​The Persistence of PFAS – IDTechEx Covers Growing PFAS Regulations

The bioaccumulation of PFAS

Through the widespread use of PFAS-containing products across many sectors, PFAS chemicals can enter the environment through wastewater and landfills. They can be found in drinking water, ground water, air emissions, and even in the human body.

The two characteristics of PFAS that make them problematic are their persistent and bio-accumulative nature, meaning they build up with nowhere to dissipate, and are not degradable. IDTechEx's report, “PFAS Treatment 2025-2035: Technologies, Regulations, Players, Applications“, explores the specific efforts being made to monitor and remove PFAS from the environment, to hopefully reduce and minimize their impact going forward.

Regulations and the EU's universal ban

Due to the growing concerns surrounding the health of humans and the environment as a result of PFAS, regulations are being put in place worldwide. While many countries still have no restrictions on PFAS usage, other countries, specifically within the EU, are potentially facing a universal PFAS ban.

The EU's PFAS draft proposal states that all PFAS manufacturing, sales, distribution, and use should be banned, though the regulation will still exclude some medicinal products and other plant protective products. Time-limited exemptions for either all PFAS or fluoropolymers/perfluoropolyethers may be allowed for some applications. For these specially identified applications, either 6.5 or 13.5 years will be allowed before the restrictions become active, depending on parameters such as the commercial availability of non-PFAS.

The SEAC and RAC held various meetings in 2024 to discuss the EU PFAS ban according to different sectors. They plan to meet again in 2025 to discuss specific applications, including lubricants, medical devices, electronics, and semiconductors. The outcomes of these meetings, including whether any negative impacts of banning PFAS would outweigh the positives, will be made available to the public once they are finalised and agreed upon. If these conclusions are reached and reviewed by the EU Parliament by 2026, the earliest possible date for the entry of these restrictions would be 2027.

PFAS in sustainable food packaging

Paper and fibre-based packaging, which have long been considered sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics, have used PFAS coatings on them to prevent oil and water from escaping. However, it has been discovered that these PFAS could potentially migrate into the food itself and into the environment (once the packaging is landfilled), raising the question of whether this application presents just as much environmental risks as single-use plastic packaging.

In the US, PFAS in food contact materials (FCM) has largely been gradually phased out on federal level, but it has been officially banned in twelve states, including California and Washington. In the EU, while Denmark has banned PFAS in FCM since 2020, the rest have limited this specific PFAS application with the passage of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Restriction in 2024, which bans PFAS in FCM.

Consumer awareness and growing regulations are also starting to put pressure on other countries to implement similar restrictions, and this awareness of PFAS' potential harm is not just applicable to sustainable food packaging. IDTechEx's report also covers many other sectors that use PFAS, including electric vehicles, ion exchange membranes, thermal management for data centers, low-loss materials for 5G, and seals and gaskets for high-tech applications, and the discussions that are beginning to happen concerning these uses.