The UK will follow the EU’s eventual decision on the proposed universal restriction of PFAS as part of a wider shift towards closer alignment with the bloc on chemicals regulation, a senior Defra official has told Chemical Watch News & Insight.
The comments from Marc Casale, deputy director for chemicals at the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), mark the clearest indication yet that the government is prepared to align with the EU on what is set to become the most far‑reaching restriction under REACH. The announcement comes despite longstanding expectations that the UK could pursue a more business‑friendly or divergent approach.
The position is notable given that earlier UK work had pointed to a more targeted restriction covering "hundreds" of substances, while the EU has advanced a group-wide proposal targeting around 10,000 PFAS through a single, wide‑ranging measure.
Speaking on the sidelines of the annual CHEMUK expo in Birmingham, UK, Casale said the government would align with the EU decision "whatever the outcome", adding that divergence would occur only in exceptional circumstances, such as for defence uses or where restrictions could compromise national security.
However, he told a panel discussion earlier that the UK would wait for the EU to finalise its decision on the PFAS restriction – expected after the end of the year – before formally laying out its own approach to the measure.
"We have to look at the final restriction proposal when it comes out. It is still a moving proposal [in the EU]," Casale told delegates.
The government is pursuing closer alignment with the EU under REACH reforms expected to be finalised by December 2028 and has committed to mirroring EU restriction and authorisation decisions, with divergence limited to "exceptional circumstances".
Darren Abrahams, partner at law firm Steptoe, told Chemical Watch News & Insight that approach would make it difficult for the UK to depart from the union’s PFAS dossier. "Given its stated commitment to EU alignment – save in exceptional circumstances – it would be hard to imagine the UK not aligning with the EU’s most far-reaching proposal on a universal PFAS restriction."
Shifting approach
However, the position appears at odds with comments made by both environment minister Emma Hardy and Casale at a parliamentary hearing on PFAS in February, where they defended the UK’s more incremental approach to grouping and restricting chemicals.
Under the UK model, regulators would identify and prioritise substances of greatest concern before expanding restrictions over time, they said, adding this would avoid the unintended consequences of a blanket ban.
By contrast, the EU’s approach starts with a broad, universal restriction proposal covering the entire group, which is then refined through exemptions and, in some cases, lengthy derogations.
The European Commission is expected to present its PFAS restriction proposal after ECHA’s Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) delivers its final opinion, due by the end of the year.
While SEAC and the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) are backing a universal restriction with derogations, industry has stepped up calls for splitting consumer and industrial uses. It argues that industrial applications can be managed under other legislation, warning that a one-size-fits-all approach would be "catastrophic" for an already struggling chemicals sector.
Meanwhile, after a year-long inquiry into the government’s handling of PFAS, the UK’s cross-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) in April called for an urgent phase-out of non-essential uses, including in food packaging, cookware and school uniforms, with restrictions introduced from 2027.
The committee also urged the government to adopt a group‑based approach to regulating PFAS, rather than relying on targeted bans.