EU Tightens Restrictions on PFOS Under POPs Regulation

The European Commission has adopted Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/718, introducing stricter controls on perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and its derivatives under the EU's regulation on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The amendment, which entered into force on July 17, 2025, aligns PFOS restrictions with those already in place for similar substances like PFOA.

Key changes include significantly tighter concentration limits for PFOS as unintentional trace contaminant, which will apply from December 3, 2025. The regulation also removes the specific exemption that allowed PFOS to be used as a mist suppressant in non-decorative hard chromium (VI) plating, as it is no longer deemed necessary.

What this means for business

Companies that manufacture or import products containing PFOS must now ensure they meet the much stricter concentration limits by the December 2025 deadline. Industries that previously relied on the exemption for chromium plating must have fully substituted PFOS in their processes.

Source: Official Journal of the EU