tags

Chemical
PoPs
EU Proposes to Include Three Persistent Pollutants under POPs Regulation

On November 21, 2025, the European Commission released three draft proposals to upgrade and integrate three categories of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)—chlorpyrifos, medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), and long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (C9-21 PFCAs)—into Part A of Annex I to the EU POPs Regulation (EU) 2019/1021. The move aims to comprehensively prohibit their production, circulation, and use within the EU, with only minimal transitional exemptions granted to a very limited number of industries.

EU POPs Regulation Adds Restriction on UV328

On May 5, 2025, the European Commission approved an authorization regulation C(2025)2567, proposing to add control requirements for UV-328 in Part A of Annex I of the EU POPs Regulation. The European Commission published the amendment to the POPs Regulation — (EU) 2025/843 — in its Official Journal on July 15, 2025, officially listing UV328 in the EU POPs Regulation’s list of banned substances. With this, the list of banned substances in Annex I of the EU POPs Regulation has officially been expanded from 30 to 31 items. A new entry for UV-328 has been added to Part A of Annex I.

EU Amends POPs Regulation, Extends Transition Period for PFOA-Containing Firefighting Foams and UTC Limits

On July 14, 2025, the Official Journal of the EU formally adopted Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1399, which revises the control provisions related to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and PFOA-related compounds in Annex I of the EU Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation (EU 2019/1021). The European Commission will assess member states' progress in replacing PFOA-containing systems by the end of 2026 and may further adjust limits based on implementation outcomes.

POPs Update | Adoption of Reduced PFOS Limits, European Exporters Must Pay Attention!

On April 14, 2025, the European Commission adopted the draft amendment to the POPs Regulation published on December 4, 2023. This draft aims to revise the restriction requirements for Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS). In the future, the European Commission will publish the revised POPs Regulation in the Official Journal of the European Union, officially enacting the new restrictions for PFOS.

EU has Added a Ban on Methoxychlor and Lowered the UTC Limit for HBCCD in the POPs Regulation

On September 27, 2024, the European Commission published the amendments to the POPs Regulation — (EU) 2024/2555 and (EU) 2024/2570 — in its Official Journal. These amendments officially reduce the unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) limit for hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) from 100 mg/kg to 75 mg/kg and add methoxychlor (also known as methoxychlor) to the list of banned substances under the EU POPs Regulation. These amendments will take effect on the 20th day following their publication in the Official Journal, which is October 17, 2024. With this, the list of banned substances in Annex I of the EU POPs Regulation officially expands from 29 to 30 items.