PFAS Restrictions: EU Parliament Committee Highlights Economic Impacts and Calls for Exemptions

Cost of the phase-out

The authors of the ITRE report evaluated six key fluoropolymers that account for more than 90% of the fluoropolymers used on the EU market. They predict significant economic impacts in the event of a PFAS ban:

• The costs would amount to almost €563 billion in the first year and level off at just over €73 billion in subsequent years. 
• A blanket ban or a PFAS ban with temporary exemptions would affect around 39,000 companies and more than 2.9 million employees. Of these, 90 percent are small and medium-sized enterprises. 

What ITRE wants

The report advocates targeted, sector-specific measures instead of blanket bans. The authors call for various measures, including:

• An indefinite exemption for PFAS applications in the aerospace industry due to a lack of available alternatives. This regulation should be reviewed every 10 to 15 years.
• An indefinite exemption for the defense sector due to growing geopolitical uncertainties.
• An exemption of F-gases from the restriction; their regulation should be governed solely by the existing F-Gas Regulation.
• An exemption for some uses of PFAS, such as in the renewable energy sector, should remain temporarily permitted, but subject to strict emission control and remediation requirements.
• An indefinite exemption for the semiconductor sector.

What’s happening now

The two ECHA committees, the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) are preparing a statement that is expected to be available in spring 2026. A consultation phase will follow, so that the final statement and its submission to the EU Commission can be expected by the end of the year. 

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