Today we published an update on Defra’s PFAS Plan: “UK Government Releases PFAS Plan Teased in December 2025“. This plan features among the commitments made in the Environmental Improvement Plan made public at the end of last year.
It is generally recognised that the UK needs a plan for PFAS management, but in the hours following the publication of the plan, some commentators expressed that some of the measures identified in the plan lacked clarity (in particular in relation to specific timeframes).
Tackling PFAS is a key policy area in the EU and UK. At the end of January, the European Commission published a report (“The cost of PFAS pollution for our society“) estimating that “if the current levels of PFAS pollution in Europe continue until 2050 without regulatory action, the cost will reach approximately €440 billion during that period. Tackling such PFAS releases at the source by 2040 would save €110 billion, whereas treating polluted water alone would cost more than €1 trillion.”
But PFAS are a wide group of substances, integrated into countless product supply chains, and across most industries, in many cases with no clear alternatives. Another notable piece of research focusing on six fluoropolymers and F Gas and examining the potential impact of a full or partial EU REACH restriction recently called for a “balanced approach that protects the environment while preserving industrial and technological capability” (“The [PFAS] and their role as enablers in the competitiveness of European industry“). This document will be of particular interest to businesses in the aerospace, defence, green energy, and semiconductor sectors.