IN BRIEF
SGS, the inspection and certification giant, is offering free PFAS tests to exhibitors at Eurobike 2026. Here is how it works: drop off a product sample — a garment, a component — on the first day of the show, at its stand (hall 12, E51), for laboratory analysis of the main PFAS. The offer is limited to 150 samples, one per company, first come first served. Behind the operation lies a goal: helping brands get ahead of European regulations that are tightening around these “forever chemicals”, already banned in new clothing in France since January 2026.
Bring a jersey, a rain jacket or a component to a trade show stand, and leave with an initial verdict on its PFAS content: that is what SGS is offering at Eurobike 2026. The world’s leading certification specialist is setting up a pop-up laboratory at the German show and offering to analyse up to 150 cycling product samples free of charge.
Why PFAS turn up in cycling gear
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — make up a family of several thousand synthetic compounds. What they have in common: a carbon-fluorine bond that is among the strongest in chemistry, which makes them almost indestructible. Hence their nickname, “forever chemicals”: once in water, soil or the body, they build up and barely ever leave. They are suspected of having health effects, and their lasting presence in the environment is worrying the authorities more and more.
In cycling, you come across them mainly wherever water needs to be repelled. The water-repellent treatments on rain jackets, waterproof membranes, overshoes, some gloves: it is fluorine chemistry that makes droplets bead on the surface of the fabric. Discreet uses, but ones directly targeted by the new rules.
Tightening regulation, starting with France
France has moved first. Since 1 January 2026, under the law of 27 February 2025, it has been illegal there to manufacture, import and sell clothing, footwear and their waterproofing products containing PFAS. The only exemptions are protective equipment, such as firefighters’ or military kit. A fluorine-treated cycling jersey or jacket, on the other hand, can no longer be sold new. Stocks manufactured before 2026 have a reprieve until 1 January 2027, and the ban will extend to all textiles in 2030.
At European level, the file is moving too. Five countries have submitted a proposal for a near-blanket restriction on PFAS under the REACH regulation. In March 2026, the risk assessment committee of the European Chemicals Agency came out in favour of a broad ban. If the Commission follows suit, the first EU-wide restrictions could apply towards the end of the decade. For manufacturers, it is better to get ahead.
A free test, and a shop window for the laboratory
At the SGS stand (hall 12, E51), visitors will be able to drop off their samples on Wednesday, opening day. From there it is off to the group’s chemical laboratory in Taunusstein, Germany, where the analyses will measure total fluorine and the main PFAS — enough to give an initial indication of the product’s chemical safety. The first 75 samples submitted will receive their report as early as Friday; the next 75, shortly after the show.
The offer is free, but SGS invites participants to make a voluntary donation to World Bicycle Relief, an organisation that distributes bicycles to improve access to school, healthcare and employment. That said, the operation also serves the laboratory’s interests: SGS is using the show to present its full range of services to the cycling and electric mobility sector, from structural and mechanical testing through to chemical compliance and cybersecurity. Free PFAS screening is as much a way in as a service rendered.
For brands, the message is clear: the question of “forever chemicals” in cycling equipment is no longer optional. In France, the ban is already here; at European level, it is on the horizon. Knowing what a textile or a component really contains is becoming a prerequisite — better to find out before the law does it for you.
