Stockholm Convention (PFAS Listings)

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is an international treaty that restricts or eliminates the production, use, import, and export of the world’s most dangerous chemicals. Several PFAS are listed: PFOS and its salts (Annex B, 2009), PFOA, its salts and PFOA-related compounds (Annex A, 2019), PFHxS, its salts and PFHxS-related compounds (Annex A, 2022), and long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids C9–21 PFCAs, their salts and related compounds (Annex A, 2025, with a global ban from December 2026).

Stockholm Convention, COP-4 (2009), COP-9 (2019), COP-10 (2022), COP-11 (2025); UNEP.

Stockholm Convention listings drive global harmonization of PFAS bans. Once a PFAS is listed in Annex A (elimination), all 186 parties must prohibit its production and use, with limited specific exemptions. For manufacturers operating globally, Stockholm Convention listings effectively create worldwide bans that feed into regional regulations (EU POPs Regulation, TSCA, national laws). Companies should treat Stockholm Convention listings as the floor—many jurisdictions implement even stricter thresholds.

A global agrochemical company uses PFHxS as a processing aid. PFHxS was listed under the Stockholm Convention in 2022 with no acceptable purposes or exemptions. The company must eliminate PFHxS from its processes worldwide, regardless of which country the manufacturing takes place in, as all Convention parties are required to phase out the substance.