A shoe can bring together leather, coated textiles, membranes and adhesives. That mix of materials helps explain a practical question facing Europe’s footwear industry: how should manufacturers check for PFAS, a broad group of synthetic chemicals that persist in the environment? World Footwear (source, opens in new tab)World FootwearCEC calls for clear rules on proposed EU Universal PFAS restrictionOpen source (opens in new tab) European Commission (source, opens in new tab)
European CommissionPFAS pollutionOpen source (opens in new tab)
The European Footwear Confederation (CEC), the sector’s trade body, supports progressively eliminating intentionally used PFAS from footwear and leather goods. In a position paper published on 19 October 2026, it calls for supplier records and targeted testing where justified, rather than routine tests of every component. European Footwear Confederation (source, opens in new tab)European Footwear ConfederationPosition Paper on the Proposed EU Universal PFAS RestrictionOpen source (opens in new tab)
The recommendations concern a proposed EU-wide restriction, not newly adopted requirements. The European Commission says it will base its proposal on the opinion of the European Chemicals Agency, which assesses chemical risks. The final requirements remain unresolved.
Often called “forever chemicals”, PFAS resist breakdown because of their strong carbon–fluorine bonds. The EU’s aim is to reduce their emissions and people’s exposure to them. CEC supports that objective, while asking for clearer rules on who is responsible when PFAS are found in a product.
Its position distinguishes a company’s deliberate use of PFAS from their presence in materials supplied to it, their introduction through later treatment by other businesses, and incidental contamination. The distinction concerns who introduced the chemicals and at what stage—not simply whether they are detected in the finished shoe.
For checks on materials, CEC favours declarations from suppliers and technical records, supported by an assessment of where PFAS might be present. Analytical testing would then be used where justified. As reported by World Footwear, this is the trade body’s proposed approach to demonstrating compliance, rather than an obligation to test every component.
The type of test matters too. A total-fluorine measurement records fluorine in a sample without identifying PFAS specifically. CEC says it can flag a sample for further investigation, but should not on its own be treated as proof that PFAS are present or that a rule has been broken.
The confederation also seeks justified, time-limited transition periods for footwear applications where suitable alternatives are not yet available. Its request is therefore about both how companies demonstrate the change and how much time they receive to make it.
- World Footwear · News reportCEC calls for clear rules on proposed EU Universal PFAS restrictionworldfootwear.com · opens in new tab
- European Footwear Confederation · InstitutionPosition Paper on the Proposed EU Universal PFAS Restrictioncec-footwearindustry.eu · opens in new tab
