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EU officially revises PBDEs control limits for POPs

Time：

2025-10-28

The EU has officially revised the control limits for PBDEs (tetrabromo, pentabromo, hexabromo, heptabromo, decabromodiphenyl ether) for POPs, and the revised regulations will come into effect on November 17, 2025.

On October 28, 2025, the European Union published the revised EU POPs regulation (EU) 2025/1482 in the official gazette, officially revising the control limits for PBDEs (tetrabromo, pentabromo, hexabromo, heptabromo, decabromodiphenyl ether). This revision mainly reduces the control limits for PBDEs, and the revised regulation will come into effect on November 17, 2025.

1、 Revised content

Substance name

Current requirements
Specific exemptions for intermediate use or other specifications

Revision requirements
Specific exemptions for intermediate use or other specifications

Tetrabromodiphenyl ether

Pentabromodiphenyl ether

Hexabromodiphenyl ether

Heptabromodiphenyl ether

Deca BDE

1.For this article, the1. exemption in Article 4 (1) (b) applies to substances with a single content of less than or equal to 10mg/kg (0.001% by weight).

2.For the entries of tetrabromodiphenyl ether, pentabromodiphenyl ether, hexabromodiphenyl ether, heptabromodiphenyl ether, and decabromodiphenyl ether, the exemption in Article 4 (1) (b) applies to mixtures and articles with a combined content of tetrabromodiphenyl ether, pentabromodiphenyl ether, hexabromodiphenyl ether, heptabromodiphenyl ether, and decabromodiphenyl ether not exceeding 500mg/kg, which shall be evaluated by the European Commission before July 16, 2021. The review should assess all relevant impacts related to health and the environment.

3. The following situations are allowed for manufacturing, placing on the market, or using this substance: electronic and electrical products within the scope of the 2011/65/EC directive.

4. The third and fourth paragraphs of Article 4 (2) apply to articles containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers that were in use before August 25, 2010.

For this article, the exemption in Article 4 (1) (b) applies to substances with a single content of less than or equal to 10mg/kg (0.001% by weight).

(a) Mixtures and items shall not exceed 10mg/kg, except for food contact materials specified in (EC) No 1935/2004;

(b) As an exemption under (a), the regulation shall not exceed 500mg/kg at the time of entry into force, 350mg/kg from December 30, 2025, and 200mg/kg from December 30, 2027, if these substances are present in mixtures or articles containing recycled materials of tetrabromodiphenyl ether, pentabromodiphenyl ether, hexabromodiphenyl ether, heptabromodiphenyl ether, or decabromodiphenyl ether, or are made from these materials, except for food contact materials under (EC) No 1935/2004;

(c) As an exemption for point (a), the substance shall not exceed 500 mg/kg when the regulation comes into effect, 350 mg/kg as of December 30, 2025, and 10 mg/kg as of May 17, 2027. If the substance is present in toys controlled by 2009/48/EC or in any product that is beneficial for children's seating, sleep, relaxation, hygiene, changing clothes, and general physical care, feeding, sucking, transportation, and protection, and these products contain or are made from recycled materials containing tetrabromo, pentabromo, hexabromo, heptabromo, and decabromodiphenyl ether.

3. The following situations are allowed for manufacturing, placing on the market, or using this substance: electronic and electrical products within the scope of the 2011/65/EC directive.

4.The third and fourth paragraphs of Article 4 (2) apply to articles containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers that were in use before August 25, 2010.

2、 Regarding PBDEs

The English name for polybrominated diphenyl ethers is PolyBrominated Diphenyl Ethers, abbreviated as PBDEs. There are 209 homologous compounds including tetrabromodiphenyl ethers, pentabromo, hexabromo, octabromo, decabromo, etc. The main use of polybrominated diphenyl ethers is as flame retardants, added to composite materials during the manufacturing process to improve the fire resistance of products. Because it can release free radicals at high temperature and block combustion reaction, it is used as a flame retardant in electronic products, textiles and foam - a persistent organic pollutant, known to pose risks to human and environmental health. Although the EU has gradually phased out the production of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, they are still widely present in recycled materials.

3、 POPs regulations

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are a class of natural or synthetic organic pollutants that have long-term residues, bioaccumulation, semi volatility, and high toxicity, and can migrate over long distances through various environmental media (atmosphere, water, organisms, etc.), posing serious hazards to human health and the environment.

The main purpose of POPs regulations is to protect human health and the environment from the hazards of POPs, by reducing their production, use, and emissions, lowering their concentrations in the environment, and thereby reducing potential threats to ecosystems and humans. The regulations also require proper management and disposal of waste containing POPs to prevent secondary pollution to the environment.

4、 Compliance recommendations

This revision mainly tightens the limit requirements for PBDEs. However, it should be noted that PBDEs under the POPs regulations are exempted from RoHS control for electronic and electrical products. Therefore, production companies do not need to pay attention to the PBDEs limit requirements in the POPs of electronic and electrical products. However, companies should focus on whether products other than electronic and electrical products such as packaging and batteries comply with the requirements of the revised draft.

In recent years, the EU's POPs regulations have been updated frequently and enforcement efforts have been continuously strengthened. There have also been more and more cases of Chinese products being reported for violating POPs regulations when exporting to the EU. Enterprises should pay timely attention to regulatory developments, respond to adjustment strategies, ensure that products comply with new regulatory requirements, and reduce the risk of violations.

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