Product and chemicals
PFAS restrictions in Australia
A scoping guide for businesses checking products, materials, chemicals and supply chains against Australia's layered PFAS controls.
There is no single Australian PFAS product rule.
PFAS are a large group of chemicals. Requirements depend on the exact chemical, whether the activity is manufacture, import, use, release or disposal, the product type and the relevant Commonwealth, state or territory regime. Avoid describing all PFAS as subject to one blanket ban.
Check AICIS, IChEMS and product-specific controls.
- AICIS regulates the introduction of industrial chemicals, including manufacture and importation, and applies registration, categorisation, record and assessment obligations.
- PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS and related substances are listed in Schedule 7 of the IChEMS Register with prohibitions, restrictions, permitted uses and transition provisions that must be read precisely.
- Use, release, waste and contaminated-site controls may sit with state and territory environmental regulators.
- Additional rules may apply to therapeutic goods, agricultural or veterinary products, food, cosmetics, articles or workplace chemicals.
Ask for chemical identity, not only a 'PFAS-free' statement.
- Identify CAS numbers, concentration, intentional use, impurities and possible precursors.
- Map coatings, stain or water resistance, grease barriers, textiles, packaging, cookware, cosmetics, cleaning products and firefighting uses.
- Confirm whether the supplier's statement covers the final article, each component, the tested batch and an appropriate detection limit.
- Record confidential-business-information gaps and who is responsible for resolving them.
Control reformulation and substitution risk.
Replacing one named PFAS with another fluorinated chemical may not resolve the legal, environmental or claims risk. Require change notification, review alternatives, retest where necessary and align marketing claims with the actual scope of evidence.
Questions to ask
Focus on the decision and the evidence.
- 01
Which exact substances, products and uses are involved?
- 02
What current Commonwealth, state or territory requirements apply?
- 03
What supplier evidence and change controls are available?
Official sources
Check the primary material.
Practical support
Apply the guidance to your facts.
Identify the exact product, claim, customer journey, supplier, legal entity or business process involved. Preserve the information that supports the current position, record unresolved facts, assign an owner and confirm the point at which specialist review is required.
Tell us how this issue affects your organisation and receive a tailored recommendation for the most useful next step.
Important information
Check the current position.
This resource is general information, not legal advice. Laws, regulator guidance and proposals can change. Do not rely on a title or summary alone to decide whether a requirement applies to a particular entity, product or activity.