EU legislation: Perfluorooctane sulfonates (PFOS)

If you use coating on your products to make them grease, oil and water resistant and you want to export these products to the EU, you have to make sure that the coating you use does not contain too much Perfluoroocatane sulfonates (PFOS).
PFOS-related substances are used for providing grease, oil and water resistance to materials such as textiles, carpets, upholstery, leather, apparel, paper and packaging and in general coating.

PFOS are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic for mammals and have the potential to spread over large distances and produce adverse effects on the environment. Therefore the EU has restricted the use and placing on the market of PFOS.

This document provides information on the legal requirements, as well as information on alternatives.