Freudenberg Sealing Technologies reports that, in response to the ban on bisphenol AF (BPAF), it has developed BPAF-free sealing solutions based on peroxide-cured fluoroelastomer (FKM). According to the company, this is a new example of “material excellence” for applications in which seals must perform under demanding conditions—particularly in the food & beverage industry.
The trigger lies in Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190, which regulates the use (and placing on the market) of bisphenol A (BPA) and certain bisphenols/bisphenol derivatives in materials and articles intended for food contact. The regulation entered into force on 20 January 2025 and applies to companies that manufacture, trade, or use materials that come into contact with food.
In the explanation accompanying Freudenberg’s statement, it is also noted that, in some cases, application-specific exemptions may apply to BPA with a transitional period, but that other hazardous bisphenols fall outside those exemptions. One consequence is that BPAF (widely used in the rubber sector) has been fully banned for food & beverage as of 1 September 2025, without any transitional arrangement.
Freudenberg writes that an expert team for food contact materials has followed the health-related research on BPAF from the very beginning, and that it has succeeded in bringing BPAF-free, peroxide-cured FKM to market readiness, according to the company, well before the new legislation entered into force.
The same text emphasizes that synthetic rubbers such as FKM are important for high-performance, inert sealing solutions in demanding environments, and that these materials are known for high chemical and thermal resistance and long service life, properties that are explicitly described as necessary in the food & beverage sector.
According to Freudenberg, these “elastic jacks-of-all-trades” are produced through an extensive crosslinking process that gives seals their specific properties. The development is also linked to interdisciplinary teamwork and close collaboration with industrial customers, with a concrete example being the substitution step: replacing bisphenol AF with peroxide-cured material within FKM solutions.
Source: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies – press release “With innovative sealing solutions without bisphenol AF, Freudenberg is setting new standards” (24 November 2025) and Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190.
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