientific Committees of ECHA for Risk Assessment (RAC Risk Assessment Committee (Risk Assessment Committee)) and Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC Socio-Economic Assessment Committee (Socio-Economic Assessment Committee)) are now preparing their advice. ECHA will submit this advice to the European Commission. The Commission will ultimately decide – in consultation with the EU European Union (European Union) member states – on the new rules for PFAS. More information about the schedule and the process will be published on the ECHA website.