French members of parliament recently approved the first reading of a bill aimed at restricting the manufacture and sale of non-essential products containing per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS), or ‘forever chemicals’.

The bill was approved unanimously by the National Assembly committee, with 186 votes in favour and none against after a debate between the left and the presidential camp.

Introduced by environmentalist Nicolas Thierry, the bill called for a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of any cosmetic product, wax product or apparel containing PFAS substances, with the exception of protective clothing for safety and civil security professionals from January 1, 2026, French news outlets reported.

While the manufacture and sale of textiles containing PFAS will be forbidden from January 1, 2030, kitchen utensils—which were initially included in the ban—were removed from the list after several parliament members cited manufacturers' arguments over risks to employment.

Kitchenware manufacturer SEB had recently cautioned that the PFAS product ban would endanger around 3,000 jobs at its regional plants that manufacture Tefal frying pans. Several hundred SEB employees had rallied to protest against the bill near the parliament.

‘Forever chemicals’ have been linked to several serious effects on human health, leading to growing calls for them to be banned. The European Union (EU) is also considering a Europe-wide ban on PFAS from as early as 2026.

“While this initiative is welcome, its limitations in terms of health and environment monitoring as well as effective standard setting are yet another reminder of the urgent need of a comprehensive EU-wide approach to cut PFAS emissions at the source and related exposures across borders,” explained Natacha Cingotti, health and chemicals programme lead at the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), a European not-for-profit organisation.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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