Non-food legislation – November 2025

Hazardous substances – Rules and regulations in the EU
The Council has given its final green light to postponing the CLP Regulation to 2028. This so-called ‘Stop-the-clock’ legislation is part of the Omnibus VI package that the Council agreed on. ECHA has added one chemical to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs). The list now contains 251 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment. The Council has formally adopted the legislative package on ‘one substance, one assessment’ (OSOA). The new rules streamline the EU’s approach to the assessment of chemicals and shorten the gap between the identification of a possible risk and the necessary regulatory action. The reform is part of the 2020 EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. In August, five countries (Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden) submitted the updated restriction proposal for PFAS in Europe. ECHA recently published a draft mapping of PFAS uses (159 kB) to support the consultation on the restriction proposal that is planned for spring 2026.

Hazardous substances – Rules and regulations outside the EU
Japan: SGS reports that the government is planning to regulate three persistent organic pollutants (POP) as Class I Specified Chemical Substances. Montenegro: SGS reports that the list of restricted chemicals and POPs has been revised to further align with the EU.
US: EPA has announced proposed changes to make PFAS reporting requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) more practical and implementable. This should reduce the regulatory burden. California: OEHHA is requesting comments on the possible listing of p,pʹ-bisphenols under Proposition 65. Prop 65 is a right-to-know law that requires individuals to receive a clear and reasonable warning before being exposed to certain chemicals. New Mexico: The government (188 kB) has published proposed rules (245 kB) to implement the PFAS Protection Act. The rules include establishing consumer labels for products containing intentionally added PFAS, the phasing out and prohibition of the sale of these products and reporting requirements for the manufacturers of such products.

EU: Toy safety
EP IMCO has approved new EU toy safety rules. The proposal contains a digital product passport (DPP) to show that the toy is compliant.

Tobacco plain packaging and graphic picture warnings
An international report (3.98 MB) released by CCS reveals that an increasing number of countries require tobacco plain packaging and graphic picture warnings. The report gives an overview.

Research on PFAS and plastics
Texas A&M University researchers studied how ocean-exposed nanoplastics interact with skin cells. They found that these nanoplastics can sneak past some of the skin’s defences at the microscopic level.
FPF reports on a University of Santiago de Compostela study showing that many of the chemicals present in bioplastics are not yet regulated or fully understood in terms of toxicity.
NC State University researchers have found high levels of ultrashort-chain PFAS in human blood and UBC researchers have found PFAS in sea otters. Eight of 40 tested PFAS chemicals were found in all of the 11 analysed otters.
ACS reports on a ZJNU study finding that wetland plants can remove PFAS with moisture-loving yellow flag irises and fungi on their roots proving to be a promising combination.

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