Chemical pollution from so-called “forever chemicals” poses major challenges to human health and the environment. For five years, an EU funded research and innovation project has investigated the scale of the problem and possible solutions for persistent, mobile and toxic chemicals, including PFAS. Their message is clear: preventative solutions are needed because it is only possible to clean up 2 % of today’s emissions.

“The only solution is regulations that stop emissions,” said project coordinator for ZeroPM, Hans Peter Arp of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) at the project’s final workshop in Brussels.

Clean and Green Technology Needed
Textiles, cosmetics, kitchen utensils, batteries, air conditioning systems, firefighting foam, and refrigerated display cases are just some of the products that may contain PMT/vPvM chemicals today. These substances are persistent, water-soluble and therefore spread rapidly through the environment, and many of them are toxic.
“We therefore need to close the innovation gap for PFAS alternatives and promote the development of clean and green technology,” Arp told a packed audience of policymakers, researchers, journalists, chemical industry representatives and members of the water sector.
The High Cost of Inaction
The EU is leading efforts to address chemical pollution and achieve its goal of zero pollution by 2050. ZeroPM has worked closely with the European Commission and contributed scientific evidence to support Europe’s response to this enormous public health and environmental challenge.
“The EU’s zero-pollution target for 2050 remains unchanged, but we are still far from achieving it today. We need new regulations that provide integrated, holistic solutions. We must identify alternatives and learn from one another,” said Veronica Manfredi, Director for Zero Pollution, Water Resilience & Green Urban Transition at the European Commission.
The price tag of failing to address the more than 10,000 PFAS substances known today, many of which harm both human health and the environment, is staggering.
“Without action, the EU’s costs related to PFAS and other forever chemicals will amount to €440 trillion by 2050,” said Manfredi.

Shocking Findings
“The information presented here at the ZeroPM final conference is shocking. We must protect public health. Therefore, it is unacceptable for these emissions to continue,” said Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of Europe’s water services association, Eureau.
He noted that 60 percent of water in the EU undergoes only conventional treatment.
“This treatment does not remove these persistent and mobile substances. As a result, we are seeing increasing levels of these chemicals in water. That is deeply concerning.”

Focus on Emission Sources
Within ZeroPM, research has focused on three main areas: the possibility of removing PFAS from the environment, which areas should be prioritized for remediation, and how the use of these hazardous chemicals can be prevented.
However, the hope that pollution can be cleaned up sufficiently to ensure that future generations can rely on PFAS-free drinking water has been challenged by the findings.
“Our research has shown that removing PFAS from the environment does not make a significant difference. We can only remove between 0.2 and 2 percent of emissions. Instead, resources should be directed toward controlling emission sources and carrying out remediation only where contamination poses a significant risk to human health,” said Ali Ling of the University of St. Thomas.

TFA – The Greatest Challenge
As part of ZeroPM, researchers have mapped and categorized PFAS substances to better understand and predict future challenges.
“What we have mapped so far is only the tip of the iceberg. We have no data on thousands of PFAS substances. We lack the tools needed to identify and monitor them. As a result, many chemicals are not included on any regulatory list. “We need a framework for how to move forward. For example, what do we know about TFA? And how many PFAS substances can produce TFA?” said Sarah Hale of the German Water Centre (TZW).
TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), has emerged as a key concern in the ZeroPM project. This organic acid is used in industry, including refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. Refrigerants that form TFA in the atmosphere were introduced as a replacement for CFC gases, which were banned after they found they depleted the ozone layer. The change of CFC pollution to TFA pollution is considered an example of burden shifting, as this creates extensive new environmental challenges as a way of addressing previous ones.
Since 2000, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of TFA have accumulated on the Earth’s surface, and concentrations are rising rapidly around the world. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have concluded that TFA poses a significant risk to both human health and the environment.
“TFA gives me no reason for optimism. This is not a problem we can solve. TFA is everywhere in society. It accumulates in the environment and continues to build up over time. We must stop emissions now,” said Michael Neumann of Germany’s Environment Agency (UBA).
“The question now is whether TFA should continue to be regulated as one of the PFAS substances, or whether it should be singled out and treated as a toxic substance in its own right,” said Bert Leemans of the European Commission.

Danish Coop Did Not Wait for Regulation
Coop Denmark is among the companies that have taken proactive steps to remove PFAS-containing products from store shelves.
“We were concerned, did not wait for regulations, and therefore took strategic action as early as 2015,” said Louise Raith Sørensen of Coop Denmark.
Microwave popcorn bags were replaced with PFAS-free alternatives, followed by a broader PFAS awareness campaign and, in 2024, the introduction of PFAS-free product labelling.
“Providing documentation that a product is PFAS-free is challenging. Traces of PFAS can be found everywhere,” Sørensen said.

A Major Innovation Gap for PFAS Alternatives
The goal of zero pollution cannot be achieved without viable alternatives to PFAS. ZeroPM has developed a database of potential alternatives to PMT/vPvM substances, which includes PFAS.
“In April 2024, we had identified 532 alternatives, and the list continues to grow,” said Roman Figuière of Stockholm University.
He explained that the work is painstaking and involves assessing what function PFAS serves in a product, whether that function is necessary, and whether suitable alternatives exist.
“When it comes to alternatives, we must ensure that they are genuinely safer,” Figuière said.
The fact that only a few hundred alternatives have been identified compared to the many thousands of PFAS substances clearly illustrates the scale of the task ahead.
Despite the scale of the challenge, participants at the final conference emphasized both the progress made and the momentum needed to continue the journey towards zero pollution.
“We achieved so much in ZeroPM, we can’t wait to see what happens next!”, Hale said.
“To go forward towards Zero Pollution of Persistent and Mobile substances, all you need is love and regulatory clarity", Arp said.