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Non-stick coating & PFAS restrictions
What it is
Non-stick cookware is coated with PTFE, one of a family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The EU has moved to restrict PFAS across uses and several jurisdictions have already acted on PFAS in food-contact articles
Indian makers sell non-stick into both the domestic market and export channels, so coating chemistry is a market-access question as much as a product one
Impact on industries
- Export access is the exposure - a coating that is legal in India but restricted in a destination market strands both the product and the coating line behind it
- Ceramic, hard-anodised and triply-clad stainless alternatives already exist and carry higher realisation, so the transition is a premiumisation route rather than only a compliance cost
- Recoating lines and curing ovens are configured for a chemistry; switching is a capital decision, not a recipe change
- Indian food-contact rules have not mirrored the EU restriction, so domestic and export specifications are diverging