The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is consulting on the availability of substitutes and alternatives to ethanol. The EU Biocidal Products Regulation (EU BPR) applies in NI. Under EU BPR active substances will be considered candidates for substitution if they meet the substitution criteria set out in Article 10(1). This means that the supply and use of biocidal products containing candidates for substitution must be prohibited or restricted under EU BPR, unless it can be shown that: - for the uses specified for that product, there are no other authorised biocidal products or existing non-chemical control or prevention methods that:
- present a significantly lower overall risk for human health, animal health and the environment;
- are sufficiently effective; and
- present no other significant economic or practical disadvantages; and
- the chemical diversity of the available active substances is not adequate to minimise the occurrence of resistance in the target harmful organism
The following active substance has been identified as a potential candidate for substitution under EU BPR and ECHA has launched a public consultation to collect information on the availability of substitutes and alternatives, running until the stated date:
- ethanol (CAS 64-17-5 EC 200-578-6) in product types 1, 2 and 4
28 April 2025
View the consultation on the ECHA website.
Comments should be submitted to ECHA (not HSE) using the dedicated webforms. This consultation and its outcome are not applicable under the GB Biocidal Products Regulations. | 
