EU - Commission Review the Limit for PFOS under POPs Regulation

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Vol. 1482 | 03 Jul 2025

The EU updates PFOS limits under the POPs Regulation, aligning with PFOA standards, tightening contaminant thresholds, and removing specific exemptions.

On 27 Jun 2025, the European Commission (EU) approved Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/718 of 14 April 2025 to amend the unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and its derivatives under the Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 (POPs regulation).

Key updates of the regulation:

  • aligning the substance identification wording and unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) for PFOS with that of PFOA (Effective on 3 Dec 2025).
  • deleting point 4 for certain exemption and point 5 for test standards (Effective on 17 Jul 2025).

Beginning 3 Dec 2025, the requirements for PFOS, its salts and PFOS-related compounds shall be updated as below:

Item

Current Regulations

Updated Regulations

Restrict substances

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives (PFOS)

C8F17SO2X

(X = OH, Metal salt (O-M+), halide, amide, and other derivatives including polymers)

Perfluroctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and PFOS-related compounds

C8F17SO2X

(X = OH, Metal salt (O-M+), halide, amide, and other related compounds including polymers)

Requirements

Textile and coated material: < 1 µg/m²

Articles or parts thereof: < 0.1 %

PFOS and its salts: ≤ 0.025 mg/kg

PFOS-related compounds: ≤ 1 mg/kg

Access the update and detail via the following link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L_202500718

If you have further questions, please contact Dr. Kathy Leung (Kathy.Leung@intertek.com) or Dr. Ben Cheng (Ben.PS.Cheng@intertek.com)

Dr. Ben PS Cheng

Technical Manager, Global Softlines

With over 10 years of experience in the testing, inspection, and certification industry, Ben possesses extensive hands-on expertise in quality management and laboratory testing across various consumer product categories, including apparel and footwear. He has provided education and support to buyers and retailers on Restricted Substances Lists (RSL) and Manufacturing Restricted Substances Lists (MRSL), helping them develop effective product safety and compliance programs in line with industry best practices and the evolving legislative and regulatory landscape.

 Email: ben.ps.cheng@intertek.com

Dr. Kathy Leung

Senior Technical Director, Global Softlines

Dr. Kathy Leung has over 20 years of experience in the quality assurance industry, specializing in hazardous restricted substances testing for consumer goods, materials, and chemical formulations. She holds a PhD in Analytical and Environmental Chemistry. Dr. Leung actively contributes to industry standards as a member of LabTAC for AFIRM Group, the RSL Taskforce for AAFA, and the ZDHC Laboratory Advisory Group, sharing her expertise to enhance safety and compliance in the field.

Email: kathy.leung@intertek.com

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