Earlier this month, CPMA and Eurocolour, held a two-part webinar series on current and emerging PFAS regulations in the US, Canada and the EU, and potential impacts for companies in the color pigments value chain. The global regulatory and legal landscape is about to become more complex and fraught with potential adverse business consequences when the US, Canada and Europe begin to enforce proposed PFAS chemicals regulatory restrictions. This is a significant conclusion based upon presentations from industry experts during the CPMA-Eurocolour PFAS webinar series held on November 1 and 2.
During the first session of the PFAS webinar series, Javaneh Tarter, Senior Attorney, Hunton Andrews Kurth, provided an analysis of the recently published USEPA TSCA PFAS reporting rule. In addition, regulatory experts Kal Bening and Dr. Rose Passarella from Intertek, discussed what actions Canada is taking and how the Canadian approach compares to the US. In the second session, Dr. Heike Liewald, Managing Director of Eurocolour, provided an update on the EU restriction proposal, and Marcus Branstad, Senior Director of State Affairs at the American Chemistry Council, provided an overview of 2023 US state legislation and recently passed laws.
Each of the government regions described during the webinars have proposed significant restrictions on the use of PFAS chemicals. The webinars also revealed that proposed regulations for Europe will differ significantly from regulations proposed by the US and Canada. What makes regulatory compliance more complex for the US market is the emergence of substantial reporting and restriction requirements for products sold and manufactured in Minnesota, Maine, and California.
The emergence of multiple, and possibly conflicting, layers of PFAS regulations are expected to disrupt supply chains for pigments manufacturers, importers, distributors, as well as pigments processors, converters, and plastics masterbatch companies. CPMA experts will work to identify potential impacts in commerce and provide companies with technical and regulatory guidance to navigate through the complex maze of regulatory compliance requirements for pigments, dyes, dispersions, preparations, and plastics masterbatch products in 2024. CPMA will also develop a comprehensive PFAS regulatory compliance guidance document to support companies in the color pigments value chain in response to downstream customer information inquiries and compliance questions.
Contact us at cpma@cpma.com to learn more about CPMA programs and resources.
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