Sona Dadhania of market intelligence agency IDTechEx affords a quick look into the worldwide regulatory panorama of PFAS, together with findings from the group’s new report “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2024: Rising Purposes, Options, Rules”.
The signing of the Stockholm Conference on Persistent Natural Pollution (POPs) in 2001 marked a historic second, because it was the primary international treaty aimed toward eliminating or proscribing chemical compounds dangerous to human and environmental well being. The addition of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) to the Conference in 2009 marked yet one more milestone, as PFOS and its associated substances grew to become the primary of the PFAS household to be regulated on a world stage. PFAS stands for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances and are colloquially known as “eternally chemical compounds” for his or her persistence within the setting. PFOS wouldn’t be the one “eternally chemical” regulated by the Conference, as PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFHxS (perfluorohexane sulfonate) had been added in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
Regardless of the Stockholm Conference’s worldwide attain, its inclusion of simply three PFAS chemical compounds solely scratches the floor of the PFAS household, which, beneath the OECD definition of PFAS, contains almost 5,000 substances. On condition that analysis is more and more figuring out additional dangers that completely different PFAS pose to human and environmental well being, activists and legislators worldwide are starting to take a extra lively strategy to regulating PFAS.
With a brand new framework of PFAS rules doubtlessly creating internationally, it’s important for companies to grasp the brand new PFAS regulatory panorama to establish its potential impact on them. That is notably related for companies in rising high-tech industries, whose applied sciences could depend on the utilization of PFAS. In IDTechEx’s report,
Asia-Pacific (APAC): Aligning with the Stockholm Conference
In main APAC international locations reminiscent of China, Japan, and South Korea, there seems to be a normal pattern in direction of adopting and imposing the restrictions on the particular PFAS outlined within the Stockholm Conference. That is most notable for China, which is a serious chemical producer (together with PFAS like PFOA). Nevertheless, China does seem like growing rules on its chemical business broadly, having revealed the primary Listing of New Pollution for Precedence Administration in 2023.
Nonetheless, for essentially the most half, APAC international locations don’t seem like transferring in direction of broader PFAS bans past these PFAS recognized within the Stockholm Conference. Nevertheless, there are some situations of PFAS rules being launched for particular industries. For instance, South Korea proposed the ban of 8 PFAS within the cosmetics business in 2022.
Europe: Essentially the most aggressive strategy to PFAS regulation
The introduction of the common PFAS restriction by the European Union (EU) was by far essentially the most aggressive strategy to regulating PFAS to be thought of. Beneath this restriction, the manufacture, import, and use of all PFAS could be banned within the EU, aside from very particular exceptions. At present, the European Fee is debating the proposal, having acquired over 5,000 from related stakeholders final yr.
The common PFAS proposal does enable for time-limited exceptions, the place sure industries missing an applicable different to PFAS or needing time to ramp up manufacturing of the choice would have extra time to adjust to rules. For instance, within the preliminary proposal, proton change membranes for gas cells had been recognized as an space requiring a time-limited exception. PFSA (perfluorosulfonic acid) membranes are key supplies on this area, and IDTechEx’s report examines potential options for this key fluorinated materials.
United States: A combined strategy to PFAS on a federal and state stage
The US (US) is a key financial marketplace for PFAS, however the approaches to PFAS rules within the US are removed from settled. For starters, the US is technically not a signatory to the Stockholm Conference. On a federal stage, the US Environmental Safety Company (EPA) is chargeable for regulating and managing dangerous chemical compounds, and a key precedence for the US EPA presently is to regulate the extent of PFAS present in municipal water provides. Nonetheless, at a federal stage, no PFAS is definitively banned; as a substitute, the US EPA has rules in place to forestall corporations from resuming the manufacture, import, and use of phased-out PFAS. There are additionally applications to encourage the voluntary part out of sure PFAS by corporations.
Nevertheless, on the state stage, there are much more aggressive rules on PFAS being adopted. Each Maine and Minnesota have adopted common PFAS restrictions just like the restrictions being debated within the EU. Different states are proscribing PFAS in key consumer-facing sectors, like meals packaging and cosmetics. A key market to watch can be California; they’re already proscribing PFAS in quite a few industries, and in 2024, a state legislator launched a invoice to ban all PFAS within the state.
For extra info on the IDTechEx report “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2024: Rising Purposes, Options, Rules”, together with downloadable pattern pages, go to www.IDTechEx.com/PFAS.
