The use of PFAS is restricted in many countries and regions, including the European Union, the United States and Asian markets. Industrial organizations such as the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Foundation, Cooperation at DSI (CADS), bluesign® and the Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) group also drive chemical suppliers and manufacturers towards the well-controlled use of PFAS in production processes.

Furthermore, it is observed that an increasing number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have initiated PFAS studies on a wide variety of products including food contact materials (FCM), yoga pants, functional underwear, etc. In the view of this, many international brands in Europe and the US have already stopped using PFAS, or have adopted alternative technologies in functional wear and products.

Some PFAS regulations do not provide a clear list of substances. For example, California AB 652 and AB 1200 prohibit PFAS’ containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom. EU 2021/1297 restricts linear and branched perfluorocarboxylic acids containing 9 to 14 carbon atoms in the chain (C9-C14 PFCA), their salts, and other related substances under EU REACH. However, some regulations fail to provide a list with limited number of target PFAS. This causes difficulties in assessing the risk and measuring the presence of restricted PFAS in a product.