How PFAS restrictions by the EU affect the display industry?

PFAS: Central topic of discussion for the DFF and its members  

The EU is committed to phasing out all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). However, if it can be proven that PFAS cannot be replaced in certain products and their use is essential for society, exemptions are possible.

The DFF (Global Network for Display Professionals) therefore recommends to carefully check the use of PFAS in order to be able to act on exemptions in time. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a large family of synthetic chemicals. They are used in many areas, among other things because of their heat-stable and water- and grease-repellent properties.

In particular, they are used in aerospace, defense, automotive, textile (leather and apparel), construction, household, electronics, firefighting, food processing and medical products.

They are also used in display technology: for example, liquid crystal mixtures for IPS and FFS displays contain PFAS to ensure proper functioning.

The planned restrictions have been an issue for the DFF since 2022. We have already discussed them with our display experts in two of our regular meetings. Among our members there are also several experts who have been intensively dealing with the topic of PFAS for a few years. Therefore, it is a special concern for us as a global technology association to inform the display industry worldwide about the topic.

It is our goal to also exchange views on the coming restrictions with external experts and to find the best solutions for our members and the display industry as a whole.

DFF PFAS Working Group

We are also planning a working group in this context. Are you interested in participating?

Contact:

Hartmut Heske, General Manager DFF

 

Official EU information can be found at ECHA (European Chemicals Agency):

Further information on PFAS

Please find here a collection of useful information on the PFAS topic. We update the link list regularly to keep you up to date.

DFF Press Coverage (in German)

German Sources of Information