WDK welcomes PFAS rethink, rejects EU chemicals plan as ‘bureaucratic fix’

Frankfurt am Main, Germany – The German rubber industry association (WDK) has welcomed a decision by the European Commission to move away from a blanket ban on PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds) but has voiced concerns over a string of other measures set out in its new Chemicals Industry Action Plan.

Unveiled 8 July, the action plan is intended to boost competitiveness and modernise the sector by tackling key challenges such as high energy costs, unfair global competition, and weak demand, while promoting investment in innovation and sustainability.

Among other measures, the blueprint proposes a "science-based" PFAS restriction, while allowing continued use in "critical applications under strict conditions where no alternatives exist."

Welcoming the move, WDK managing director Boris Engelhardt said the Commission’s new approach to PFAS takes “a risk-based view,” and recognises that “PFAS cannot be replaced in industrial and healthcare products.”

However, Engelhardt said, “exceptions are also needed for other applications such as vehicle and aircraft construction or energy generation, where fluoroelastomers are irreplaceable."

Elsewhere, commenting on the new action plan, the WDK boss warned the plan amounted to “a funding programme for bureaucracy.”

This, he said, was "bureaucrats treating bureaucracy as the cure for over-bureaucracy.” 

The association questioned the proposed creation of a new Critical Chemicals Alliance (CCA), which is intended to “develop criteria to identify critical production sites and chemicals.”

This, WDK said, is simply “more bureaucratic structures for more bureaucratic frameworks,” with no clear timeline or path to implementation.

The Commission’s stated aim to increase controls on imported chemicals also raised concern.

Citing past experience with EU regulations such as supply chain laws, Engelhardt said, the move will mean “shifting monitoring obligations to processors based in the EU, causing massive compliance burdens.”

WDK also criticised Brussels’ plans to expand authorisations for state subsidies that offset emissions trading costs in some chemical sectors.

“Why not address the root causes instead of creating new subsidy cases?” Engelhardt asked.

This approach, he said, will add “new bureaucratic hurdles and maximum access restrictions for industry.”

The industry leader also questioned further proposals to define “content requirements” and set “resilience and sustainability criteria” for key lead markets.

Instead of ‘bureaucratic acts’, Engelhardt called for practical support for the chemical industry and the associated value chain.

On a positive note, WDK welcomed a move by the Commission to withdraw EU rules on font size and line spacing for packaging, a move that could save the industry €363 million a year.

“This gives an idea of what the massive cost consequences for the industry will look like in the event of really drastic European corporate regulations,” Engelhardt concluded.

But Engelhardt called this a modest relief measure, adding that it “gives a hint” of the massive costs imposed by wider EU business regulations.