Tobias Gerfin from the European Cookware, Cutlery and Houseware Industry Federation (FEC) discusses concerns about PTFE as a coating for pots and cookware, and considers potential alternatives currently under research.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has been the material of choice for coated frying pans and cookware for decades. This material meets virtually all user and regulatory requirements. However, the objective of some regulatory agencies is to replace PTFE, as it belongs to the perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) group. Research into alternatives has already been going on for years, but so far only sol-gel siloxane systems have established themselves on the market. However, this solution is not yet fully equivalent to PTFE, so exploration continues and there is plenty of room for innovation.
Cooking and frying is a very labor-intensive process. Temperature ranges vary between 90°C and 230°C, foods can be very acidic or alkaline, and bases can be polar (water) or non-polar (oils). When heated, the pot expands with each use and contracts again when cooled. The pot must be compatible with a variety of heating methods, including electric, gas, and induction. When frying, the surface of the pan is exposed to mechanical strain from the cookware. After use, pots are often cleaned in the dishwasher, exposing them to very strong chemicals. This mix of requirements is a big challenge for any product.
Two more desirable characteristics are added to this long list of requirements. On the other hand, regulations governing food-contact materials prevent the transfer of harmful substances from the pot to the food. On the other hand, users want non-stick properties to reduce the amount of frying oil to prevent food from sticking or burning.
Why is PTFE so desirable?
PTFE, also known as Teflon, was introduced 80 years ago as a nonstick coating for frying pans. This material has excellent properties and meets most of the above requirements. However, the mechanical stability of PTFE is not ideal, limiting the lifespan of coated pans.
PTFE is a fluoropolymer and belongs to a large group of over 10,000 PFAS. The substance is non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-migratory, non-bioaccumulative and does not exhibit loss of cell viability. ¹ This means PTFE poses no direct risk to the environment. Furthermore, due to the length of its carbon chains, this polymer is not absorbed into the human gastrointestinal tract. Safety has been repeatedly confirmed in the past by public authorities such as the BfR (German Federal Office for Risk Assessment)² and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, PTFE is virtually the perfect solution for non-stick coatings on cookware.
Concerns about PTFE
Since PTFE is a member of the PFAS group, its use has been questioned by lawmakers in the European Union, the United States, and other countries. Although its safety when used correctly is not generally questioned, it is suspected that other PFAS substances may be released during manufacturing, use, and recycling.
In addition to PTFE, fluorinated surfactants are required for polymerization in the production of such coatings. Previously, this was usually the problematic polyfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). However, this compound was replaced several years ago by other fluorosurfactants such as GenX. The amounts of these surfactants are very low and the manufacturing emissions from the European cookware industry are negligible.
In use, PTFE is thermally stable up to approximately 350°C, and the concentration of fluorinated surfactants is often below detection limits or low enough to pose no danger to the user. ⁴ Above 350°C, PTFE begins to decompose, but the cooking fats used decompose at much lower temperatures, with flash points between 220°C and 280°C. This means that cooking oil ignition poses a much greater risk to the user than PTFE degradation.
Disposal of PTFE coated pans
PTFE coated frying pans have two options at the end of their life cycle. From the perspective of a desirable circular economy, a better option is recycling. During this process, the metal also melts along with the paint. The PTFE breaks down during the process, and the resulting small PFAS are collected in air filters at recycling plants. According to calculations by the European Cookware Federation (FEC), PFAS emissions here are expected to be less than 0.2 tonnes per year. According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), this represents 0.0003% of the total annual PFAS emissions in Europe.
The second option is landfill. Unfortunately, precious metals are removed from the circular economy. Recent studies have shown that PTFE does not degrade in the environment. ⁶ Fluoropolymer PTFE is neither water soluble nor bioaccumulative, so PTFE coatings pose no risk to the environment.
In summary, PTFE-coated frying pans are a virtually perfect solution to the requirements described in the first section, with negligible risks and emissions to humans and the environment.
