Balanced Approach Needed to Regulate PFAS in Electronics

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The very broad per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) group has widespread use in both consumer and highly specialized applications, including, perhaps surprisingly, green technologies. Among these, the fluoropolymers subgroup plays a complex and critical role in electronics. To date, there are hardly any technically comparable alternatives.

The electronics industry is facing a major regulatory and business challenge as inconsistent policies on potential PFAS restrictions in electronics are emerging across regions worldwide, and, in the U.S., in different states. Some states and regions exclude specific types of fluoropolymers from broad bans (for instance, policies in New Mexico or Canada), while others don’t. The Draft Background Document developed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) proposes time-limited derogations for specific PFAS applications, but these are insufficient when no technically comparable alternative exists today.

Given other ongoing and upcoming chemical bans for critical uses in electronics and the global nature of manufacturing and operations in our industry, broad PFAS bans that do not account for their function-critical properties risk creating significant technical and socio-economic challenges for our industry. It also creates a disruptive impact on businesses, which we aim to avoid. This is why PFAS advocacy work is crucial and a priority for the Association.

ECHA will release its final Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) opinion and Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC) draft opinion at the end of March, and a consultation window on the SEAC draft opinion will be open for two months. Please consult our blog here, and the information in this article on how to prepare for the consultation.

To continue reading this article, which originally appeared in the March 2026 edition of SMT007 Magazine, click here.