IDTechEx, a research and tech analysis company is exploring sustainability trends and regulations for PFAS chemicals.
PFAS are a family of synthetic compounds, comprising thousands of chemicals. They can be distinguished by their fluorine content. Well-established application areas include pesticides, non-stick cookware, paints, and firefighting foams, with industrial applications including aviation, clean energy, and automotive.
PFAS chemicals can be found in drinking water, having travelled from industrial manufacturing sites and consumer products through many avenues to surface water sources and rain, eventually ending up in drinking water. PFAS contamination is a major concern because these types of chemicals are persistent and bio-accumulative; recent research shows that they can interact with the body’s natural processes. In Europe, there are at least 23,000 known sites where PFAS contamination occurs, and at least 1,245 known sites in the US, highlighting the global need for regulation.
Regulations and the EU Restriction Proposal
IDTechEx’s report, PFAS Treatment 2025-2035: Technologies, Regulations, Players, Applications, explores possibilities for regulations on PFAS within different sectors, focused mostly on drinking water. The US recently imposed a 4 ppt (parts per trillion) limit on two PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) in drinking water, while Canada regulates 25 individual PFAS in drinking water.
The EU’s Universal PFAS Restriction Proposal would see all PFAS manufacturing and distribution banned in the EU. However, time-limited exemptions for specific application areas, like semiconductor manufacturing, would prevent this regulation from impacting in the short term, with certain product types and manufacturing sectors not likely to see change for a few years, if at all. However, IDTechEx’s outlook for progress on this Restriction Proposal could potentially see an updated draft for the proposal being introduced in 2025. Developing such regulations highlights a sustainability-focused approach to the governance of many industries.
IDTechEx finds that while some PFAS alternatives are emerging, just needing to be mass-produced to feasibly act as replacements, other areas currently don’t have existing replacement options and therefore require more time before becoming strictly regulated. IDTechEx’s PFAS Treatment report goes into detail about various national and regional approaches to PFAS regulations and their impact on high-tech industries.
