EU REACH Restriction on PFHxA (Perfluorohexanoic Acid) and Related Substances (Regulation (EU) 2024/2462)
ENFORCEMENT TIMELINE
In force since October 10, 2024 (phased application from April 10, 2026)
Overview
On September 19, 2024, the European Commission adopted Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462, which was published in the Official Journal on September 20, 2024. It adds entry 79 to Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation, restricting PFHxA (undecafluorohexanoic acid), its salts and PFHxA-related substances.
The entry prohibits placing on the market or using these substances at concentrations of 25 ppb or more (PFHxA and its salts combined) or 1,000 ppb or more (PFHxA-related substances combined) in the products it lists. The recitals describe PFHxA as very persistent and mobile in the aquatic environment, and note that large quantities of PFHxA-related substances are used in food-contact paper and cardboard, textiles and firefighting foams.
Enforcement Timeline
September 19, 2024: Regulation (EU) 2024/2462 is adopted and published in the Official Journal the next day (September 20, 2024).
October 10, 2024: The Regulation enters into force (the twentieth day after publication).
April 10, 2026: The restriction applies to firefighting foams for training and testing and for public fire services (except public fire services intervening at industrial fires at establishments covered by the Seveso Directive and using the foams only for that purpose).
October 10, 2026: The restriction applies to textiles, leather, furs and hides in clothing and related accessories for the general public, footwear for the general public, paper and cardboard used as food contact materials, mixtures for the general public, and cosmetic products.
October 10, 2027: The restriction applies to other textiles, leather, furs and hides for the general public (such as carpets, curtains and upholstery).
October 10, 2029: The restriction applies to firefighting foams for civil aviation, including civilian airports.
Business Impact
The restriction applies to clothing and related accessories, footwear, mixtures for the general public, cosmetic products and food-contact paper and cardboard from October 10, 2026; to other textiles, leather, furs and hides for the general public from October 10, 2027; and to firefighting foams from April 10, 2026 (training, testing and public fire services) and October 10, 2029 (civil aviation). The restrictions in paragraphs 1 and 2 do not apply to personal protective equipment within risk category III, points (a), (c) to (f), (h) and (l) of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2016/425, to medical devices, to in vitro diagnostic medical devices, or to construction textiles. Articles and mixtures placed on the market before the relevant date (October 10, 2026 or October 10, 2027) are not caught. This field is limited to the text of the regulation; information on substitutes and on the effect on individual companies is not in this source.