ESA urges EU to carve out sealing applications from PFAS ban

The European Sealing Association (ESA) has urged EU regulators to exclude fluoropolymers and perfluoroelastomers used in sealing applications from the proposed blanket restriction on PFAS chemicals. In a statement issued 28 July 2026, ESA’s ESG director Sandy Van den Broeck argued that a “horizontal, duty-based exclusion” tied to containment performance and credible end-of-life controls would be the most effective regulatory approach. The call follows the closure of the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) public consultation on 25 May 2026, which drew 3,511 comments from over 3,200 organisations and 250 individuals. ESA highlighted that sealing applications—including high-performance seals, gaskets, O-rings, mechanical seals, packings, and expansion joints—operate under demanding conditions and contribute roughly €20 billion in output and 54,900 full-time equivalent jobs across Europe. According to Van den Broeck, substitution is either technically unfeasible or cannot be achieved within the required timeframe for many critical applications. The ESA warns that a blanket PFAS restriction could lead to increased fugitive emissions if non-equivalent alternatives are adopted prematurely. The association is now considering developing a proactive position paper, supported by a risk assessment database for non-PFAS materials, to assist future sector-specific investigations by ECHA’s committees. SEAC is expected to finalise its opinion by the end of 2026, with the European Commission subsequently preparing a restriction proposal for EU member states to review under REACH.