Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Not Addressed
The Government should adopt an essential-use approach to regulating PFAS, prioritising the rapid restriction of...
Recommendation
The Government should adopt an essential-use approach to regulating PFAS, prioritising the rapid restriction of PFAS in non-essential applications. Clearly defined exemptions should be set for essential uses, with time-limited derogations where substitutes are still being developed. (Recommendation, Paragraph 46)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response outlines its involvement in international initiatives and general research efforts to understand and manage PFAS risks, but it does not address the specific recommendation to adopt an essential-use approach for regulating PFAS and restricting non-essential applications.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
A key outcome of the PFAS Plan is enabling industry to transition away from PFAS use towards safer alternatives. As set out in our response to recommendation 3, this includes drawing from final EU REACH regulatory decisions unless there are compelling reasons to diverge. We await to see how the final EU REACH universal PFAS restriction applies to non-essential applications. We are currently working across government to explore the most effective routes to address risks and will consider (if applicable) where essential-use approaches, or other relevant approaches – such as the EU use, have been helpful in other countries. The PFAS Plan sets out that we will need to support the transition to safer alternatives whilst recognising where critical PFAS uses are still currently needed. Where PFAS are used to deliver important societal or environmental benefits, such as in certain medical applications, decisions on any exemptions or continued uses will be made by Ministers in light of the available evidence, including consideration of risks, benefits and the availability of suitable alternatives. Any risks associated with PFAS should be carefully managed throughout their lifecycle to protect people and the environment. Care must also be taken to ensure that efforts to reduce PFAS use do not lead to unintended adverse environmental impacts. While the essential use concept has been applied to smaller groups of chemicals, extending it to PFAS presents additional complexities. The EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (2020) proposed applying the concept to PFAS, but the EU is currently considering a broad PFAS restriction under REACH. As this process is ongoing, the final approach has yet to be determined. The proposal and associated scientific assessments consider factors such as the availability of alternatives and the time required for transition, with the overall aim of reducing PFAS-related risks while supporting a move to safer alternatives where appropriate.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