Is this the End of PFAS Production and Trade? - Maybe

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been embedded in chemical industry value chains for more than half a century, underpinning applications ranging from fluoropolymers and refrigerants to advanced electronics, aerospace components, and specialised surface treatments.

Yet consumer concerns and political will have built up momentum to curtail, restrict, or phase out large segments of the PFAS family. The resulting regulatory pressures and sustained litigation are forcing several chemical producers to step away from product lines containing PFAS.

This has left chemical industry professionals asking if we are witnessing the end of “forever chemicals”?  Or is this merely a time for these useful, industrial feedstocks to evolve and remain as marketable chemical products only in modified forms?

Yes—This is the Beginning of the End for PFAS

Significant developments on the demise of PFAS have come thick and fast over the last twelve months as lawsuits heighten the risk on their use.

BASF, for example, recently announced that, “… it would “remove” products formulated with PFAS chemicals from its portfolio covered by the EU’s proposal.” Although the company did not specify when the process would be completed. The Financial Times has also reported that, Ecolab, the US-based chemicals producer, “… said it would phase out products manufactured “intentionally” with PFAS from its portfolio by the end of 2026.” While a CBS news report stated that the US chemicals manufacturer 3M has also claimed its plans to end PFAS production globally are “on schedule.”

In fact, the FT notes, that an annual survey of the chemical industry conducted by campaign group ChemSec, found that, “one-third of chemicals producers planned to end their use of PFAS.”

Clearly, for many chemical producers, the cost–benefit equation has fundamentally changed. Even companies not directly involved see mounting risk from environmental monitoring, remediation obligations, and product-liability exposure, all of which represent substantial financial burdens. Exiting high-risk PFAS chemistries is therefore seen not only as risk mitigation but as capital discipline.

Regulators, meanwhile, are continuing to tighten the screws, led by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) which is advancing its wide-ranging PFAS restriction proposals which could severely limit production and use across multiple sectors.

Public and customer pressure is also reinforcing the decline of PFAS, with brands in textiles, packaging, cookware, and consumer goods having already publicly committed to PFAS-free policies and products. As downstream manufacturers pivot to alternative chemical products, raw material suppliers face a commercial imperative to offer compliant solutions. This demand shift is feeding investment into non-fluorinated repellents, polymer coatings, and advanced barrier materials, such as those provided by nanotechnologies.

While progress on alternatives is uneven, the direction of travel is clear, with many high-volume applications now having replacements available or emerging at pace.

Finally, internal sustainability frameworks within the chemical industry are becoming more assertive. ESG reporting, particularly on hazardous substances and environmental persistence, is driving portfolio reassessment. This is resulting in chemical companies which are not even legally compelled to stop using or producing PFAS to strategically divest from them to strengthen their long-term market position as ‘toxin-free’.

Taking together major producer withdrawals, regulatory acceleration, customer pressure, market alternatives, and liability considerations, there is a credible argument that the PFAS landscape is undergoing such a structural shift that its demise is imminent. While some outlying sectors and applications may remain, for the most part, the end of PFAS may indeed be approaching.

Or is it?

To learn more about how this maybe isn’t the end of PFAS production and trade and how a chemical market for these products will likely continue well into the future, read the second part of this article: Is this the End of PFAS Production and Trade? – Maybe Not.

Photo credit: Pixabay, Wirestock, bugphai, & Freepik, Gencraft