ECHA webinar on the public consultation of PFAS
During an online webinar on 7 May 2026, ECHA provided information on the ongoing public consultation regarding the planned restriction on PFAS, which remains open until 25 May 2026. Both the Chairman of the RAC, Mr Roberto Scazzola, and the Chairwoman of the SEAC, Ms Maria Ottati, outlined the current status of the draft restricion and answered questions from participants.
The key message was that both committees support the regulation of the PFAS substance group and regard a restriction as an appropriate instrument. For applications where no alternative technologies are available, exemptions with derogations of five or twelve years are envisaged, each supplemented by a transition period of 18 months. At the same time, the RAC emphasised that risk minimisation measures remain necessary even for derogated applications.
For surface technology, the SEAC draft looks as follows:
Of particular relevance to our members is that the planned regulation applies not only to PFAS-containing wetting agents but also to materials such as PVDF, which are widely used in plant engineering and electroplating. Furthermore, there is a direct link between PFAS-containing wetting agents used for aerosol reduction and the planned exposure limits under the proposed Cr(VI) restriction. Consequently, two different regulatory processes are currently developing in the same use segment in completely opposite directions.
We are not sure whether this effect is being given sufficient consideration at the decision-making levels of the committees. Please read the Executive Board’s commentary on this issue:
“Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?
The public consultation on PFAS runs until 25 May 2026. We would therefore like to expressly encourage you to actively participate in this process with your company and to take the opportunity to help shape future regulation in surface technology.
We would also like to invite you once again to our joint online information webinar with the ZVO on the PFAS Public Consultation on 11 May at 2.00 pm. You can expect tips and practical guidance on how to participate in the Public Consultation on PFAS.
Link to join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/325770944630838?p=8ysa26GyhxNQ0dQjWs
The presentations from the ECHA webinar are available via the following link, as well as in the members area of our website.
Vecco Executive Board