Research on alternative coatings
Despite this positive reputation, alternatives to PTFE have been researched for many years. On the one hand, because longer product life is desirable, and on the other hand, because the use of PFAS is being questioned by regulators. An alternative currently available on the market is a ceramic coating made from siloxane using a sol-gel process. These ceramic coatings typically do not have non-stick properties, but non-stick properties can be achieved by adding food-grade silicone oil. These “ceramic” frying pans have very good non-stick properties after manufacture and maintain these properties even when used at moderate temperatures up to 160-170°C. Above these temperatures, the silicone oil begins to break down or “wash out” from the coating. When the silicone oil runs out, the “ceramic” frying pan loses its nonstick properties. Scientific studies have shown that currently available ceramic coatings have a significantly shorter service life than PTFE coated products.
These ceramic coatings are currently manufactured using a spray process. The much cheaper roller coating process commonly used for PTFE cannot be used with these coating systems, which are significantly less flexible. This means that cheap non-stick frying pans either disappear from the market or are compensated by compromises in product quality.
For this reason, “ceramic” frying pans are still not a true replacement. Research into these coating systems and their coating technology continues, and it will be interesting to see how much this solution improves in the future. It is anticipated that at least several more years of development will be required to meet all requirements.
Another approach to achieving non-stick properties is to treat the metal surface. In theory, structures that achieve perfect non-stick properties exist, but in practice they are either impossible to manufacture or have a very short service life. Nevertheless, systems have been introduced that are mechanically manufactured by plasma treatment or etching. Many of these solutions exhibit better non-stick properties than coated or untreated pan surfaces. Unfortunately, however, it is still not as good as ceramic or PTFE coated products. Additionally, these solutions generally do not prevent possible migration of metals into food. We hope that innovations in this approach will continue in the future.
Besides PTFE and sol-gel siloxane systems, other materials are also being investigated for use in cooking, frying, and baking. The high-performance plastic PEEK meets many requirements, but it is expensive. Graphene oxide is also an interesting idea⁸, but this material must first be thoroughly investigated for health risks. Lanthanide oxides may have non-stick properties due to their atomic size⁹, but again, the health risks for food-contact materials are not yet clear. Moreover, these oxides belong to rare earths, a group of substances that are currently attracting public attention. This list of possible alternatives is not exhaustive. It is expected that new systems suitable for non-stick frying pans will be found within the next few years. However, it is unrealistic to expect a practical solution within the next 5-10 years.
The current status of frying pans and cookware with non-stick properties can be summarized as follows: PTFE remains by far the best solution for the high demands of this application. Sol-gel siloxane coatings using silicone oils have been steadily improved in recent years, making them a next-best option, if not yet a completely viable alternative. For all other ideas and approaches, the search for true alternatives continues. This is a huge field of innovation with a lucrative market and a volume of well over 100 million units per year.
References
Sijon Lee et al., In vivo toxicity and pharmacokinetics of PTFE microplastics in ICR mice, Polymers, 2022, 14, 2220,
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14112220 Repellents to the End, BfR2go, 2025, 40-41, https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/publication/bfr2go-issue-22025-main-topic-sweeteners/ Questions and Answers on PFAS in Food, FDA, December 19, 2025, https://www.fda.gov/food/process-contaminants-food/questions-and-answers-pfas-food 60 Millions de Consommateurs, 2022, 579, 10 https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/1c480180-ece9-1bdd-1eb8-0f3f8e7c0c49 Page 41 Barbara J. Henry et al., Environmental fate and behavior studies of polymers PFAS, PTFE – Risk assessment results and applications, Chemosphere, 2025, 385, 144569, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144569 G. Guerrero-Vacas et al., Towards a greener kitchen: Can sol-gel ceramic non-stick coatings replace polytetrafluoroethylene?, Engineering Achievements, 2025, 26, 105074, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2025.105074 https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/graphene-oxyde-material-could-replace-pfas-in-food-packaging/58605/ Korean patent KR102470075B1
This article will be published in an upcoming PFAS Special Focus Publication in January.
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