In 2025, China issued new regulations on PFAS pollution prevention and control, accelerating the green upgrade of the fluorinated surfactant industry

On January 1, 2025, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, in collaboration with multiple departments, officially implemented the "Technical Guidelines for Pollution Prevention and Control of Perfluorinated and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Trial)" and the "Emission Limits and Monitoring Methods for Perfluorinated Compounds in Industrial Wastewater" (GB 38508-2025). This marks that China's PFAS (perfluorinated/polyfluoroalkyl substances) regulation has entered a stage of legalization and refinement, and the fluorinated surfactant industry is facing a comprehensive green upgrade test.

PFAS, as the core component of fluorinated surfactants, is listed globally as a priority pollutant for control due to its environmental persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity. Previously, the regulation of PFAS in China was mainly voluntary, lacking unified standards and mandatory requirements. The introduction of this new regulation fills the domestic gap, aligns with the regulatory systems of the European Union and the United States, and builds a full life-cycle prevention and control system covering all links from production, use, discharge to waste disposal.

The core requirements of the new regulations include: First, the five high-risk industries (electronics and electrical appliances, textile printing and dyeing, leather tanning, fire-fighting foam, and food contact materials) must establish PFAS material balance ledgers and connect them to the provincial ecological environment big data platform for real-time monitoring. Second, strict discharge limits are set. The combined discharge limit for PFOS and PFOA in wastewater is 50 nanograms per liter, and the total amount of short-chain substitutes is 200 nanograms per liter, which is one of the strictest standards in the world. Third, we will strengthen the primary responsibility of enterprises. Unregistered PFAS substances will be prohibited from entering the market, and those who violate regulations and discharge them will be subject to continuous daily penalties.

The implementation of the policy has a profound impact on the fluorinated surfactant industry. On the one hand, the environmental protection threshold for the industry has been significantly raised, and the elimination of non-compliant production capacity is accelerating. According to data from the China Fluorosilicone Organic Materials Industry Association, in the first half of 2025, 23% of domestic small-scale fluorinated surfactant enterprises were shut down for rectification due to non-compliance with environmental protection standards, significantly increasing the industry concentration. On the other hand, it has forced enterprises to upgrade their technologies, shift from "end-of-pipe treatment" to "source substitution";, and short-chain fluorinated surfactants, degradable fluorinated surfactants, and fluorine-free substitutes have become the mainstream of research and development and production.

By 2025, the domestic fluorinated surfactant industry will have achieved remarkable results in its green transformation. At the technical level, many enterprises have broken through the continuous production technology of short-chain C6 fluorinated surfactants, and the product performance has reached the international advanced level, with a significant improvement in environmental friendliness. Degradable side-chain fluorinated polyether surfactants have been industrialized. The molecules contain controllable degradation sites and can be decomposed in the natural environment. Their surface activity is comparable to that of traditional products. In terms of production capacity, the proportion of domestic environmentally friendly fluorinated surfactants will reach 68% by 2025, an increase of 35 percentage points compared with 2022. At the application level, environmental protection products have successfully entered sensitive fields such as food contact materials, drinking water treatment, and high-end cosmetics, breaking the monopoly of foreign capital.

Meanwhile, enterprises have increased investment in environmental protection facilities, and technologies for wastewater treatment, waste gas purification, and solid waste resource utilization have been comprehensively upgraded. By 2025, leading enterprises in the industry will have their environmental protection investment account for more than 8% of their revenue. They will have established a full-process monitoring and control system for PFAS, with a 100% compliance rate for wastewater discharge. Some enterprises will achieve "near-zero discharge". In addition, the industry has strengthened the construction of the standard system, participated in the formulation of multiple national and industry standards, and promoted the implementation of the green product certification and labeling system for fluorinated surfactants.

The implementation of new regulations on PFAS pollution prevention and control in China marks a milestone in the high-quality development of the fluorinated surfactant industry. Under the pressure of policies, the industry has broken away from the old model of "high pollution and high emissions"; and is moving towards a new track of "green, high-end and efficient";. As a pioneer in the industry, we have always adhered to the concept of green development, made early plans for environmental protection products and technologies, and built a full-process green production system. All our products comply with the strictest environmental protection standards both at home and abroad. We empower the green transformation of the industry with technological innovation and contribute to the sustainable development of China's fluorine chemical industry.