Chemical safety and sustainability requirements for packaging are becoming increasingly stringent in Europe with the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which bans PFAS in food contact materials and sets mandatory targets for recycled content in plastic packaging. Since recycled streams are more susceptible to contamination, the PPWR will make PFAS monitoring crucial for manufacturers developing circular packaging solutions.
Demonstrating that a material is truly PFAS-free typically requires at least two complementary laboratory analyses and specialist expertise, making an experienced testing partner essential.
Multi-method approach to capture the full extent of PFAS presence
A significant practical challenge in PFAS analysis is the fact that the term covers thousands of substances that cannot all be measured individually. The PPWR addresses this by setting limits for both individual compounds and total fluorine as an indicator for total PFAS.
To comply with the regulation, PFAS levels in food packaging must not exceed the following thresholds from the 12th of August 2026:
- 25 ppb for any individual PFAS
- 250 ppb for the sum of PFAS
- 50 mg/kg for total fluorine from PFAS sources
In a typical testing sequence to assess compliance with these limits, a fluorine analysis with combustion ion chromatography (CIC) is performed first to quickly screen the material for signs of intentional PFAS use. The 50 mg/kg limit specified in the PPWR is generally considered a threshold for intentional addition of PFAS, with lower concentrations typically interpreted as unintentional contamination.
Even if fluorine is not discovered, a targeted analysis should be performed next to determine whether the packaging material contains PFAS in small concentrations below the detection limit of fluorine analysis (typically ~4–10 mg/kg). An extended analysis of up to 165 PFAS compounds is recommended to obtain a comprehensive picture of possible contamination. In terms of methodology, high-performance liquid chromatography methods, such as LC-MS/MS or LC-QQQ, are used most often, with the potential addition of gas chromatography (GC-MS or GC-MS/MS) to capture additional, volatile PFAS compounds.
If substances of concern are not detected, the combination of total fluorine analysis and extended targeted PFAS screening provides strong evidence that the material is effectively PFAS-free. This makes the multi-method approach the preferred strategy for compliance testing, as well as for substantiating voluntary sustainability claims.
