For the paints and coatings industry, regulatory compliance is becoming inseparable from formulation.

A change in legislation can influence which raw materials are selected, how products are tested, what appears on a label, which information is included in a safety data sheet and how environmental performance is communicated.

Several important EU paint and coatings regulations are coming into focus in 2026. Some are already in force. Others begin applying during the year, while major proposals such as the broad restriction of PFAS are still moving through the regulatory process.

The challenge for manufacturers and suppliers is therefore not simply to identify what has been banned. It is to understand where the rules currently stand, what may change next and how those developments could affect products across their complete lifecycle.

PFAS restrictions are advancing, but there is no blanket EU ban yet

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS, are used across many industrial applications because they can provide properties such as water and oil repellence, chemical resistance, durability and low surface energy.

Within paints and coatings, fluorinated chemistry may contribute to wetting, levelling, stain resistance, dirt repellence, cleanability, anti-graffiti performance and foam control. This makes PFAS substitution more complicated than simply removing one ingredient.

A broad restriction proposal covering PFAS was submitted under REACH by authorities in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. However, the proposed EU-wide restriction is still being evaluated and should not yet be described as an adopted blanket ban. Companies should follow updates from the European Commission and ECHA as the assessment progresses.

For coatings businesses, waiting for the final legal text before beginning any investigation may create unnecessary risk. Companies can begin by identifying:

The objective should not be substitution at any cost. A replacement must still deliver the required technical performance, remain compatible with the formulation and avoid creating a regrettable substitution.

The EU microplastics restriction is already applying

The position on intentionally added microplastics is different.

Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 began applying on 17 October 2023. It restricts synthetic polymer microparticles when they are placed on the market on their own or intentionally added to mixtures.

This does not mean that all polymer particles used in paints and coatings are automatically prohibited. The rules include derogations for synthetic polymer microparticles that are permanently incorporated into a solid matrix during their intended end use. The European Commission identifies particles trapped in paints and certain inks as examples that may qualify.

That distinction is important, but it is not a reason to ignore the regulation. A company may still need to determine:

For formulators, this places greater importance on supplier information, particle characteristics, intended use and what happens during drying, curing and the finished product’s service life.

PPWR brings packaging into the product compliance process

Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste, commonly known as the PPWR, applies generally from 12 August 2026. It replaces the previous Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and creates a directly applicable EU framework for packaging placed on the market.

The PPWR is particularly visible within the packaging, inks and adhesives sectors, but its relevance is wider. Paints and coatings are supplied in metal cans, plastic pails, drums, cartridges, bottles, intermediate bulk containers, sample packs and transport packaging.

Manufacturers must therefore consider the packaging used to place their own products on the market, not only coatings applied to somebody else’s packaging.

The Regulation introduces requirements relating to areas such as packaging minimisation, recyclability, material use, labelling and producer responsibility. Many detailed obligations and performance requirements follow phased implementation dates, so 12 August 2026 is the beginning of a new framework rather than the date on which every individual measure takes effect simultaneously.

Packaging decisions can no longer be separated from product development, purchasing and sustainability strategy.

New greenwashing rules affect environmental claims

Environmental claims are also moving into a stricter compliance environment.

Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition strengthens protection against misleading environmental claims, unreliable sustainability labels and practices associated with early obsolescence.

EU Member States were required to transpose the Directive by 27 March 2026, with the new measures applying from 27 September 2026. This is particularly relevant to companies selling decorative paints, wood finishes, maintenance products and other consumer-facing coatings. It may also affect suppliers whose claims are repeated by distributors, retailers or downstream customers.

Broad descriptions such as environmentally friendly, green, sustainable, climate friendly or eco will require careful consideration.

A claim may be misleading when it is vague, unsupported, presented without the necessary context or based on only one favourable aspect of a product. A coating containing bio-based raw materials may still have other environmental impacts. A water-based product may still contain hazardous ingredients. A lower-VOC formulation may not automatically have a lower total lifecycle impact.

The technical, regulatory and marketing teams therefore need to work together. Environmental communication can no longer be separated from the evidence supporting the product.

CAM and environmental certification turn sustainability into evidence

Sustainability claims are only useful when they can be translated into clear and verifiable requirements.

Italy’s Minimum Environmental Criteria, known as CAM, are particularly important for companies supplying paints, coatings and construction products into public procurement. Depending on the product and application, requirements may involve VOC emissions, hazardous substances, recycled content, durability, lifecycle information and recognised certification or verification schemes.

For manufacturers, environmental certification may influence access to specifications and tenders as well as the technical evidence needed to support product positioning.

This creates another reason to connect formulation, testing, compliance and communication. The environmental properties described in sales materials must be consistent with the product data, certificates and test evidence available to customers and specifiers.

Labels, safety data sheets and VOC information must stay aligned

Not every important compliance issue in 2026 is a new regulation.

Longstanding requirements under REACH, CLP, the Biocidal Products Regulation and sector-specific VOC legislation remain fundamental to placing paints and coatings on the market.

The EU Paints Directive limits the total content of volatile organic compounds in certain paints, varnishes and vehicle-refinishing products. The CLP Regulation governs the classification, labelling and packaging of hazardous substances and mixtures, while REACH supports the communication of chemical hazards and safe-use information through the supply chain.

These requirements become especially important when a formulation changes. Replacing a resin, preservative, surfactant, solvent or additive may alter:

Compliance should therefore be treated as a connected process. The formulation held by the laboratory, the classification used by the regulatory team, the safety data sheet issued to customers and the claims published by marketing must all describe the same product.

Regulation is increasingly shaping innovation

The regulatory changes facing the coatings sector are not only creating restrictions. They are also influencing the direction of innovation.

Pressure to reduce PFAS use is encouraging work on fluorine-free wetting, levelling, defoaming and surface-protection technologies. The microplastics restriction is increasing interest in alternative additive chemistries and clearer evidence about what happens to polymer particles during use.

VOC limits continue to support the development of waterborne, high-solids, powder and radiation-curable systems. Packaging regulation is encouraging closer examination of material efficiency, recyclability and product residues. Stronger rules on environmental claims are placing greater value on measurable performance, credible certification and transparent communication.

In each case, regulatory awareness can help companies identify formulation risks earlier and direct development resources towards solutions that are more likely to remain viable.

Preparing for the next stage of compliance

Paint and coatings manufacturers do not need to predict every future legal decision. They do, however, need systems that allow them to respond when the position changes.

The companies best prepared for regulatory change will not necessarily be those that reformulate first. They will be those that understand where regulated substances are used, why they are used and what must be validated before they are replaced.

Explore regulation, compliance and innovation at Paint & Coatings Italy

PFAS, microplastics, PPWR, environmental claims, CAM, labels, safety data sheets and VOC compliance will all feature within the Conference programme at Paint & Coatings Italy 2026.

Taking place on 28 and 29 October at Allianz MiCo in Milan, the event will bring together coatings manufacturers, raw-material suppliers, formulators, laboratories, researchers and industry organisations for two days of technical discussion and product discovery.

The Conference will explore how regulation is changing, what those developments mean for the coatings value chain and how companies can prepare without losing sight of performance and innovation.

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