The text, supported by the left and the government coalition, against the RN, was approved in the same terms as in the Senate, by 231 votes to 51, and will now be able to enter into force. The Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, gave her support to the text, while calling for a nuanced discourse, " always under the light of science " And " without falling into a general condemnation of PFAS" . " There are thousands of PFAS. Some are well known, others less so. Some are dangerous, others are considered low impact.t,” she argued.
What are PFAS?
Virtually indestructible and present in many objects and products, these per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, or PFAS, accumulate over time in the air, soil, water, food and, ultimately, in the human body, especially in the blood and tissues of the kidneys or liver.
Knowledge of the health risks associated with the various PFAS is still insufficient and incomplete, however, harmful effects on human metabolism have been identified for several of these pollutants which are said to be " eternal“.
What does the adopted law say?
The flagship article of the proposed law provides for a ban from January 1, 2026 on the manufacture, import and sale of any cosmetic product, wax product (for skis) or textile clothing product containing PFAS, with the exception of certain industrial textiles or “necessary for essential uses”A tax targeting industrialists whose activities result in PFAS releases, based on the “polluter pays” principle, also appears in the text.
"No inevitability" in the face of industrial lobbying
Although the initial ambition of the text has been reduced – notably with the exclusion of kitchen utensils from the scope of the ban – the rapporteur Nicolas Thierry (Les Ecologistes) nevertheless welcomed a " huge victory " After " three years of hard work" . " II think of all the victims who suffer from chemical pollution." he told the press. The MP hopes that this adoption will mark " a turning point", and will demonstrate that in the face of intense lobbying campaigns by industrialists, there is " no fatality"When "civil society" mobilizes, it is " possible to reverse the balance of power", added Mr. Thierry, recalling that a year ago, the government did not support his proposal. For Cyrielle Chatelain, leader of the Green Party deputies, this text is " a glimmer of hope" , in a " a time when we are going from regression to regression on the environmental level“.
On behalf of the RN, MP Emeric Salmon expressed alarm at a text which will have " dramatic consequences for employment and our sovereignty " while driving to " flood "the national market of" foreign products containing PFAS". Mrs. Pannier-Runacher replied that the text had been "tworked (…) with industrialists "and that on the contrary it was a question of protecting industrialists" against unfair competition, they who have made the effort to develop technologies that allow them to do without PFAS“.
The text was the first of the “niche” of the ecological and social group, a day devoted to its initiatives. In the afternoon, MPs will consider more divisive texts, in particular the one calling for the introduction of a minimum tax of 2% on the assets of the "ultra-rich", those with assets of more than 100 million euros, inspired by a proposal by economist Gabriel Zucman. The government coalition fought this measure in committee last week, but the text could pass thanks to the abstention of the RN.
The five other texts proposed by the Ecologists aim to implement on an experimental basis "food security for all", "sustainably protecting the quality of drinking water", "facilitating access to the labour market for asylum seekers", prevent them "stock market layoffs" and guarantee daytime hours for cleaning workers. All were adopted in committee, which does not prejudge their fate in session. And not all of them will probably be able to be examined, since the deputies must conclude their work at midnight.
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