Summary
Details
- Denmark
Legally binding for:
Manufacturers, importers, and distributors of PFAS-containing products.
Businesses are placing affected products on the Danish market.
Limited exemptions may apply for critical uses pending EU-level decisions.
Transitional periods can apply but are time-limited.
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What's Required
Organizations placing products on the Danish market may need to:
Identify whether products, materials or formulations contain PFAS.
Ensure products comply with Danish PFAS bans and EU chemical restrictions.
Remove PFAS from restricted product categories.
Substitute PFAS with safer alternatives where technically feasible.
Maintain supplier documentation, test results or declarations showing PFAS compliance.
Check food contact materials, textiles, footwear, waterproofing agents and firefighting foams for applicable restrictions.
Avoid importing, selling or using products covered by Danish PFAS prohibitions.
Monitor new restrictions under Danish law and EU REACH.
Cooperate with Danish authorities during inspections or market surveillance.
Address contamination issues in soil, water, wastewater, sludge or waste where required.
Important Deadlines
July 1, 2020: Denmark’s national ban on PFAS in paper and cardboard food contact materials entered into force.
January 1, 2024: Danish restrictions on PFAS-containing firefighting foam entered into force.
July 1, 2024: Use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam concentrates in firefighting training facilities was prohibited.
July 1, 2026: Denmark’s ban on PFAS in certain clothing, footwear and waterproofing agents is expected to apply.
January 1, 2027: Sell-through periods for some existing stock may end, depending on the product category and applicable rules.
Companies should check the exact legal text and product scope before relying on any transition period.
Current Status
Denmark PFAS Restrictions and Emerging Contaminants are currently in force and expanding.
The framework is not a single regulation. It includes national Danish bans, EU chemical legislation, food contact material rules, product safety controls, environmental contamination measures and the 2024 Danish National Action Plan for PFAS.
Denmark’s National Action Plan for PFAS aims to prevent, contain and clean up PFAS contamination. It includes measures related to consumer products, drinking water, soil, wastewater sludge, waste management, monitoring, research and remediation.
Denmark is also part of the group of countries that submitted a broad PFAS restriction proposal under EU REACH, together with Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Statutory fines
Non-compliance may lead to administrative, commercial and legal consequences under Danish chemicals, product safety, food contact material, environmental and market surveillance rules.
Potential consequences may include:
Prohibition on selling or importing non-compliant products.
Product withdrawal or recall.
Orders to stop using restricted PFAS-containing materials.
Enforcement action by Danish environmental, food or product safety authorities.
Fines or administrative penalties.
Loss of access to public procurement or customer contracts where PFAS-free requirements apply.
Liability for contamination, cleanup or improper waste handling.
Reputational damage where PFAS is found in consumer products or the environment.
Because many Danish PFAS measures operate as product bans or use restrictions, the most immediate consequence of non-compliance is often inability to place the product on the Danish market.
Examples of Known Violations
As of May 2026, we were not able to find a consolidated public database of specific penalties imposed against named companies under Denmark PFAS restrictions.
However, Danish authorities have actively tested products and monitored PFAS in food packaging, consumer goods, water, soil and the environment. Enforcement may arise where companies sell restricted PFAS-containing food contact materials, textiles, footwear, firefighting foams or other covered products.
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