The UK government has unveiled its ‘first-ever’ national strategy to tackle per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), but critics argue the plan falls short of meaningful regulatory commitments.

The government says the new plan aims to coordinate action across government, industry and regulators to better understand where PFAS, often referred to as forever chemicals, are coming from, how they spread and how to reduce public and environmental exposure. 

First produced at the end of the Second World War, PFAS can now be found in everything from furniture and cosmetics to food packaging, non-stick pans and clothing. They represent a group of around 12,000 different chemicals and are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because of their unbreakable chemical structure. Due to their widespread use, they can now be found in our water supplies, soil and food. 

While PFAS have played an important role in supporting economic growth by being an essential component in critical manufacturing industries, there are growing concerns about their impact on health and the environment, including links to cancer, immune system disruption and reduced fertility.

The government says that, to address the complex and urgent challenge posed by PFAS, it has launched the UK’s first national plan to tackle the risks they pose to people and the environment.

Environment minister Emma Hardy said: “It’s crucial that we protect both public health and the environment for future generations.

“We will work in partnership with regulators, industry and local communities to deliver co-ordinated action to ensure ‘forever chemicals’ are not a forever problem.”

According to the government, under the plan it will take a “science-based and proportionate approach” to reduce and minimise the risks posed by PFAS on public health and the environment.

The plan centres around a few key aims: 

• Plans for new statutory drinking water standards
• Better monitoring across air, soil, freshwaters and marine environments
• Focus on controlling industrial emissions, including through environmental permitting
• Using levers such as public procurement and government innovation platforms to promote the development and uptake of safer alternatives.

Although it does not include a commitment to completely ban PFAS, the government has said the UK will “more closely align” by December 2028 with EU regulations. The EU is proposing a universal ban on the chemicals unless they are proven essential for society.

This lack of immediate regulatory action or clear timelines has drawn criticism from some campaigners and scientific organisations. 

Stephanie Metzger, policy advisor at the Royal Society of Chemistry, posted on LinkedIn that the release of the PFAS Plan is a “very positive and much‑needed step in tackling one of the most complex and important pollution challenges the planet currently faces” and “if delivered properly will put the UK on track to be one of the world leaders in taking action on PFAS”.

However, she questions whether the ambition will be matched with urgency, funding and coordinated delivery across government departments and regulators. “Many actions in the plan are high‑level, without clear timelines or delivery mechanisms. There is also very little on how the polluter pays principle will be applied in practice,” she said.

Similarly, Shubhi Sharma, a scientific researcher at Chem Trust, told The Guardian that the government’s plan essentially amounts to a delaying tactic. “This is not the action plan we were expecting – action has been deferred to an indefinite date in the future,” she said.

Countries across the world are looking to ban PFAS. In June 2024, Denmark allocated €54m for a national action plan designed to prevent, contain and clean up PFAS contamination across the country. In February 2025, France passed a new law banning PFAS in several products, including clothing and cosmetics. In March 2025, Canada announced its proposed phasing-out of forever chemicals following a government report on the harm PFAS cause to human health and the environment.

The January/February 2025 issue of E+T included an article looking at PFAS and the solutions to the forever chemicals problem, particularly in drinking water.

E+T Podcast Episode 11 discusses the issue of forever chemicals with Metzger as a special guest.