EU rail industry warns over proposed ban on ‘forever chemicals’

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The output of EU factories building trains and railway equipment will fall unless regulators delay a proposed ban on so-called forever chemicals, the industry has warned.

Unife, which represents the European railway industry, said the fluoropolymers, known as PFAS, were vital to thousands of products including trains and signalling systems.

Brussels wants to shift travellers from aircraft to trains as part of its plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but a shortage of carriages and the incompatibility of national rail systems has held back progress.

The industry says a proposal to restrict PFAS to just a few critical areas from 2027 on health and safety grounds would inhibit its growth and the green transition.

PFAS are used in millions of applications from Teflon cookware to textiles, batteries and smartphones. However, the molecules do not break down easily and accumulate in human organs and the environment. Studies have linked several variants to slow foetal and baby growth, kidney cancer and other health problems. The US Environmental Protection Agency has warned that even near-zero levels of PFAS could be dangerous.

Philippe Citroën, Unife director-general, said it supported phasing out the chemicals, which have strong resistance to water, oil, temperature and corrosion.

“However, our industry needs time to adapt and find alternatives,” he told the Financial Times. The timeframe contemplated by Brussels — a near total ban of all PFAS by 2027 — would challenge rail manufacturing operations and put severe pressure on supply chains.

“The industry is working hard to map PFAS uses as part of the European public consultation. Their widespread uses include batteries, electronic components, plastics, lubricants, paints, hydraulic fluids, and a range of other friction-related purposes. We believe the final outcomes of this mapping will show how complex any transition away from these chemicals will be.”

European semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries have already warned that PFAS ban would hit them hard. 

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is conducting an independent scientific assessment of a near-complete PFAS ban proposed by five countries — the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and non-EU Norway.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, however, has said it recognised that they were needed in critical applications, for example in the digital and energy sectors — including semiconductors, electrolysers and membranes for green hydrogen production.

There are likely to be limited exemptions for active ingredients in plant protection products, biocides, and medicines.

“The commission envisages that the derogations will be introduced for critical use where no alternatives are currently available, while taking into account the need to minimise emissions of PFAS for the derogated uses in their entire life cycle,” a spokesperson said.

The commission aims to ensure “that the use of PFAS is phased out in the EU, unless it is proven essential for society”, they added. 

However, pharmaceutical companies say that PFAS are needed not just in medicines themselves but in the equipment used for research and to make them.

Efpia, which represents the industry, last month warned policymakers not to go “overboard” with a ban. 

Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, chief executive of Novo Nordisk, a Danish drugmaker, and Efpia president, told the FT the proposal “will effectively stop all manufacturing in Europe” within a few years.