Universal PFAS restriction: ECHA webinar on the SEAC consultation
ECHA held a webinar dedicated to consulting on the SEAC draft opinion on the universal restriction of PFAS, which is scheduled for March 2026. The webinar invited stakeholders to contribute to this crucial stage of the process
24 Nov 2025On 30 October 2025, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) held an informative webinar about the consultation on the Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis' (SEAC) draft opinion on the proposal for a universal restriction on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The draft opinion prepared by SEAC will include general considerations such as analysis of alternatives and assessment of costs and benefits, as well as specific details relating to the original 14 sectors included in the proposal. ECHA has recommended that the eight additional sectors proposed by the five competent authorities in the updated version of the restriction be excluded.
The consultation will launch in March 2026 and last for 60 days. It will be conducted via a structured questionnaire on the EUSurvey system, accessible via an EU Login account. Participants will be asked to provide information on the potential socio-economic impacts of the restriction, as well as on the availability and feasibility of alternatives, referencing all sectors involved (14+8).
In the meantime, ECHA will publish a series of supporting documents, including:
- questions included in the questionnaire and instructions for completing it (scheduled for publication in mid-December);
- mapping of PFAS uses assessed by SEAC (available since 5 November 2025);
- slides and a recording of the webinar (available since 30 October).
We therefore invite interested companies to seize this opportunity to contribute actively to this crucial phase of the process, which began on 13 January 2023. Normachem S.r.l. can assist you with collecting the necessary data and preparing useful comments and evidence to submit to ECHA.