The US EPA will expand the scope of its PFAS-free procurement regulations.

In August 2022 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that it intends to expand its program encouraging federal agencies to acquire materials free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) to include a number of product groups. 

The initiative will support the agencies' efforts to purchase PFAS-free commodities, a goal established in the Biden-Harris executive order for 2021 and confirmed in implementation guidelines published in August. With an annual procurement budget surpassing $650 billion, the government has an enormous purchasing power that will encourage a wider market transition to safer substitutes for the additional product categories. 

The EPA's Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing is intended to assist federal agencies in meeting the mandate of the executive order to acquire PFAS-free products to the maximum degree practical. 

The EPA is interested in extending" the regulations to the following industries:  

• infrastructure 

• landscaping 

• building and construction 

• laboratories, and healthcare  

• food and cafeteria services  

• clothing and uniforms 

• professional services. 

For the product classes mentioned previously, the suggestions will provide standard and ecolabel bodies that adhere to the organization's Framework for the Assessment of Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing. 

The update is directed at product categories that are known to contain PFASs, according to the regulator. Standard and ecolabel organizations would need to demonstrate how their criteria are addressing the problem where persistent compounds present the most significant environmental and/or human health impacts in a product's lifecycle. 
  
Additionally, the EPA will assess additional standards and eco-labels for previously established procurement categories, including: office and furniture (Including copy paper), electronics (including phones, computers, imaging devices, and televisions), cleaning goods, (Including cleaners, tissues, and trash bags), and machine shop operations (particularly parts wash solution). 

The organization continued, saying that its Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program is actively working to assess contracts to ensure that they comply with the procurement standards.