Your Customers Will Ask About PFAS. Have Your Answer Ready.
Sooner or later, a customer, auditor or procurement team is going to ask you a simple question: is there PFAS in your supply chain?
For most manufacturers, the answer isn't straightforward. PFAS don't just turn up in finished products. They can be used in the processes behind them, including the way metal parts are treated and finished.
If you buy pickling, passivation or electropolishing for stainless steel components, this is worth thinking about now, while you still have time to get ahead of it.
What are PFAS, and why is everyone talking about them?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a family of thousands of man-made chemicals. They're prized in industry because they resist heat, water, oil and chemical attack. That same toughness is the problem. They barely break down, which is why they're often called "forever chemicals", and they build up in water, soil and people.
Regulators are now moving quickly:
In the EU, a proposal to restrict PFAS as a whole class has been under assessment since January 2023. In March 2026, both of the European Chemicals Agency's scientific committees backed an EU-wide restriction, with specific exemptions. A final opinion goes to the European Commission by the end of 2026, with a decision expected in 2027.
In the UK, the government published its PFAS Plan in February 2026. It includes an aim to align UK REACH with the EU, our closest trading partner, by December 2028.
In Northern Ireland, an EU-wide restriction is likely to apply once it's adopted.
The direction of travel is clear. The question for UK manufacturers isn't whether PFAS rules will tighten, it's when. And if you export to the EU or supply businesses that do, the impact reaches you either way.
Where PFAS can hide in metal finishing
The surface treatment sector has a long history with PFAS. For decades, PFOS was the go-to mist suppressant and wetting agent in chrome plating. It kept toxic acid mist down and helped solutions wet the surface of a part.
When PFOS was restricted, much of the industry switched to another fluorinated chemical, 6:2 FTS. It's shorter-chain and considered less harmful, but it's still a PFAS. Under a class-wide restriction, swapping one PFAS for another won't be enough.
Fluorinated surfactants have also been used more widely across plating and finishing chemistry, to control foaming and surface tension. That means it's not always obvious from a process name whether PFAS are involved. You have to ask what's actually in the tank.
Why it matters for your business
PFAS questions are already appearing in supplier questionnaires, tender documents and sustainability audits, particularly in food, pharmaceutical, medical and automotive supply chains. Large customers want to know their risk before regulation forces the issue.
When that question lands, "we'll check with our finishing supplier" isn't a strong answer. Neither is discovering that a subcontractor's process relies on chemistry that may be restricted in a few years' time, leaving you to requalify parts with a new supplier at short notice.
The businesses that win those contracts will be the ones that can answer confidently, with documentation to back it up.
Anopol: PFAS-free finishing for stainless steel
At Anopol, our pickling, passivation and electropolishing processes use PFAS-free chemistry. So when your customer asks the question, you already have the answer.
We've been finishing stainless steel in Birmingham since 1967, for sectors where surface quality and traceability really matter: food and drink, pharmaceutical, medical, architectural and precision engineering. Moving to PFAS-free chemistry means you get the same corrosion resistance, cleanliness and finish, without the regulatory question mark hanging over it.
Pickling removes heat tint, weld scale and contamination after fabrication.
Passivation restores the protective chromium oxide layer that keeps stainless steel stainless.
Electropolishing creates a smooth, bright, hygienic surface that's easier to clean and harder for bacteria to cling to.
Five questions to ask your finishing supplier
Whether you work with us or someone else, these are worth asking before your customers ask you:
Do any of your process chemicals, including surfactants, wetting agents and additives, contain PFAS?
Can you provide written confirmation or safety data to support that?
If you currently use PFAS, what's your plan to phase them out, and when?
Would a change in chemistry affect the finish, specification or certification of my parts?
How will you keep me informed as UK and EU regulations change?
If the answers are vague, that's a risk worth knowing about now rather than in the middle of a tender.
Get your PFAS answer ready
If you're reviewing your supply chain ahead of an audit, tender or customer questionnaire, we'd be happy to talk you through our processes and the documentation we can provide.
Call us on +44 (0)121 632 6888 or email info@anopol.com to talk to the team.