PFAS in the EU: State of regulation and our position

Since 2023, the EU has been negotiating a comprehensive restriction on PFAS substances, which also includes the FEVE fluoropolymers used in our metal facade coatings. We are actively engaged in the consultation process and want to keep you informed with facts.

What this is about

ECHA has been reviewing a group-based ban on more than 10,000 PFAS substances since 2023, including fluoropolymers such as FEVE and PVDF. The main reason is their persistence in the environment. At the same time, the ongoing procedure increasingly shows that authorities are differentiating between risk profiles within the PFAS family, for example between mobile, small-molecule substances and large, immobile polymers such as ours.

As a manufacturer of FEVE coatings for high-quality, long-lasting facades, we are directly affected by this procedure. Below is a compact overview of our submissions to date and the current status.

Our 2023 Submission

In our first statement to ECHA, we demonstrated that, across the entire value chain of FEVE coatings, from production through application to disposal, practically no PFAS is released into the environment. This was based, among other things, on eluate tests conducted together with the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and on incineration trials showing that FEVE mineralises without residue when disposed of properly.

Longevity was also a key argument: a FEVE facade needs to be renewed far less often than one coated with conventional systems, which saves resources, energy and CO₂.

The process since 2023

• January 2023 Five EU member states submit the original restriction proposal to ECHA.
• 2023 First public consultation. Over 5,600 submissions from industry and academia are received, including ours.
• August 2025 The dossier submitters publish a revised proposal that takes additional sectors and more differentiated exemptions into account.
• March 2026 RAC (risk assessment) adopts its final opinion, SEAC (socio-economic assessment) publishes its draft. Both fundamentally support an EU-wide restriction with time-limited exemptions.
• Until 25 May 2026 Second public consultation on the SEAC opinion. We actively participated with a detailed, fact-based submission. A total of 3,559 submissions were received.
• Outlook SEAC plans to adopt its final opinion during the course of 2026. The European Commission will then decide on the specific design of the regulation. A binding date for a possible entry into force has not yet been set. It is expected that a possible ban could take effect in 2030, with a transition period.

Our arguments at a glance

In the ongoing consultation, we have further sharpened our position and backed it with concrete figures. The key points:

• CHEMISTRY – No way out without a loss of performance: FEVE is cross-linked with isocyanate hardeners into a polyurethane network. The PFAS is contained in the polyol component. Switching to PFAS-free polyols is possible and would indeed eliminate the PFAS, but it would significantly shorten the coating’s lifespan, since it is precisely this PFAS structure that gives FEVE its high weather resistance and colour stability.
• SAFETY Persistence without bioaccumulation: The PFAS in FEVE are high-molecular-weight polymers. Due to their size and insolubility, they do not accumulate in organisms and are not acutely toxic. The persistence is real, but the risk profile differs significantly from that of small-molecule PFAS.
• TECHNOLOGY No equivalent alternative: Alternative systems such as HDP already begin to chalk after around 10 years under Central European conditions. The highest performance classes under EN 10169, GSB 10-year, Qualicoat Class 3 and AAMA 2605 are currently achieved only with fluoropolymers.
• ECONOMICS Lower life-cycle costs: Example calculation for a hospital facade of 10,000 m² over 40 years: maintenance costs of around EUR 1.95 million with alternative coatings, compared with around EUR 150,000 with FEVE.

Wider-reaching effects: Fluoropolymer coatings enable a lasting cool-roof effect against urban overheating, reduce maintenance through their self-cleaning surface, and are relevant for critical infrastructure such as hospitals and airports, where reliability over decades is essential.

Differentiation in practice – Not all PFAS are the same

We do not dispute that there are legitimate environmental concerns regarding certain PFAS applications. However, a recent development shows that science itself is already differentiating by risk profile and molecular structure, which supports our call for a differentiated rather than a blanket ban.

Numerous research projects are currently under way worldwide investigating the microbial and enzymatic degradation of PFAS in contaminated soils, including at universities in North America and Europe. This research targets mobile, small-molecule PFAS compounds, not solid, high-molecular-weight fluoropolymers such as FEVE in a cured coating. The two material classes differ fundamentally in structure, mobility and environmental behaviour.

Such research efforts need time to develop economically viable and scientifically sound solutions. A blanket ban that ignores this distinction would deny ongoing research that time, while at the same time affecting applications that have nothing to do with the actual environmental problem.

Resources and longevity – Longgevity as resource conservation

Only fluoropolymer coatings such as FEVE and PVDF achieve a lifespan of more than 50 years in terms of color stability, gloss retention and chalking under Central European conditions. Other binder systems degrade considerably faster under UV exposure and weathering. In practice, these systems already show noticeable chalking, loss of gloss and color change after just a few years, which affects not only appearance but, above all, the protective function of the coating.

Once the protective function is no longer in place, extensive renovation or complete replacement of the facade becomes necessary. A facade protected with fluoropolymers, with a service life of more than 50 years, is therefore considerably more resource-efficient than a facade that has to be completely renewed after an average of just 10 years. This logic aligns directly with the goals of the European Green Deal: the European Commission notes that 50 percent of extracted raw materials are processed in the construction sector, that over 35 percent of waste generated in the EU comes from the construction industry, and that 5 to 12 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions are caused by raw material extraction, the manufacture of construction products, and the construction and renovation of buildings. The construction sector is therefore at the heart of the European circular economy strategy, and the revised Construction Products Regulation, which has applied EU-wide since January 2026, accordingly requires information on the lifespan and resource efficiency of construction products.

A coating that protects a facade for more than 50 years rather than 10 years therefore not only reduces costs but also makes a direct contribution to the goals the Green Deal sets for the construction sector: less consumption of raw materials, less waste, fewer emissions. When one further considers that the world population consumes on average 1.75 times as many ecological resources as the Earth provides each year1, it becomes clear that the longevity of products such as metal facades is not a side issue but a key lever for resource conservation. 1 According to calculations by the US-based environmental organisation Global Footprint Network.

For you as a customer – What this means in practice

• 01 FEVE coatings from Monopol remain fully available without restriction. There are currently no immediate changes for ongoing or planned projects.
• 02 A final decision by the European Commission is still pending. Should a restriction be introduced, transition periods are to be expected, the exact duration of which is currently subject to the consultation.
• 03 We are following the process closely, engaging through our industry associations as well as with our own submissions, and will keep you informed of significant developments.