Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances that are harmful to humans and exist in or accumulate within the bodies of animals and plants, and circulate in the natural environment over extended periods. POPs are naturally occurring or synthetic organic pollutants characterized by persistence, bioaccumulation, semi-volatility, and high toxicity. POPs include pesticides, industrial chemicals, and by-products unintentionally generated during industrial processes. These pollutants can travel long distances through various environmental media (air, water, organisms), crossing borders and affecting human health and ecosystems even in areas where POPs were never used or produced, causing significant global harm.

On May 5, 2025, the European Commission approved an authorization regulation C(2025)2567, proposing to add control requirements for UV-328 in Part A of Annex I of the EU POPs Regulation. The European Commission published the amendment to the POPs Regulation — (EU) 2025/843 — in its Official Journal on July 15, 2025, officially listing UV328 in the EU POPs Regulation’s list of banned substances. With this, the list of banned substances in Annex I of the EU POPs Regulation has officially been expanded from 30 to 31 items. A new entry for UV-328 has been added to Part A of Annex I.

On July 14, 2025, the Official Journal of the EU formally adopted Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1399, which revises the control provisions related to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and PFOA-related compounds in Annex I of the EU Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation (EU 2019/1021). The European Commission will assess member states' progress in replacing PFOA-containing systems by the end of 2026 and may further adjust limits based on implementation outcomes.

The regulation also sets a limit of 1,000 mg/kg for the minimum allowable quantity from the effective date, reducing it to 1 mg/kg after 30 months.

According to the convention, the production of these two substances is theoretically banned globally starting from January 1, 2026.

On April 14, 2025, the European Commission adopted the draft amendment to the POPs Regulation published on December 4, 2023. This draft aims to revise the restriction requirements for Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS). In the future, the European Commission will publish the revised POPs Regulation in the Official Journal of the European Union, officially enacting the new restrictions for PFOS.

On September 27, 2024, the European Commission published the amendments to the POPs Regulation — (EU) 2024/2555 and (EU) 2024/2570 — in its Official Journal. These amendments officially reduce the unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) limit for hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) from 100 mg/kg to 75 mg/kg and add methoxychlor (also known as methoxychlor) to the list of banned substances under the EU POPs Regulation. These amendments will take effect on the 20th day following their publication in the Official Journal, which is October 17, 2024. With this, the list of banned substances in Annex I of the EU POPs Regulation officially expands from 29 to 30 items.

Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) initiated a risk management evaluation and public consultation for chlorpyrifos, scientifically known as O, O-diethyl O-(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphorothioate.

Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) is a highly surface-active perfluorinated compound with chemical properties similar to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Following the ban on PFOS by the Stockholm Convention in 2009, PFHxS has been widely used as a substitute in various products. However, PFHxS is persistent in the environment, capable of long-range transport, and may cause developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. At the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP-10), PFHxS, its salts, and related compounds were listed in Annex A of the Convention for elimination, with no exemptions allowed.

The 19th meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-19) was held from October 9 to 13, 2023, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy. During this meeting, scientists unanimously recommended that the following two groups of chemicals be considered hazardous and proposed their inclusion in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention: 1. Chlorinated paraffins with a carbon chain length in the range of C14-17 and a chlorine content equal to or greater than 45% (by weight), commonly known as medium-chain chlorinated paraffins or MCCPs. 2. Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), their salts, and related compounds.