EU Proposes Approval of Ethanol as a Biocidal Active Substance

On September 24, 2026, the European Commission notified the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Committee) of a draft measure (G/TBT/N/EU/1237) proposing the approval of ethanol as an existing active substance for use in biocidal products. The proposed approval covers Product-Type 1 (human hygiene biocidal products), Product-Type 2 (disinfectants and algaecides not intended for direct application to humans or animals), and Product-Type 4 (disinfectants for food and feed areas).

Specific Technical Specifications and Conditions for Ethanol as an Active Substance

Item	Details
Common Name	ethanol
IUPAC Name	ethanol
EC Number	200-578-6
CAS Number	64-17-5
Minimum Purity	92.6% w/w (95.1% v/v)
Date of Approval	May 1, 2028
Expiry Date of Approval	April 30, 2038
Product Types	1, 2, 4

Additional Conditions by Product Type

Product-Type 1: The product assessment shall pay particular attention to exposure, risks, and efficacy related to uses included in the application but not covered by the assessment at the Union level. Particular attention shall be paid to children (toddlers). Member State competent authorities shall ensure that the Summary of Product Characteristics includes labelling instructions for use and precautionary measures.

Product-Types 2 and 4: In addition to the above conditions, for treated articles containing ethanol placed on the market, the responsible person shall ensure that the labelling of the treated article provides the information required under Article 58(3) of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 (Biocidal Products Regulation / BPR).

Next Steps

According to the WTO notification document, the draft regulation is expected to be adopted in February 2027. It is expected to enter into force 20 days following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and shall be directly applicable in all Member States.

The European Union has opened a comment period for WTO members. The final deadline for comments is November 23, 2026 (60 days from the date of notification). WTO members may submit comments via the EU-TBT Enquiry Point of the European Commission at grow-eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu.

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Further information

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