On 17 January 2023, the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion launched an action plan for 2023-2027, the stated aim of which is to “strengthen the protection of the French people and the environment against the risks associated with PFASs”. It is based on six axes of action.
In his introduction to the plan, Christophe Béchu, Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, states that it is “firstly a question of gaining a better understanding of these substances in the environment, quantifying and measuring them, and then implementing actions to reduce them at source at the main emitters.”
This plan is the culmination of the work carried out by the Ministry in 2022, aimed at structuring its action to respond to the growing concerns regarding PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are very persistent and which are found in the waste generated at the end of the life of consumer products, but also in discharges into the air, soil and water…
Six axes of action have been defined.
Have standards on discharges and environments to guide public action
The ANSES was asked to determine, for the main PFASs, maximum concentration values to be respected in the environment, particularly in water. The aim is to give greater visibility to activities that cause significant discharges (industrial sites, urban wastewater treatment plants).
This will make it possible to prioritise and establish a solid legal basis for the coercive measures taken by the administration against these activities.
In addition, the Ministry will …
