The ZeroPM Regulatory Watch for August 2026 was full of important updates. It will sadly be the last of our regular Regulatory Watch updates as ZeroPM ends in September. We will be back next month with our final Regulatory Watch entry – a summary of Regulatory Activities that occurred during ZeroPM to address persistent and mobile substances.
EFSA lowers the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for TFA
EFSA’s experts have lowered the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for TFA to 0.014 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day. The new ADI is 3.5 times lower than the previous value, which was set at 0.05 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight. EFSA also set a new acute reference dose of 0.07 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight. The new values are based on new evidence that TFA can affect the body’s hormone system – more specifically levels of thyroxine, a hormone produced by the thyroid gland.
Sweden adopts national action plan on PFAS and is preparing a ban on PFAS in consumer products for 2028
On 23 July, the Swedish government submitted a proposal banning PFAS in clothing, footwear, impregnating agents for clothing and footwear kitchen utensils, cosmetics and ski wax. The ban is intended to apply from 1 January 2028. The national ban will be in place until the EU PFAS restriction comes into force, after which it will be lifted.
The ban is part of the National Action Plan for PFAS adopted on 23 July. The plan has six focus areas: 1) mapping emission pathways, 2) environmental, human and food product monitoring, 3) promoting technology development to prevent emissions and improve remediation, 4) identify and address contaminated sites and waste storage, 5) national PFAS phase out and 6) collaboration between authorities and other stakeholders. As part of the plan, Sweden will investigate, by November 2027, economic instruments to promote phase-out, reduce spread and reduce exposure to PFAS. A budget of SEK 85 million (EUR 7,7 million) was set aside to reduce the spread of PFAS in the environment and restore contaminated areas. The plan also mentions that Sweden has set up a working group tasks with developing a national strategy and associated action plan to address increasing levels of trifluorineacetic acid (TFA) and other ultra-short PFAS in the environment.
MEPs divided over changes to the Industrial Emissions Directive
MEPs from the Environment Committee have submitted in July amendments to the rapporteur’s draft report on the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive (through the Environmental Omnibus) published last month. The Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE) also submitted its opinion on the file on 14 July.
Strong divisions appear on the environmental management system. Several amendments from ENV Committee members and the ITRE Committee proposed to delete the obligation to have an EMS entirely. On the chemicals inventory, which the Commission and the ENV Committee’s rapporteur proposed to delete, some MEPs (Greens and S&D) suggested to fully reinstate it, or to maintain it with a more limited scope, including substances with harmonised CLP classification and PFAS that have an EQS or groundwater quality standard (Renew).
On the establishment of emission limit values, although the Commission proposal does not amend those provisions (Article 15), the rapporteur from the ENV Committee proposed to remove the requirement for national authorities to set in the permit ‘the strictest achievable ELV’ across the BAT-AEL range. MEPs from the Greens and Renew defended keeping the current text of the IED unchanged, while other groups (EPP/ECR) and the ITRE Committee supported relaxing the rules. S&D MEPs have also proposed strengthening rules on indirect releases, with several additional conditions: that indirect release do not compromise achieving good ecological status, that the competent authority consults with the wastewater treatment plant operator and verifies that the treatment plant has sufficient capacity to accommodate the indirect release, and that no indirect releases of heavy metals, PBTs, or substances that would compromise safe application of sewage sludge to agricultural land are tolerated.
The adoption of the Environment Committee report on the is planned for early November 2026, and adoption of the Parliament’s position in plenary is tentatively set for 11 November.
EU ban on PFAS in food packaging enters into force this month
From 12 August 2026, it will no longer be permitted to place on the market food-contact packaging containing PFAS above the threshold defined in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (25 ÎĽg/kg for individual non-polymeric PFAS, 250 ÎĽg/kg for the sum of non-polymeric PFAS and 50 mg/kg for total (polymeric and non-polymeric) PFAS).
Upcoming consultation deadlines:
No consultation deadline this month.
More information of actions related to persistent and mobile substances
For more information of regulations under the regulatory watch, as well as a Gantt Chart of the roll out, continuously updated spreadsheet and more information, please visit https://zeropm.eu/regulatory-watch/