On March 26th, 2026, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) officially opened the public consultation procedure for the opinions of the Committee for Social and Economic Analysis (SEAC) on the draft proposal on the restriction of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), with a total consultation period of 60 days until May 25th, 2026. Enterprises can join industry associations to submit reasonable feedback and exemption applications to ECHA based on their own product characteristics and industry reality, focusing on the particularity of product application scenarios and technical bottlenecks of alternative solutions, so as to strive for favorable compliance conditions to the greatest extent.
Participants in public consultation
This consultation is open to all stakeholders, including industry representatives, NGOs, producers/developers of PFAS substitutes, scientific research institutions and the public.
Mode of public consultation
This consultation takes the form of structured investigation, focusing on the specific economic and social impacts that may be caused by restricting the application of PFAS in various industries in the SEAC draft opinions, as well as specific data and information on the availability and feasibility of substitutes. At present, ECHA has published Consultation Guidelines and Mapping of PFAS Uses to help stakeholders prepare and submit information. Relevant participants need to read the draft opinions of SEAC carefully and follow the guidance documents to ensure that the opinions are valuable to SEAC.
Note: The hazards and risk assessment of PFAS to human health and ecological environment belong to the opinions of ECHA Risk Assessment Committee (RAC), and this public consultation will not be taken into consideration.
Next move
SEAC will strictly evaluate the relevant information collected during the public consultation to confirm or revise the conclusions in the draft opinions, and expect to adopt the final opinions before the end of 2026, when the scientific evaluation stage of the proposals by ECHA committees will officially end. Based on the final opinions of RAC and SEAC, the European Commission will draw up the draft restrictive measures, and submit them to the REACH Committee composed of representatives of EU member states for discussion and voting. After the vote is passed, the relevant restrictions will come into effect, and enterprises need to strictly comply with the regulations.
Corporate compliance advice
1. Global investigation: immediately carry out global investigation on the use of PFAS within the enterprise, make clear the types, contents, application scenarios of PFAS in the product and PFAS delivery paths in the upstream and downstream supply chains, and accurately identify compliance risk points;
2. Document study: organize a professional compliance team to deeply study the draft opinions of SEAC, the consultation guide and the PFAS use map issued by ECHA, and accurately grasp the official regulatory guidance and feedback requirements;
3. Collaborative linkage: strengthen collaboration with industry associations and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, jointly carry out feedback and exemption applications, integrate industry data and empirical evidence, and enhance the professionalism and influence of appeal transmission;
4. Technical layout: increase investment in research and development and application of PFAS alternative technology, carry out special research on existing technical bottlenecks, and simultaneously investigate the global supply channels of compliant substitutes to realize the transformation from "passive compliance" to "active layout";
5. Compliance evaluation: entrust professional chemical testing and certification institutions to carry out PFAS testing and product compliance evaluation, identify compliance risks in advance, and formulate targeted rectification plans.
Warm tips
The EU's global restriction on PFAS is an important signal for the upgrading of global chemical environmental protection control, and it is also a new compliance threshold for enterprises to export to the EU. ZRLK suggested that relevant enterprises should carry out early detection, early self-examination and early rectification to ensure that the products put on the market meet the regulatory requirements and avoid unnecessary economic losses. Our company has a professional technical team and rich experience in product testing, which can help you easily understand whether the products are safe and compliant. If you need it, please feel free to contact us, and our engineers will serve you at the first time!
