ESA: Only 20% of fluoropolymer seals have potential for replacement

Haute Savoie, France – Fluoropolymers could potentially be replaced in only 20% of the sealing-device applications in which they are currently used.

That’s according to a ‘socio-economic analysis’ report* for the European Sealing Association (ESA) and uploaded to the European Chemical Agency’s consultation platform on PFAS.

Produced by the Ricardo Group, the report analyses all the data provided by ESA member companies, associated upstream and downstream users, and other industry organisations.

One of the key findings is that only 20% of seals that use fluoropolymers could be replaced by alternatives within the next 12 years, said a 1 Nov release from the association.

This is primarily because no other materials offer the same sealing capability in a range of applications the industry body explained.

“Even if alternatives did exist, the approval and research required, [and] cost involved to validate a replacement both within the sealing industry and externally, would take more than 12 years,” it added.

“The risk of failure is too high to assume replacements could be found and validated within the timeframe suggested by the PFAS restriction proposal,” ESA concluded.

The ECHA work programme for 2024 is scheduled to be released within the coming weeks, and is  expected to provide more specific dates for key 'milestones'.

According to the ESA, it is unlikely that there will be any response to the public consultation or output from the review process before the second quarter of 2024.

*ERJ is requesting further details from this report.