ECHA has published the Annex XV report for the restriction proposal on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) ahead of the planned start of a six-month consultation period, due to start on 22 March.
The proposal, one of the broadest in the history of the EU, covers around 10,000 PFAS and was submitted to the Agency in January by the authorities of five Member States: Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
An online information session is planned for 5 April, to explain the restriction process and inform those interested in participating in the consultation. The related ECHA news article gives more information on timings and procedure.
This restriction proposal is truly a landmark moment for the chemicals industry, and not just in the EU – countries around the world are watching the proposal closely, scrutinising the progress as a potential benchmark for their own regulatory decisions surrounding the hotly debated group of chemicals, and taking it into account for wider use of grouping of chemical substances in the regulatory sphere going forward.
Whilst it is too soon to predict exactly what will happen, we know that the UK authorities are already making their own evaluations to determine the future of PFAS in the UK chemicals industry. One great place to get more information on upcoming regulatory action is our REACH: Current Landscape and Emerging Issues (CLEI) event, running on 27 April. With speakers from the regulators – including Defra as the policy lead on UK REACH, and HSE as the UK REACH authority – there’s no better event to attend. Book before 27 March to secure our early booking rate!
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) have announced their intention to revoke Annex VIII to GB CLP using the powers granted under the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill, following a conclusion that the costs to industry will outweigh the benefits.
