ECHA Publishes Updated REACH Restriction Proposal for PFAS

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton | The National Law Review | August 29, 2025

Read the full article by Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton (The National Law Review)

"The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on August 20, 2025, that it published an updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. The authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden (Dossier Submitters) submitted the initial proposal in January 2023 and have now completed their evaluation of more than 5,600 scientific and technical comments and prepared an updated restriction proposal (Draft Background Document). According to ECHA, the Draft Background Document will form the basis for the opinions of ECHA’s scientific committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC).

The Dossier Submitters have, among other things, identified and carried out assessments for eight sectors not specifically named in the 2023 proposal. These sectors are:

Printing applications;
Sealing applications;
Machinery applications;
Other medical applications, such as immediate packaging and excipients for pharmaceuticals;
Military applications;
Explosives;
Technical textiles; and
Broader industrial uses, such as solvents and catalysts."