European Union
POPs — Persistent Organic Pollutants
The POPs Regulation implements the Stockholm Convention in EU law and restricts substances that persist, bioaccumulate and travel long distances — including several flame retardants and fluorinated substances relevant to electronics. Unlike REACH restrictions, POPs limits are typically outright prohibitions with unintentional trace contaminant thresholds set very low. Teams that screen only against the Candidate List routinely miss them, because a substance can be restricted under POPs without appearing where they are looking.
What it obliges you to do
- Screen against the POPs annexes separately from REACH
- Apply the low unintentional trace contaminant limits, not the 0.1% habit
- Check recycled material inputs, a common route for legacy substances
- Track Stockholm Convention listings that flow into the annexes
Latest activity
No machine-readable feed reaches POPs yet. We ingest the US Federal Register and legislation.gov.uk; neither carries instruments under this name, and the EU publishers that would — ECHA, EUR-Lex, the Commission — refuse automated requests. The primary sources above are the record to watch. This is a gap in available feeds, not an indication that nothing is changing.
Does POPs actually apply to your products?
Scope is the part a summary cannot answer. Send us your product families and target markets and a steward will tell you which obligations attach, what evidence you would need, and what is already covered by declarations you hold.
- A written read on whether POPs applies to your range
- The evidence gaps that would surface in an audit
- No obligation, and no sales sequence attached
Not legal advice. This page describes a regulatory framework in general terms and is maintained by people, not generated from the legislature. Requirements change, and scope depends on your product, your role in the supply chain and your markets. Confirm the current consolidated text before acting — or ask us to check it against your portfolio.