Briefing: PFAS polymers in focus: Supporting Europe’s zero pollution, low-carbon and circular economy ambitions

European Environment Agency | April 29, 2025

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"Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — also known as forever chemicals — have received increasing attention over the last two decades. This is due to growing awareness of the negative impacts that these substances have on human health and the environment. Ongoing efforts in the European Union (EU) to restrict PFAS as a group have been justified by their high persistence and other concerning properties present in certain PFAS subgroups. These include their bioaccumulation in humans and wildlife, high mobility (they can move through the environment and pollute drinking water sources), long-range transport potential (they can pollute areas far away from emission sources) and their accumulation in plants (they can pollute food sources), and (eco)toxicological effects that may impact on humans and the environment (BAuA et al., 2023).

This large and heterogenous group of chemicals consists of more than 10,000 individual substances, which can broadly be divided into polymeric and non-polymeric forms. PFAS polymers constitute a significant part of the total use of PFAS in the EU. It is estimated that they make up between 24-40% of the total volume of PFAS on the EU market (BAuA et al., 2023). They are widely used in consumer products such as textiles, non-stick pans, electronics and furniture. They are also used in industrial production — for example in machinery, filters, lubricants, seals and membranes. Increasingly, they are also used in green technologies that promise to deliver solutions for a low-carbon economy. However, despite their widespread use most of our knowledge about their detrimental effects relates to the non-polymeric forms. This leaves significant knowledge gaps about the impacts of PFAS polymers, except for the well-established fact that they are very persistent."

This content provided by the PFAS Project.