How to Apply the Polluter-Pays Principle to the PFAS Pollution Crisis

The EEB, together with OPOPA, ClientEarth, and CIEL, publishes a briefing on How to Apply the Polluter-Pays Principle to the PFAS Pollution Crisis.

While the Polluter-Pays Principle (PPP) has existed for more than 50 years, the PFAS crisis starkly illustrates how critical it remains – and how damaging its improper, or lack of, application can be. Today, the clean-up and health costs of PFAS pollution are staggering, growing, and overwhelmingly borne by citizens.

Because the PPP is enshrined in the EU Treaties, EU policymakers must ensure its effective implementation, as acknowledged in the Water Resilience Strategy and the Chemicals Industry Action Plan. Properly enforcing the PPP is complex, requiring integrated and holistic action.

This paper clarifies who should pay – direct polluters and contributors; for what – past, present, and future pollution, whether legal or illegal; and how much – enough to cover all direct and indirect costs. It also underscores the necessity to combine multiple PPP tools with robust phase-out measures.