ACEA — 2023-10-04
News from Brussels
This joint statement is signed by key sectors needed to achieve the EU’s strategic autonomy and enable the digital and clean energy transitions, including net-zero technologies that are necessary to reach the EU’s climate and energy objectives.
The PFAS restriction proposal drafted by five European countries and presented to the ECHA in January 2023 is an important pillar of the EU’s Chemicals Strategy. The co-signatories acknowledge the proposal’s rationale to regulate PFAS further, and we support such efforts. However, the restriction could have dire consequences for the EU’s clean technology sectors if it takes a PFAS-group approach, including fluoropolymers, while not factoring in the substances’ specific profile and judging them on their merits.
With the proper legislative framework in place to address fluoropolymers’ lifecycle emissions, the Commission and ECHA should grant an exemption for fluoropolymer production (including relevant raw materials) and use in industrial applications. This exemption should be coupled with the development of an appropriate regulatory framework.
''With the proper legislative framework in place to address fluoropolymers’ lifecycle emissions, the European Commission and ECHA should grant an exemption for fluoropolymer production and use in industrial applications.''