Industry welcomes ECHA's revised stance on PFAS restrictions

London - The UK Gasket and Sealing Association (UKGSA) has welcomed signs that the European Chemicals Association (ECHA) is considering alternatives to a blanket ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Europe.

In a 21 Nov statement to ERJ, the association noted ECHA’s “cautious acknowledgement of the need for a more considered approach for sealing applications and fluoropolymers in particular.”

“The sealing industry has put significant effort into highlighting the catastrophic impact of a blanket ban on all PFAS, given their critical application in many industries, and the current lack of any viable commercial alternatives,” said UKGSA chairman Simon Winfield.

Furthermore, Winfield noted that upstream, polymer manufactures are striving to minimise the impact of PFAS during processing and on alternatives.

Downstream, too, “considerable work” is being undertaken in areas such as depolymerisation to increase the level of recycling that can be achieved with all polymer materials and end of life products.

“The indications are that ECHA will stop short of an immediate blanket ban and adopt a more planned scientific approach based on delivering technical solutions to these critical applications,” Winfield said.

UKGSA's chairman also voiced readiness to further cooperate with the ECHA and other stakeholders across Europe to achieve the goal of lowering PFAS emissions.